Marketplace

Marketplace Rules

The written rules of renting on BhutiFuel. Short version: verify who you are, keep money on the record, and treat the other person's livelihood like your own. Last updated: 20 September 2026.

1. Verification decides visibility

Drivers appear in the directory only once their licence, PrDP and phone are all verified by a human reviewer. Owner vehicles go live only once the owner's SA ID and phone are both verified - until then the car stays paused and cannot collect applications.

Publishing before you are verified is allowed; being seen is not. The phone number is a submitted request a person reviews, exactly like the documents - there is no one-time code, and no badge appears before that review is done. Verification reviews usually clear within 24 hours, and anything waiting longer than 48 hours is escalated automatically.

Documents carry expiry dates. A lapsed document stops counting, the profile leaves the directory until it is renewed, and we warn you 30 days out.

2. Applications and proposals

• Drivers apply to live vehicles and can withdraw at any time before the owner accepts.
• Owners accept with agreed start and end dates, or decline. Accepting creates the rental agreement immediately.
• Owners may also propose directly, but only to fully verified drivers.
• You cannot apply to your own listing.

3. Rent and deposits

• Weekly rent is due every 7 days from the rental start date and settles directly between driver and owner. BhutiFuel never holds rent or deposits and cannot move money between parties.
• Either party logs each week's payment in the app and the other side confirms it. Confirmation is permanent. Confirmed weeks print as rent receipts that both parties can keep; unconfirmed logs are claims, not proof.
• A deposit is optional per vehicle. It is either paid upfront or split into 2 or 4 equal weekly slices due from the start date.
• When the rental completes, the driver records what happened to the deposit: returned in full, returned partially, or not returned. The owner may file itemised deduction lines with photos before that.
• Once the driver records it, a deposit outcome cannot be changed in the app. It counts towards the owner's "returns deposits" total on their vehicle listings, shown as a count ("returns deposits 9 of 10") and never naming a driver. It is a record of what the parties reported, not a settlement. BhutiFuel holds no money and cannot award a deposit; disagreements are handled by a person — message us from Help with the agreement details.

4. Cancellations and early ends

• Either party can end an open rental from inside the app. The listing re-opens automatically and the other side is notified.
• Drivers can decline a pending proposal; owners can end an active rental early by marking it complete.
• Whatever ends a rental, the other party is notified in the app. Talk to each other first - most date and deposit mix-ups settle with one call.

5. The written agreement

Every rental both parties commit to gets a frozen written agreement: parties, vehicle, period, rent and deposit as they were at signing time. Later profile or listing edits can never rewrite it. Either party can view and download it as a PDF from their rentals at any time.

6. Reviews are earned, never bought

• Only completed rentals unlock reviews, and every review shows its rental. There is no way to buy, pre-write or fake one from the app.
• Reviews open 24 hours after completion and stay open for 14 days. Responses are public and immutable - write them like they last.
• You can report a review you believe is abusive; reviewers triage every report.

7. Conduct

You must not:

• Submit fake credentials or someone else's documents for verification.
• Demand or accept rent or deposits off the record to dodge the agreement trail.
• Harass, threaten or repeatedly no-show on the other party.
• Use the marketplace for anything unlawful.

Anyone can report a person or a listing from its card. Reviewers triage every report and can warn or remove accounts. Blocking is always available and instant: blocked profiles and their vehicles disappear for you, silently.

8. Safety

Meet in public, in daylight. Test-drive with the owner present and check that the disc, licence and car match the listing before money moves. Trust the verification badges, not the story.

9. Changes to these rules

We may update these rules as the marketplace grows. Significant changes will be announced in the app. Continued use after updated rules take effect counts as acceptance. Where these rules and the Terms of Service disagree, the Terms of Service win.

Contact

Questions about these rules, a dispute that needs a human, or a report that cannot wait: message BhutiFuel on WhatsApp at 081 512 0404 with your agreement or listing details.