How Cribb works

• ·Publishes a page for a place, written by the host who is offering it.
• ·Gives that host a link they can share wherever they already post.
• ·Puts a button on the page that opens WhatsApp with a message to the host, which you send from your own phone.

• ·Hold money. No deposits, no rent, no payments of any kind pass through Cribb.
• ·Verify hosts. Cribb does not check who anyone is, or that a place exists.
• ·Guarantee stays. There is no cover, no protection scheme, and no refund.
• ·Mediate disputes. If something goes wrong between a host and a guest, Cribb is not a party to it and cannot resolve it.
• ·Recover deposits. Money sent to a host is gone from Cribb's view the moment it is sent.

Everything on a place page was written by its host. Cribb does not check it. Anything described as registered or included is the host's statement, not Cribb's.

Most hosts are exactly who they say they are. These steps cost you very little and are what people who have been caught out wish they had done.

• ·Video-call the host and ask them to walk you through the place, live. A scammer with stolen photos cannot do this.
• ·Ask to see the place in person, or ask someone you trust who is nearby to look.
• ·Get the terms in writing: dates, price, what's included, what the deposit covers and when it comes back.
• ·Pay by a method that lets you dispute a transaction. Bank transfer and crypto do not.
• ·Ask for the local registration document by name, and check the details match the place and the person.
• ·Be careful of pressure. "Someone else is asking" and "I need it today" are the two oldest lines there are.

Most places have a local record for hosting foreigners. A host can state theirs on their page, and you can ask to see it. Cribb surfaces it by its local name because the specific name is the point — knowing what to ask for is most of the protection.

• ·Thailand — TM30, the notification of a foreign guest's address, filed by the property owner or possessor.
• ·Portugal — Alojamento Local (AL), with a registration number.
• ·Spain — Vivienda de Uso Turístico (VUT), registered regionally.
• ·Italy — CIR, the regional identification code.
• ·France — meublé de tourisme, registered with the commune.
• ·Japan — Minpaku, under the private lodging business law.
• ·Bali, Indonesia — Pondok Wisata.

A registration shown on a Cribb page is host-declared. Cribb has not seen the document and does not verify it. Ask for it directly.

Every place page has a report link near the bottom. Reports go only to Cribb, are never shown publicly and are never shared with the host. A person reads them. Cribb may pause a page or suspend an account, but it cannot recover money or settle a dispute — so report a page, and if you have lost money, also report it to your bank and to the local police.