Refund Policy

DrivewayNights captures the full booking amount at the time of booking and holds it in escrow. Funds are transferred to the host 24 hours after the stay start date, provided no dispute is open. This policy covers every case in which those funds - or part of them — come back to the guest.

Each listing uses one of three cancellation policies, chosen by the host: Flexible (free cancellation up to 1 day before check-in), Moderate (up to 7 days before - the default) or Strict (up to 14 days before). The cutoff falls at midnight, host-local time, that many days before the stay starts.

• Before the cutoff

  Full refund including service fee. No questions asked. Tap Cancel on the booking and the refund is processed automatically.

• After the cutoff

  Non-refundable. The Cancel action is refused and the booking stands. If the listing was misrepresented or something is genuinely wrong, open a dispute instead.

• After check-in

  Handled via the dispute flow only - see dispute-based refunds.

Hosts do not have a cancel button - a confirmed booking is a commitment. If a host cannot honour a booking, they must contact support straight away and let the guest know through the booking conversation. The guest can open a dispute from the booking page, and any refund in that situation is handled by our team based on what happened.

Either party may open a dispute on a paid booking from the booking page; there is no deadline for opening one. Common grounds include:

• The driveway did not exist or was inaccessible.
• The listing materially misrepresented the space (size, surface, safety, amenities).
• The host cancelled after check-in.
• Property damage caused by the guest (host-opened dispute).

Once a dispute is opened, both parties have 72 hours to submit evidence (photos, messages, witness statements). If the guest has submitted evidence by the deadline, an admin reviews it and resolves the dispute with one of: full refund to guest, full transfer to host, or a partial split. If the guest submits no evidence within the deadline, the dispute auto-resolves in favour of the host.

For multi-night stays interrupted mid-booking (e.g. guest stayed 2 of 5 nights before a dispute was opened), admins can issue a partial refund in explicit pence amounts. The default calculation prorates by nights consumed, but admins can override based on the evidence.

• Guest service fee

  Refunded in full on cancellations before the cutoff and on disputes resolved in the guest's favour. Retained when a cancellation is refused after the cutoff or a dispute goes the host's way.

• Host commission

  Only deducted when funds are transferred to the host. If the booking is refunded, no commission is charged.

• Stripe processing fees

  Absorbed by DrivewayNights on most refunds. Guests are not double-charged for payment processing.

Premium host memberships (£80/year) are billed annually via Stripe subscriptions. To cancel, contact support - Premium stays active until the current period ends and then does not renew, and you drop back to the Basic tier. Membership fees are not automatically refunded once a period has started; if you think your situation warrants a refund, email support and our team will review it.

• Platform side

  Refunds are issued instantly when the cancellation or resolution is confirmed.

• Stripe side

  Stripe typically returns funds to your card in 5–10 business days, depending on your bank. UK bank debits can be faster; some international cards take longer.

• Bank holidays

  Refunds initiated on weekends or UK bank holidays are queued and sent on the next working day.

If you file a chargeback, Stripe automatically freezes the booking funds pending the bank's investigation. We will submit evidence on the host's behalf where appropriate.

Most refunds are self-service - cancel the booking directly or open a dispute from the booking page. For edge cases or membership questions, email support@drivewaynights.co.uk with your booking ID and a short description of the issue.