VB Home » Terms of use

Terms of use

By accessing, browsing, registering for, posting on, or otherwise using Volunteers Base, you agree to these terms and conditions.

Last updated: July 2026

1. About Volunteers Base

Volunteers Base, also referred to as VB, is an online platform where people and organisations looking for help can publish projects, and people interested in volunteering can contact them. The purpose of the platform is to support moneyless help exchange, cultural exchange, hospitality, learning, and community projects.

VB does not encourage or arrange paid labour. Requests for paid work, salary, employment contracts, visa sponsorship, invitation letters, or similar employment-related arrangements are not allowed and may lead to account suspension or removal.

2. Platform role only

VB provides a way for Hosts and Volunteers to find and contact each other. VB is not a party to any agreement, arrangement, invitation, stay, travel plan, exchange, or dispute between users.

VB is not an employer, employment agency, recruitment agency, travel agency, organiser of trips, accommodation provider, insurer, immigration adviser, legal adviser, safety inspector, or representative of any Host or Volunteer. Any agreement made between a Host and a Volunteer is private and is made entirely at their own responsibility.

3. Eligibility

By using VB, you confirm that you are legally able to use this website and to enter into arrangements with other users. You are responsible for making sure that your use of VB is lawful in your country of residence and in any country where you travel, host, volunteer, or communicate with other users.

Users under 18 years old may not create an account, contact Hosts, offer hosting, or arrange volunteering through VB.

4. Accounts and identity

You agree to provide accurate, current, and truthful information when registering, creating a profile, submitting a project, contacting other users, or requesting verification. You must not create an account using false information, another person’s identity, misleading photos, temporary contact details, or details that you are not authorised to use.

You are responsible for keeping your login details secure. You must not share your account, transfer your account, sell your account, or allow another person to use your account.

VB may request additional information, clarification, identity confirmation, profile changes, or other reasonable steps before allowing or continuing access to some features. Verification or profile approval means only that a user has completed the relevant VB process; it is not a guarantee of character, safety, legality, suitability, accommodation quality, or future behaviour.

5. Hosts' responsibilities

Hosts are fully responsible for the information they publish, the accuracy of their project descriptions, the conditions they offer, and the way they communicate with Volunteers.

Hosts agree that they will:

  • describe their project, location, accommodation, food, expectations, daily schedule, house rules, and living conditions honestly;
  • keep project information up to date and remove or pause projects that are no longer available;
  • only offer accommodation, premises, land, activities, or projects that they are legally entitled to offer;
  • comply with local laws, including rules about visas, immigration, taxation, insurance, health and safety, employment, hospitality, accommodation, food hygiene, animals, minors, and vulnerable people;
  • not use VB to replace paid staff, avoid employment duties, or request commercial labour that should legally be paid;
  • not request dangerous, illegal, exploitative, degrading, abusive, discriminatory, sexual, or unsafe activities;
  • not ask Volunteers to operate heavy machinery, hazardous tools, vehicles, dangerous equipment, toxic substances, construction risks, or other specialist tasks unless all legal qualifications, insurance, training, supervision, and safety protections are properly in place;
  • communicate clearly before accepting a Volunteer and answer reasonable questions about the stay.

6. Volunteers' responsibilities

Volunteers are fully responsible for deciding whether a project, Host, destination, accommodation, living arrangement, travel plan, or activity is suitable for them.

Volunteers agree that they will:

  • provide truthful profile information and use their real identity;
  • communicate respectfully and honestly with Hosts;
  • ask questions before travelling and clarify accommodation, food, schedules, expectations, transport, costs, internet access, local conditions, and house rules;
  • obtain and maintain any passport, visa, travel document, insurance, vaccination, permit, or legal permission required for their travel or stay;
  • not request paid work, employment contracts, visa sponsorship, invitation letters, or documents intended to bypass immigration or employment rules;
  • respect the Host's reasonable house rules, privacy, property, culture, family, animals, and community;
  • leave any situation that feels unsafe and contact local emergency services or authorities when necessary.

7. User content

Users are responsible for all content they submit, including profiles, project descriptions, photos, links, contact details, messages, comments, references, and any other information made available through VB.

By submitting content, you confirm that you own it or have permission to use it, and that it does not violate another person’s rights, privacy, intellectual property, reputation, or safety. You grant VB a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to display, store, edit for formatting, moderate, remove, and use the submitted content as necessary to operate, promote, protect, and improve the website.

VB may edit, hide, reject, or remove content at its discretion, including content that appears inaccurate, unsafe, unlawful, misleading, duplicated, spam-like, offensive, outdated, or inconsistent with the purpose of the platform.

8. Prohibited conduct

You must not use VB to:

  • send spam, repeated messages, copied messages, automated messages, scams, phishing, fake offers, or misleading requests;
  • harass, threaten, insult, intimidate, stalk, discriminate against, exploit, or abuse another person;
  • post or send illegal, hateful, violent, sexually exploitative, defamatory, fraudulent, or harmful content;
  • request or offer paid work, salary, visa sponsorship, invitation letters, false documents, or employment-like arrangements through the platform;
  • collect, scrape, copy, sell, publish, or misuse user data, email addresses, photos, project details, or private information;
  • create multiple accounts to avoid restrictions, impersonate another person, or return after suspension;
  • upload malware, attempt to bypass security, interfere with the website, reverse engineer the website, or use automated tools without permission;
  • promote unrelated services, commercial offers, third-party platforms, surveys, campaigns, or recruitment without permission;
  • damage the reputation, operation, safety, or community purpose of VB.

9. Safety and independent checks

VB cannot guarantee the truth, accuracy, safety, legality, accommodation quality, personality, health, intentions, conduct, or reliability of any user, Host, Volunteer, project, location, or arrangement.

Hosts and Volunteers should communicate extensively before making plans. Users are encouraged to ask for references, verify identities, check online information, discuss expectations in writing, keep emergency contacts informed, and avoid any arrangement that feels unclear or unsafe.

If you believe that a person is in immediate danger, or that a crime, abuse, exploitation, trafficking, violence, or serious safety issue has occurred, contact the local emergency services or relevant authorities first. You may also report the issue to VB so that the related account or listing can be reviewed.

10. Donations, verification, and access

VB may use a one-time donation or other identity confirmation process to help reduce spam, confirm user details, and support the operating costs of the website. A donation, verification request, profile review, or displayed verification mark does not guarantee that a user is safe, honest, suitable, legally compliant, or approved by any authority.

Verification may be delayed, refused, removed, or reversed if the information provided is incomplete, false, inconsistent, suspicious, abusive, or does not match the actual donation or identity details. False donation claims, incorrect payment details, chargebacks, or attempts to bypass verification may lead to restrictions or account suspension.

Unless required by applicable law, donations are not refundable once they have been submitted, reviewed, used for verification, or used to support website operating costs.

11. Messages and communications

VB may allow users to contact each other by email or through website features. Users are responsible for the messages they send and for any personal information they choose to share.

VB may restrict messaging, verification, project publication, or account access if messages appear to be spam, unsafe, abusive, automated, misleading, or inconsistent with the purpose of the platform.

12. Third-party links and payment services

VB may contain links to third-party websites, payment providers, social networks, maps, external references, or user-submitted websites. These links are provided for convenience only.

VB does not control third-party websites or services and is not responsible for their content, availability, security, privacy practices, fees, errors, delays, losses, or decisions. You use third-party services at your own risk and subject to their own terms.

13. Suspension, moderation, and termination

VB may edit, hide, pause, restrict, suspend, or delete accounts, profiles, projects, photos, messages, links, or other content at any time if we believe that doing so is necessary to protect users, reduce spam, comply with law, protect the website, or preserve the purpose of the community.

Accounts may be restricted, suspended, or terminated for reasons including, but not limited to:

  • requests for paid work, visa sponsorship, invitation letters, or employment-like arrangements;
  • false, misleading, incomplete, duplicated, or suspicious account information;
  • spam, scams, automated behaviour, fake profiles, or abusive messages;
  • hostile, discriminatory, threatening, exploitative, unsafe, or unlawful behaviour;
  • low-quality, inactive, outdated, or misleading projects;
  • attempts to bypass verification, moderation, suspension, or technical protections;
  • any conduct that VB considers harmful to users, Hosts, Volunteers, the website, or the community.

14. No warranty

VB is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. We do not guarantee that the website will always be available, error-free, secure, uninterrupted, accurate, up to date, or compatible with every device or browser.

We do not guarantee that you will find a suitable Host, Volunteer, project, response, accommodation, travel opportunity, or exchange through VB.

15. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, VB is not liable for any direct or indirect loss, damage, injury, illness, accident, death, theft, dispute, cancellation, travel cost, accommodation issue, visa issue, employment issue, tax issue, insurance issue, data loss, reputational harm, emotional distress, or other consequence arising from your use of the website or from any arrangement between users.

Nothing in these terms is intended to exclude liability where such exclusion is not allowed by applicable law.

16. Indemnity

You agree to be responsible for any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, costs, or expenses arising from your use of VB, your content, your communications, your arrangements with other users, your breach of these terms, your breach of law, or your violation of another person’s rights.

17. Privacy and data protection

Personal information submitted to VB will be handled securely and confidentially in accordance with applicable data protection rules, including the General Data Protection Regulation where it applies.

You may request information about the personal data we process about you, the purpose of processing, and who it is shared with. You may also request correction, update, or deletion of your personal information, subject to any legal or operational need to keep limited records.

You can make a privacy-related request by contacting us. We will reply as soon as reasonably possible, and where required by law, within the applicable legal timeframe.

18. Changes to these terms

VB may update these terms from time to time. The updated version will be posted on this page. Continued use of the website after changes are posted means that you accept the updated terms.

19. Contact

Questions about these terms can be sent through the contact page.