Your security deposit is held securely by ViyahVogue for the duration of the rental.
Once both parties have completed the return in the handover app and submitted their mandatory reviews, the deposit is released back to you – assuming no damage claim has been raised.
If the lender raises a dispute, ViyahVogue will review the evidence before making a decision on any deduction. We aim to resolve disputes as quickly as possible. Your deposit is never paid directly to the lender – it is always held by ViyahVogue until the rental is fully closed.
If you need to cancel, you can do this directly through the platform.
Cancellations made more than 24 hours before the scheduled collection can be processed without a fee, though please note that transaction fees charged by Stripe at the point of booking are non-refundable.
We’d still ask you to email us at operations@viyahvogue.com to let us know. If you cancel within 24 hours of collection, a £20 late cancellation fee will be deducted from your deposit.
Payouts are processed once both parties have completed the return in the handover app and both mandatory reviews have been submitted.
ViyahVogue takes a 20% commission from each rental – your payout is the remaining amount after this deduction. Payouts are sent to the bank account connected through your Stripe Express account. I
f you haven’t set up Stripe Connect yet, you won’t be able to receive payments – follow our guide to connecting your bank account to get started.
If a borrower cancels within 24 hours of the scheduled collection, a £20 fee is deducted from their deposit. This exists for three reasons. First, Stripe charges a payment processing fee on every transaction regardless of whether the rental goes ahead – a late cancellation still incurs this cost.
Second, our team spends time coordinating and supporting every booking, and a last-minute cancellation still requires admin to resolve. Third and most importantly, the lender has held that date for you – turning down other potential borrowers in the process.
The £20 fee ensures we can fairly compensate the lender for that lost opportunity, covering our costs in the process.
ID verification is a core part of how ViyahVogue keeps the community safe for everyone. We require borrowers to bring a valid photo ID – passport, driving licence or national ID card – to every collection. The lender will check that the name on your ID matches the name on the booking and the card used to pay. This confirms that the person collecting the outfit is the person who made the booking, protecting both parties from fraud or impersonation.
The lender will also photograph your ID through the handover app, which is sent securely to the ViyahVogue operations team. Your ID is never stored in the app or shared with the lender.
If the ViyahVogue Handover App at viyahvogue.com/handover isn’t responding, don’t abandon the handover.
Both parties should follow the manual protocol: check the borrower’s ID, record a 60-second video of the outfit together with both parties visible in the frame, confirm the inventory is complete and note any pre-existing marks.
As soon as you have internet access, email operations@viyahvogue.com with your booking reference and the outcome of the handover. Full instructions are in our Manual Handover Protocol guide.
If you arrive at the collection and find significant damage that wasn’t disclosed in the listing – stains, tears, broken zips – you have the right to refuse the rental.
Open the ViyahVogue Handover App at viyahvogue.com/handover and use the issue reporting function to document and flag the problem. The app will guide you through recording the damage with both parties present. Do not take the outfit home. Notify us at operations@viyahvogue.com within 24 hours to be eligible for a full refund.
Evidence collected through the handover app at the time of collection is always the strongest basis for a claim.
Every listing includes a UK size and we strongly recommend lenders add exact measurements – chest, waist, length and hip – so you can compare against your own.
Many South Asian garments also have drawstring waistbands which give useful flexibility. If you’re unsure, message the lender before booking to ask about fit, or arrange an informal try-on directly with them.
If you skip this step and the outfit doesn’t fit at collection, this is treated as a late cancellation. Read our full guide to Getting the Size Right.
Contact us at operations@viyahvogue.com and we’ll try to reach the lender on your behalf. Lenders who are repeatedly unresponsive are reviewed and may be removed from the platform to ensure a good experience for everyone.
We recommend meeting somewhere public – a local place of worship, public library, town hall or shopping centre all work well, and many have facilities where you can try the outfit on privately. If you’re comfortable meeting at the lender’s home and want to bring a friend or family member along, that’s fine too. Please stay vigilant when meeting someone for the first time.
Light wear and tear from normal use is not chargeable – we understand that South Asian occasion wear is often heavily embellished and some minor wear is expected. Deposit deductions are reserved for significant damage such as major stains or tears to the garment.
Most saris listed on ViyahVogue come ready to wear – pre-pleated and pinned so you can simply step into them. However, this varies by listing, so we’d recommend messaging the lender directly through the chat function on their listing page to confirm how the sari is set up and whether any additional styling guidance is included.
That’s entirely your call. If it’s for an important event, arranging a try-on beforehand is always the safer option. If the lender has provided detailed measurements and you’re confident about fit, renting without trying on is fine – just make sure you’ve asked any fitting questions before you confirm the booking. A useful tip: ask the lender what size they are in a high street brand you know well, so you can compare more easily.
If you decide not to take the outfit, one day’s rental fee will be charged to cover the lender’s lost booking – the dates were blocked out for you, so they’ve missed other potential rentals. Any remaining days will be refunded.
Every listing includes a UK size and we strongly recommend lenders add exact measurements – chest, waist, length and hip – so you can compare against your own.
Many South Asian garments also have drawstring waistbands which give useful flexibility. If you’re unsure, message the lender before booking to ask about fit, or arrange an informal try-on directly with them.
If you skip this step and the outfit doesn’t fit at collection, this is treated as a late cancellation. Read our full guide to Getting the Size Right.
Set your deposit at a level that would meaningfully cover the cost of your outfit if it were lost or significantly damaged. Bear in mind this is the maximum you can recover if something goes wrong, so it needs to reflect the outfit’s real-world value – not the original RRP, since second-hand pieces have a lower resale value. At the same time, a deposit that feels disproportionately high may put borrowers off. Have a look at similar listings on the site to get a sense of what’s reasonable for your type of outfit.
Yes – you can list outfits that belong to family members, as long as the outfits are with you and you can accommodate viewings or try-ons. Make sure the location on the listing reflects where the outfit is actually kept. Note that any earnings from outfits listed under your account will count toward your personal tax reporting threshold.
If the borrower decides not to take the outfit at the point of collection, one day’s rental fee will be charged to compensate you for the lost booking – the dates were blocked out in your calendar and unavailable to other potential borrowers. The remaining days will be refunded to the borrower. This is why we encourage borrowers to ask fitting questions and arrange a try-on before confirming a booking.