Trust & safety

Peace of mind, built into every stay.

Leaving your pet with someone new takes trust. Here’s how Barknap earns it: verified hosts, transparent reviews, private cameras and clear rules.

Verified hosts

Every host confirms their identity with a government ID and selfie check, verifies phone and email, and has their pet area reviewed before their first booking. Look for the Verified Pet Host badge.

Honest reviews

Only owners who completed a stay can leave a review, within 14 days of check-out. Ratings cover pet care, communication, cleanliness, accuracy, updates and value.

Detailed pet profiles

Feeding, medication, allergies, personality and emergency contacts travel with every booking, so hosts know exactly how to care for your pet.

Secure messaging

Chat before and during the stay without sharing your phone number. Messages stay on Barknap and can be reported if something feels wrong.

Protected payments

You pay through Barknap. Hosts are paid 24 hours after check-in, giving you time to raise any issue. Never pay outside the platform.

Clear house rules

Vaccination requirements, size limits, check-in times and cancellation terms are shown before you book and confirmed during checkout.

Live Pet Cam privacy

Your pet’s camera is yours alone, and only during the stay.

Reservation-bound access

A feed unlocks only for the owner of a confirmed, active reservation. Access starts at check-in and ends automatically at check-out.

Host in control

Hosts decide which rooms have cameras, can turn guest access on or off per camera, and can pause a feed for privacy at any time.

Pet areas only

Cameras may only cover spaces used by pets, never bathrooms or rooms where people sleep. Feeds are encrypted and not public.

Emergency information

  • • Every booking lists the host’s phone number and emergency vet, plus your emergency contact.
  • • Hosts must tell you immediately about any illness, injury or incident.
  • • If an animal is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services first.
  • • Barknap doesn’t provide veterinary services or insurance. Check your own pet insurance for boarding cover.
Emergency: 112

Report a concern

Use Report this listing on any stay page, the flag icon in a conversation, or Report host on a booking. Reports are confidential and reviewed by our Trust & Safety team, usually within 24 hours.

Hosting standards

Respond to booking requests within 24 hours
Follow the pet profile exactly: feeding, meds and routines
Post at least one update per day of every stay
Keep cameras online during stays when advertised
Keep an emergency vet contact on file
Never leave pets unsupervised beyond what the listing states