Cancel 24 hours or more before check-in and you get everything back, including our service fee. There are no part-refunds and nothing is held back.
Cancel less than 24 hours before check-in, or not turn up, and the booking is not refunded, because the host has held the apartment for you.
If the apartment is not what was advertised, tell us within 24 hours of arriving and we will fix it, move you, or refund you in full.
Once a refund is approved, Kwana starts it within 24 hours. A card refund then takes 5 to 7 working days to reach you. If you paid by bank transfer, we send the money back to you ourselves, usually within 2 working days.
1.1 This policy explains what happens to your money when a booking is cancelled, when an apartment does not match its listing, when property is damaged, and when a guest and a host disagree.
1.2 It applies to every booking made through Kwana and forms part of the Kwana Terms of Service. Where the two differ on refunds, cancellations or disputes, this policy applies.
1.3 Kwana is a marketplace. The stay itself is provided by the host. Kwana verifies and inspects apartments, holds payment until check-in, and decides claims under this policy.
2.1 Check-in time is the check-in time on your booking confirmation. All cancellation windows are measured back from it.
2.2 Booking total is everything you paid: the price of the stay, the guest service fee, and any cleaning or additional charges.
2.3 Reality Score is Kwana's on-site measurement of an apartment's power, internet speed, water and security, published on the listing.
2.4 Kwana Miles is credit issued by Kwana that can be spent on a future Kwana stay.
3.1 When you pay for a booking, Kwana holds the payment. The host is not paid at the time you book.
3.2 Kwana releases payment to the host 24 hours after your check-in time, provided you have checked in and have not reported a problem under section 6.
3.3 A report under section 6, or a dispute under section 8, stops that release until the matter is decided.
4.1 Kwana charges a guest service fee of 6%, added to your booking total, and a host service fee of 6%, deducted from the host's payout. The guest service fee is shown separately before you pay.
4.2 Every refund under this policy is a refund of the full booking total, including the guest service fee. Kwana does not keep part of a refunded booking.
| When you cancel | What you get back |
|---|---|
| 24 hours or more before check-in | The full booking total, including the guest service fee |
| Less than 24 hours before check-in, or no-show | No refund |
5.1 There are no partial refunds. A cancellation is either refunded in full or not refunded at all.
5.2 A booking cancelled inside 24 hours is not refunded because the host has turned away other guests and can no longer sell those dates. If Kwana re-books the apartment for the same dates, we refund you in full.
5.3 This is a reasonable cancellation charge, disclosed to you in writing before you pay, as Nigerian consumer law requires.
5.4 If you leave a stay early, the booking is not refunded, unless you are leaving because of something covered by section 6 or section 7.
6.1 Kwana inspects every apartment before it is listed. A mismatch means any of the following:
6.2 Report it within 24 hours of check-in, in the app or on the Kwana ops WhatsApp line, with photographs or video. The host has not been paid at that point, which is what allows us to act immediately.
6.3 We acknowledge the report within one hour between 08:00 and 22:00, and aim to resolve it within 24 hours, in this order:
6.4 Where a mismatch is confirmed, the host is not paid for that booking.
6.5 A problem reported more than 24 hours after check-in is handled as a dispute under section 8.
7.1 You may claim a full refund outside the table in section 5 where your stay is prevented by a genuine emergency:
7.2 Report it within 14 days of the event with supporting evidence - a medical report, death certificate, police or accident report, or an official government notice.
7.3 We decide within 3 working days. Where a claim is approved you receive the full booking total back, or Kwana Miles of the same value, whichever you choose.
7.4 A change of plans, a cheaper option found elsewhere, an ordinary change to work or travel arrangements, or a booking made by mistake are not emergencies.
7.5 Documents you send us are handled under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. We collect only what we need to decide the claim, limit who can see it, and delete it once it is no longer needed.
8.1 If you disagree with a decision, or a guest and host cannot agree, raise a dispute within 72 hours of the issue, or within 72 hours of check-out for a damage claim.
8.2 We review evidence from both sides - messages, photographs and video, Reality Score data, inspection records and check-in records - and decide within 72 hours of having everything we need.
8.3 We tell both parties the outcome and the reason for it. While a dispute is open, any payment not yet released to the host stays with Kwana.
9.1 You receive the full booking total back, and we help you re-book a comparable verified apartment.
9.2 You also receive Kwana Miles worth 10% of your booking total, with a minimum of ₦5,000, as an apology for the disruption.
9.3 If you arrive and cannot get in because of the host - no keys, a wrong access code, or an unreachable host - that is treated as a host cancellation.
9.4 A host who cancels a confirmed booking, other than for an emergency verified under section 7, is charged a cancellation fee deducted from their payouts:
| When the host cancels | Cancellation fee |
|---|---|
| More than 7 days before check-in | 10% of the booking total |
| Between 48 hours and 7 days before check-in | 25% of the booking total |
| Less than 48 hours before check-in, or after check-in | 50% of the booking total |
9.5 The cancelled dates are blocked on the host's calendar so they cannot be re-sold at a higher price, and the listing carries a reliability flag.
9.6 A host who cancels three confirmed bookings within twelve months is reviewed and may be removed from Kwana.
10.1 Kwana itself does not charge guests a security deposit or caution fee.
10.2 Some hosts have their own caution fee for their apartment. Where an apartment has one, the host's caution fee policy applies. The amount, and the terms for getting it back, are made known to you before you pay for the booking.
10.3 Where an apartment has no caution fee, the apartment is checked again at check-out, before you leave, so that any issue is recorded while you are still there.
10.4 Where a guest causes damage beyond normal wear and tear, the host may file a claim within 48 hours of check-out, or before the next guest checks in, whichever comes first, with dated photographs or video and a repair or replacement estimate.
10.5 We share the claim with the guest, consider both sides, and decide within 3 working days. Normal wear and tear, and used consumables, are not claimable.
10.6 If you and the host cannot agree about a caution fee or a check-out finding, either of you may raise a dispute under section 8.
11.1 Kwana sends every approved refund within 24 hours of approving it.
11.2 A refund is returned to the payment method you used, or issued immediately as Kwana Miles, whichever you choose. Where you paid by bank transfer, the money is sent back to you by transfer from Kwana, because a transfer cannot be reversed the way a card payment can.
11.3 Kwana Miles are credited instantly. A card refund is returned through our payment provider and the time it takes to appear is set by your bank. A bank transfer refund is sent by Kwana directly to the account you paid from, so we will ask you to confirm those details before we send it:
| Method | Sent by Kwana | Typical time to appear |
|---|---|---|
| Kwana Miles | Immediately | Immediately |
| Bank transfer | Within 24 hours | Sent by Kwana, usually within 2 working days |
| Card | Within 24 hours | 5 to 7 working days |
11.4 Every refund comes with a reference you can quote to your bank. If it has not reached you within the times above, contact us and we will trace it with our payment provider.
12.1 A decision made by Kwana under this policy is Kwana's final internal position. It does not remove or limit any right you have under Nigerian law, including the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018.
12.2 You remain free to take a complaint to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, to your bank, or to a court.
12.3 If you paid by card or bank transfer, you keep your right to raise a transaction dispute with your bank under Central Bank of Nigeria rules.
12.4 This policy is governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
13.1 Kwana may update this policy. Material changes are notified in the app before they take effect. The version that applies to your booking is the version published when you booked.