1. General refund principles

Bahama Homes may process different types of payments, including application fees, tenant screening fees, booking payments, rent payments, security deposits, service fees, Direct Service charges, Custom Quote payments, taxes, VAT, and other transaction-related amounts.

Refund eligibility depends on the type of payment, the status of the transaction, the applicable Listing terms, booking terms, lease terms, service quote, payment provider rules, Platform records, and applicable law.

Payments are not automatically refundable because a User changes their mind, decides not to continue, misses a deadline, provides incomplete information, an application is declined, an Owner/Manager makes a rental decision, a booking is cancelled by the User, a User closes an account, or a User no longer wishes to use the Platform.

Users should submit refund requests or payment error reports within 30 days after discovering the issue where reasonably possible. Bahama Homes may consider later requests or allow additional time where there is a reasonable explanation, delayed discovery, emergency circumstances, bank or payment provider delay, technical issue, accessibility issue, ongoing dispute, or where applicable law requires additional time.

Bahama Homes may approve, deny, partially approve, delay, or adjust refund requests where reasonably necessary to account for completed services, third-party charges, payment provider rules, taxes, VAT, screening activity, document review, fraud prevention, disputes, chargebacks, deposits, service costs, or legal obligations.

Repeated refund requests, chargeback misuse, fraudulent claims, false payment disputes, or abuse of refund processes may result in account restrictions, service refusal, payment holds, or other action permitted by our Terms and applicable law.

Nothing in this Policy limits any refund, cancellation, consumer, payment, chargeback, or other right that cannot legally be limited under applicable law.

2. Application fees

Application Fees help cover the cost of Platform use, application processing, application records, document handling, administrative review, payment processing, communication tools, and related application support.

Application Fees are generally non-refundable once an application has been submitted, processed, reviewed, made available to an Owner/Manager, or otherwise used through the Platform.

An application being declined, withdrawn, expired, unanswered, or not selected by an Owner/Manager does not automatically make the Application Fee refundable.

Bahama Homes may consider a refund or credit where:

Tenant Screening Fees are generally non-refundable once screening has started, a Screening Provider has been engaged, documents have been reviewed, verification activity has begun, or screening results have been prepared or made available.

Screening, verification, document review, or payment of a Tenant Screening Fee does not guarantee application approval, lease approval, booking approval, or acceptance by an Owner/Manager.

Bahama Homes may consider a refund or credit where:

Owner/Managers are responsible for clearly disclosing cancellation terms, refund windows, deposits, house rules, and non-refundable charges connected to their Listings. Guests and Tenants are responsible for reviewing those terms before booking or paying.

A booking cancellation may result in a full refund, partial refund, no refund, credit, deposit adjustment, or other handling depending on the applicable terms and circumstances.

Bahama Homes Service Fees and booking-related service charges are generally non-refundable once a booking has been confirmed, processed, or supported through the Platform, unless required by law or unless Bahama Homes determines that a refund or credit is appropriate because of a Platform error, duplicate charge, unauthorized charge, owner cancellation, property unavailability, or qualifying emergency event.

If a natural disaster, hurricane, tropical storm, flooding, fire, government restriction, evacuation order, declared emergency, severe property damage, utility failure, safety issue, or other major event makes the booked stay impossible, unsafe, unlawful, or unavailable, Bahama Homes may assist with cancellation handling, refund processing, rescheduling, credits, deposit release, or other reasonable resolution based on the circumstances, payment status, owner payout status, Listing terms, payment provider rules, and applicable law.

Ordinary bad weather, travel delays, flight changes, personal scheduling conflicts, or a User’s decision not to travel do not automatically qualify for a refund unless the applicable Listing terms, booking terms, Owner/Manager, payment provider rules, or law provides otherwise.

If an Owner/Manager cancels a confirmed booking or cannot provide the property as agreed, Bahama Homes may assist with communication, records, refund processing, or support, but refund responsibility may depend on the applicable Listing terms, payment handling, owner payout status, and law.

5. Security deposits

Security Deposits are not treated the same as ordinary fees. A Security Deposit may be refundable, partially refundable, held as an authorization, collected with a booking payment, released after review, refunded after checkout, or adjusted for permitted deductions.

Where supported by the payment provider, Bahama Homes may use an authorization hold instead of immediately collecting the Security Deposit. Where authorization holds are not supported or are not used, Bahama Homes may collect the Security Deposit and later release, refund, or adjust it through a controlled deposit process.

Security Deposits may be used, in whole or in part, for permitted deductions such as property damage, missing items, excessive cleaning, unpaid charges, policy violations, late departure, breach of property rules, chargebacks, or other amounts permitted by the applicable Listing terms, Lease, Rental Agreement, booking terms, or law.

After checkout, move-out, lease end, or the relevant review point, the Owner/Manager may be required to complete a deposit review within the applicable review window. The review may result in a full release, partial release, refund, deduction claim, damage claim, admin hold, or dispute review.

Bahama Homes may delay release or refund of a Security Deposit where there is an open dispute, admin hold, pending damage review, chargeback, suspected fraud, unpaid balance, incomplete review, compliance issue, or legal requirement.

If no deduction claim, dispute, admin hold, pending damage review, or other valid hold exists after the applicable review window, Bahama Homes may process a fallback release or refund according to its Platform procedures, payment provider rules, and applicable law.

6. Rent payments

Rent payments, partial rent payments, lease-related payments, and property-related payments made through Bahama Homes are generally not refundable by Bahama Homes simply because a Tenant changes their mind, enters the wrong rental period, submits a partial payment, disputes lease terms, or later disagrees with the Owner/Manager.

Tenants are responsible for entering accurate payment details, including the correct property, lease reference, rental period, amount, payer information, partial payment notes, and any other required information.

Owner/Managers are responsible for confirming rent obligations, balances, late fees, lease compliance, and acceptance of partial payments unless Bahama Homes has expressly agreed otherwise in writing.

Bahama Homes may help review rent payment errors, duplicate payments, misapplied payment references, unauthorized charges, or payment processing issues. Refunds, reversals, corrections, or credits may depend on the Owner/Manager, payment provider rules, payout status, lease terms, Platform records, and applicable law.

A rent payment refund or correction does not automatically cancel a lease obligation, waive a balance, remove late fees, resolve a lease dispute, or change the legal relationship between the Tenant and Owner/Manager.

7. Direct services and custom quotes

Bahama Homes may offer Direct Services, including property photography, videography, aerial photo or video, virtual tours, inspections, listing support, lease preparation, document support, marketing support, or other custom services.

Direct Service refunds depend on the specific quote, invoice, service confirmation, scheduling status, work performed, costs incurred, property readiness, travel requirements, weather conditions, access issues, third-party costs, and applicable law.

Unless otherwise agreed in writing:

Users should report suspected duplicate or unauthorized charges within 30 days after discovering the issue where reasonably possible. Bahama Homes may consider later reports where there is a reasonable explanation, delayed discovery, bank or payment provider delay, emergency circumstances, technical issue, accessibility issue, ongoing dispute, or where applicable law requires additional time.

Users should provide enough information for Bahama Homes to identify the transaction, including the payment date, amount, email address, account, order number, booking number, application reference, or payment reference.

Bahama Homes may require identity verification, account verification, bank or payment provider review, fraud review, or additional information before processing a refund or correction.

9. Taxes, VAT, and processing fees

Refunds involving taxes, VAT, service fees, payment processing-related charges, accommodation-related taxes, government duties, or similar charges may be calculated according to the transaction type, tax rules, invoice status, payment provider rules, refund amount, and applicable law.

Where a taxable payment is refunded in whole or in part, any related tax or VAT adjustment may be processed according to Bahama Homes’ records, payment provider rules, accounting procedures, and applicable law.

Some payment processing-related charges, bank charges, gateway charges, card network charges, service fees, or third-party charges may be non-refundable, even where another part of the transaction is refunded, unless applicable law or payment provider rules require otherwise.

10. Refund timing and payment method

Approved refunds are generally returned to the original payment method where possible. After Bahama Homes approves and submits a refund, refunds commonly take 5 to 10 business days to appear, but actual timing may vary depending on the payment provider, card network, bank, payment gateway, fraud review, chargeback status, refund method, and account status.

Bahama Homes may not be able to control how quickly a bank, card issuer, payment gateway, or third-party provider posts a refund after it has been issued.

In some cases, Bahama Homes may offer a credit, corrected invoice, manual adjustment, deposit statement, replacement service, partial refund, rescheduled service, or other resolution instead of or in addition to a refund, where appropriate and permitted.

11. Chargebacks and disputes

If you dispute a payment through your bank, card issuer, or payment provider, Bahama Homes may pause refunds, services, applications, bookings, document access, account activity, payouts, or deposit handling while the dispute is reviewed.

Bahama Homes may provide transaction records, invoices, receipts, application records, booking records, communication records, service records, document records, and other relevant information to the payment provider, bank, card issuer, Owner/Manager, legal adviser, regulator, or other relevant party where appropriate.

Submitting a chargeback or payment dispute does not automatically cancel a lease obligation, remove a rent balance, waive a fee, cancel a booking term, delete records, or resolve a dispute with an Owner/Manager.

12. Account closure and data retention

Refunds, cancellations, application withdrawal, booking cancellation, account closure, or deletion requests do not automatically delete application records, payment records, screening records, uploaded documents, invoices, receipts, deposit records, support tickets, or communications.

Bahama Homes may retain records where needed for legal, tax, accounting, audit, fraud prevention, security, dispute, payment, chargeback, compliance, or legitimate business record purposes. Data handling and retention are explained further in our Privacy Policy, including /privacy-policy/#application-document-retention.

13. Changes to this policy

Bahama Homes may update this Refund Policy periodically. The “Last updated” date above indicates the most recent revision. Continued use of the Platform after an update constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

14. Contact

If you have questions about this Refund Policy or wish to request a refund review, contact [email protected]. Include your account email, payment date, amount, order number, booking number, application reference, service quote, or any other details that help us identify the transaction.