Guest security options

Haven gives you several independent ways to know who is staying and to recover when something goes wrong. They are not one product. A background-style check, a government ID, a card hold, and a signed agreement each do a different job — and you can turn on as many as you want.

Use this page as the map. Each tool has its own setup, billing, and guest experience.

The four tools

Tool	What it actually checks or covers	Where guests complete it
Guest ID verification	Government photo ID (and an optional matching selfie), via Stripe Identity inside Haven	Guidebook tile — “Verify your identity”
Guest screening + damage protection	Name, mobile, email, and prior damages in Truvi records, plus up to $50,000 protection on eligible stays	Nothing extra for the guest. Screening runs in the background at booking.
Security deposit	A refundable authorization hold on the guest’s card	Checkout shows a “Refundable hold”; the hold is placed a few days before check-in
Rental agreement	A signed legal snapshot of your terms	Guidebook — guests sign before gated details unlock

ID verification is Haven’s own flow, backed by Stripe. It is not Truvi, and it is not a credit check. Screening is the Truvi piece. Do not collapse the two.

Guest ID verification (Haven, backed by Stripe)

When you require identity verification, the primary guest opens their guidebook, taps Verify your identity, and completes a Stripe-hosted session: they choose a passport, driver’s license, or national ID, photograph it, and (if you asked) take a selfie that matches the document. Stripe verifies the session and tells Haven the result. Most checks return in seconds.

Wi-Fi, lock codes, check-in instructions, and host contact stay locked until the attempt is verified. You see status only on the reservation — never the images. Haven never stores the ID photo; Stripe holds it and deletes it on their retention schedule.

The fee is a flat $4.99 per booking (not per night). On Haven checkout you choose whether the guest pays that line or you absorb it from your payout. It is not refunded once charged, because Haven has already paid Stripe for the check.

Enable it per listing (or as a Multi-Unit Site default) in Edit Listing → Arrival guide → Guest verification → Require identity verification. You can also require a matching selfie and choose who pays on Haven bookings.

Full walkthrough: Guest Identity Verification.

Silent screening and damage protection (Truvi)

Damage protection, powered by Truvi, is the background check people usually mean when they ask “does anyone get screened?” Truvi looks at the guest’s name, mobile number, email, and previous damages in Truvi records. Guests do not fill out a Truvi form and do not leave your booking flow.

Screenings are free. Eligible approved stays can carry up to $50,000 of damage protection. The protection fee is $8.00 per night, collected at checkout — guest-pays or host-pays, your choice. Setup is account-wide under Host Dashboard → Settings → Damage Protection.

Full walkthrough: Damage protection and the Damage protection FAQ.

Security deposits

A security deposit is a refundable hold on the guest’s card, not a charge at booking and not insurance. Stripe authorizes the amount a few days before check-in and releases it after checkout unless you file a claim from the reservation. Use it for small incidentals; use Truvi for damage that exceeds the hold.

Enable it in Edit Listing → Pricing → Security deposit.

Full walkthrough: Security Deposits.

Signed rental agreement

The rental agreement is the legal artifact — a markdown snapshot, signed in the guidebook, stored as a PDF with name, IP, and timestamp. It can run on its own or together with ID verification. Sensitive arrival details stay gated until the guest signs (and, if you required it, until they verify).

Full walkthrough: Rental Agreement & Digital Signatures.

Airbnb, Vrbo, and other off-platform stays

You can require ID verification, the rental agreement, and Screen & Protect on guests who booked somewhere else — Airbnb, Vrbo, a connected PMS, or any other synced channel. They complete those steps in the Haven guidebook, not on the OTA. A Haven booking website is not required.

In Edit Listing → Arrival guide → Guest verification:

Also require agreement / ID on synced stays — snapshots your verification settings onto imported reservations and sends a personal guidebook link. You pay the identity fee (there is no Haven checkout to bill the guest).
Also run Screen & Protect on synced stays — Truvi screens from the synced guest data. You are billed per night for damage protection.

Those toggles only help if the guest actually opens the guide. Turn on Auto-send the guide under Edit Listing → Arrival guide → Guidebook access. Haven then delivers the guidebook at booking and again as a pre-arrival reminder — including guests whose reservation synced from another platform. You can also paste the guide link into Airbnb/Vrbo messages or print a QR code for in-stay.

Without auto-send or a shared link, off-platform guests never reach the guidebook, so they never complete ID verification.

See Guest Portal for how the guide is delivered.

How they work together

None of these tools files a claim in another. A typical stack for a higher-risk stay:

Truvi screens at booking (and, if you opted in, on synced stays too).
The guest signs the agreement and verifies ID in the guidebook before codes unlock.
A security deposit hold is placed before check-in.
If something is damaged: capture the deposit first, then file a Truvi claim for the remainder.

Use only the layers you want. Turning one on does not imply the others.