Terms of service

Shortyme is a marketplace. Hosts list private spaces by the hour; guests book them. Shortyme is not the host. We do not own, control or manage the spaces listed, and the contract to occupy a space is between the guest and the host.

What we do provide: identity verification on both sides, the booking and payment mechanism, the Privacy Score, and a record of what happened if there is a dispute.

You must be 18 or over and legally able to enter a contract. Accounts are personal — you may not let someone else book under your identity, because the verification the other party is relying on would then be describing the wrong person.

A booking is confirmed when payment is authorised and the host accepts, or immediately where instant booking is enabled. Prices are quoted server-side and include every fee and applicable tax before you confirm — the total you are shown is the total you pay.

Shortyme charges hosts 10% commission and guests a capped 10% service fee. Where we act as the marketplace facilitator for tax purposes, we collect and remit that tax; where we do not, the host remains responsible for their own.

The cancellation terms shown on a listing at the time you book are the ones that apply, and we do not change them retroactively. Where a host cancels a confirmed booking, the guest is refunded in full.

Hosts must describe spaces accurately, hold the legal right to let the space, and comply with local law — including planning restrictions, lease terms, licensing and tax registration. Shortyme does not verify that you have that right, and listing a space you may not let is your risk, not ours.

Use the space for the hours booked and the purpose described. Do not exceed the stated capacity, and do not photograph or record other people. Damage is your responsibility.

Spaces may not be used for anything illegal, for commercial sexual services, for events not disclosed at booking, or for anything that would breach the host’s own lease or insurance. We suspend accounts for this, and we cooperate with law enforcement where legally required.

We may restrict or suspend an account where we reasonably believe these terms have been breached. Every such action is recorded with a written reason against the person who took it, and you may ask for that reason.

We are liable for our own service failing. We are not liable for what happens between a host and a guest inside a space we have never entered. Nothing here limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or anything else that cannot be limited under UK law.

We will give notice of material changes before they take effect. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales.