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Maavin

Maavin Legal

Community Guidelines

Maavin exists to connect dignified work with real demand across Cape Town and the Western Cape. These Guidelines explain the behaviour we expect from customers and service providers so the marketplace stays safe, fair, and useful.

Last updated: 24 March 2026 · Effective immediately for all users in South Africa

1. Our standards

Be honest. Be respectful. Do the work you say you can do. Pay for work you accept. Report problems early. These Guidelines sit alongside our Terms of Service — serious breaches can lead to content removal, loss of verification, suspension, or permanent bans.

2. Be truthful

  • Use your real identity. Do not impersonate another person or business.
  • Job posts must describe genuine needs — not phishing, scams, or bait.
  • Quotes must reflect what you intend to charge and deliver. Do not inflate after acceptance without agreement.
  • Portfolio photos must show work you (or your team) actually did, or be clearly labelled as inspiration with permission.
  • Do not buy, sell, or fake reviews or ratings.

3. Respect people

  • No harassment, hate speech, threats, stalking, or sexual solicitation.
  • No unlawful discrimination in job posts or hiring decisions based on protected grounds under South African law.
  • Keep messages professional. Disagreements about price or timeline are fine; abuse is not.
  • Do not share another user’s private contact details, ID images, or home address publicly without permission.

4. Safety on site

  • Customers: provide a safe work environment and disclose known hazards (e.g. faulty wiring, aggressive dogs, asbestos if known).
  • Service providers: decline unsafe work; do not work intoxicated; follow electrical, gas, and building safety norms.
  • Meet in ways that feel safe — consider daylight visits, another adult present, and verifying profiles before opening your home.
  • Emergencies: contact SAPS / emergency services first.

5. Lawful work only

Do not use Maavin to arrange illegal activity, including (without limitation): stolen goods, unlicensed firearm work, drug-related services, fraud, or work that intentionally violates municipal by-laws or regulated trade rules.

Where a trade requires a licence, COC, or registration, service providers must hold what the law requires for that job. Customers should not pressure service providers to skip legal compliance.

6. Messaging and privacy

  • Use in-app chat for job-related communication. Moving off-platform is your choice and risk — especially while payments are offline.
  • Do not spam users with irrelevant promotions.
  • Do not ask for OTP codes, passwords, or copies of ID documents from other users via chat. Official ID verification is uploaded through Maavin’s verification flow only.
  • Do not scrape profiles or harvest emails for marketing lists.

7. Payments and trust (MVP)

Until in-app escrow launches, customers and service providers arrange payment themselves. Protect yourself:

  • Prefer traceable payments (EFT) for larger jobs where practical.
  • Confirm scope, materials, and deposits in writing in the thread before work starts.
  • Be wary of anyone demanding unusual upfront fees, gift cards, or crypto.
  • Maavin does not collect job payments today and cannot reverse offline transfers.

8. Verification integrity

  • Upload only your own valid identity document.
  • Do not submit altered, borrowed, or stolen IDs.
  • An “ID verified” badge means document review passed — not a guarantee of craftsmanship or insurance.

9. Prohibited platform abuse

  • Creating multiple accounts to evade bans or game rankings.
  • Attempting to access admin areas, other users’ accounts, or private ID storage.
  • Uploading malware or attempting to disrupt the service.
  • Posting content that infringes copyright or other IP rights.

10. Reporting and enforcement

Report scams, harassment, fake profiles, or unsafe behaviour to legal@maavin.co.za with the relevant job link, usernames, and screenshots. We may:

  • Warn users and require corrective action.
  • Remove content or revoke verification.
  • Suspend or permanently ban accounts.
  • Preserve evidence and cooperate with law enforcement where appropriate.

Enforcement decisions are made in our reasonable discretion to protect the community. Repeated or severe violations may result in permanent loss of access without refund of any future paid features.

11. Updates

We may refine these Guidelines as Maavin grows. Continued use means you accept the current version posted on this page.