Terms and conditions

1. USE OF WEBSITE

1. By making use of the Swop Your Stay website and community you accept the terms and conditions described below as well as you do accept all that comes with it.

2. TO BECOME/BE A MEMBER OF SWOP YOUR STAY YOU MUST:

1. Own a hotel/B&B/or any other accommodation fit to receive guests.
2. Your accommodation must have it’s own website including full contact details or has it’s own social media page (for example a page on facebook.com).
3. Preferable be listed on one or more accommodation booking platform (e.g. Booking.com, bedandbreakfast.eu, etc.)
4. Pay the Swop Your Stay membership fee on time.

3. QUALITY CONTROL POLICY

1. Swop Your Stay members can request accommodation at any other member of SYS for the number of credits as explained in the How it Works session of this website. The approval of the request is solely up to the host accommodation.
2. SYS does not apply a rating system on our community website. However, the general rule for an accommodation to become part of the SYS community is a minimum of 3-star rating. As not all accommodations are rated by the respective tourist boards of their home country it is up to the administrators of Swop Your Stay to accept or reject a request for admittance to the SYS community.
3. A host accommodation can reject a request for Swop to his like. However, whenever a Swop is accepted and confirmed, it is a binding contract that must be honored by the host and the guest. A host can only cancel an agreed booking when both parties (guest and host) agree with the cancellation.
4. Whenever a host does not comply to the above stated clause (3.3.), the host will have to arrange suitable alternative accommodation for the guest at no cost for the guest. Approved credits will go to the host while he provides suitable alternative accommodation.
5. Should a guest confirm a booking and not show up, applicable credits will be moved to the host.
6. When a booking request has been approved by the host, it will be treated the same as a paid booking.
7. When a booking request has not been approved by the host yet, the requestee can cancel the booking.
8. When the guest cancels within 7 days prior to arrival, credits will be moved to the host. Only when host and guest come to a mutual agreement about the cancellation, the host (so not the guest) can ask us via email (admin@swopyourstay.com) with a cc. to the guest to not move the credits from guest to host or move credits back to the guest.
9. Only the registered member of the Swop Your Stay community can make a booking request.
10. The host may hold guests responsible for any damage or misconduct. Guests, whether registered or sponsored, assume full responsibility for such event.
11. Swop Your Stay is in no means responsible for any damage caused by a guest to a host accommodation during a Swop stay. Swop Your Stay will assist in any wrongdoing as stated in the ‘community guidelines’ section.
12. Being a registered member, you are granted access and use of the Swop Your Stay community. This includes the use of the website and the social media channels of Swop Your Stay

4. SWOP YOUR STAY CREDITS

1. Once you register as a member of the Swop Your Stay community you will receive 10 credits being the welcome to the community credits and 6 credits that you will receive annually after payment of the annual contribution.
2. A membership year is from date of registration till the same date the next year.
3. Swop Your Stay credits may be used to make bookings for family, friends or a staff member. Under no circumstances it is allowed to receive money for bookings made via Swop Your Stay. Receiving payment/compensation/donation for your SYS credits is illegal and will result in termination of your membership without compensation of any sorts.
4. One credit per person per night (Except when 1 person is occupying a room, 2 credits per night will be deducted).
5. An additional 6 credits will be added to the Swop Your Stay member upon the recruitment of another member. The new member, when registering to the Swop Your Stay system, must indicate that he has come to the SYS community via the particular existing member.
6. Credits cannot be transferred or exchanged for cash. Members are not allowed to receive cash from anybody and use credits to book them with another member. You are only allowed to make a booking for a friend, a family member or a staff member as a gift or a reward. Should money exchanges come under our attention, your membership will be terminated with immediate effect and you will lose all credits.
7. At the end of the membership year, credits in your account will be retained and carried forward to the next year.

5. ADDITIONAL EXTRAS THAT MAY BE CHARGED FOR:

1. All meals, drinks and activities are not included in the Swop and therefore are a way for the host to make cash on a Swop Your Stay stay.

6. CANCELLATION OR TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

1. Once registered to the Swop Your Stay platform, your registration continues until you terminate your membership.
2. Termination of your membership should be done via email to admin@swopyourstay.com at least 2 months before your annual membership expires. The credits in your account can be used till the end of the membership year.
3. No refunds will be given upon termination of membership.
4. Should a member fail to renew his membership within 30 days of invoice date (which will be send to member 30 days prior to the end of membership year), membership will be frozen. No Swops can be made during a frozen period. A frozen period has a maximum of 30 days, in which time the member can renew his membership by payment of the membership fee. Does member fail to do so, membership will be terminated after the 30 days frozen period, without any refunds for existing credits been given.
5. When the SYS member sells or terminates the accommodation listed on Swop Your Stay, admin should be notified. Credits can be used for the remaining of the membership year.
6. In the event the SYS member of article 6.5 desires to extend his membership while he is in the possession of credits, he can do so for 12 months counting from the day the accommodation is been sold/terminated, providing membership fee is up to date and member has requested so to admin@swopyourstay.com.
7. Swop Your Stay can and will terminate any membership due to multiple complaints (about standard of service and facilities offered). The member in question can use his credits till the end of the membership year.
8. In case of abuse or non-compliance to the terms and conditions, to the way we work or the way we treat each other, Swop Your Stay can terminate membership without any refund been given.

7. VAT

1. All received and made reservations via the Swop Your Stay platform are VAT liable. Although the Swop Your Stay platform and community are based on a barter principle, most tax agencies in the world consider barter transactions equal to money driven transactions. Therefore, Swop Your Stay strongly advises to register SYS bookings as where they money based transactions.
2. When receiving a booking via Swop Your Stay, you should administer the booking at the revenue it represents, including the VAT it therefore represents.
3. When making a booking at another Swop Your Stay community member, you can administer the booking at the cost it represents, including the VAT it therefore represents.
4. When you spend as much credits as you receive, having administered them as stated in 7.2 and 7.3, the VAT implication is around 0.

8. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

1. The Swop Your Stay platform and all original content is the sole property of Swop Your Stay and may not be duplicated or used in any way without prior written consent from the administrators.

9. PRIVACY

1. All private information entrusted to Swop Your Stay (such as email addresses or other personal information) will not be shared with third parties and will never be publicly visible unless expressly agreed thereto.
2. Private information (such as email addresses) will be shared within the community of Swop Your Stay, solely with registered and logged in members.

IMPORTANT: Upon registration, Swop Your Stay members acknowledge to have read and understand all the above clauses and agree to accept and comply with the Terms and Conditions as set out in this document.