Trust, established before
anyone ever rents
Vouching allows us to create a network of trust so you can reach people just outside your circle. We show exactly how they are connected to you or trusted within the network before they ever rent or get a review.
Trust cheat sheet
- Three colors, at a glance — the color scale is the short version of what a trust signal is telling you.
- Scores are out of five — but go higher for stronger signals.
A low score doesn’t mean a bad actor — it just means a low connection to you, or someone new to the platform.
Vouching is the foundation
- You vouch for people you know.
- Pick how well you know them and how long.
- Separates new friends from life-long besties.
Every vouch answers the same two questions — and the answers decide how much weight it carries through the whole network. Try it: the picker on the right runs the app’s real math.
How well do you know them?
How long have you known them?
One action,
three trust signals
A single vouch sets your connection degree, strengthens a connection score on every path it joins, and lifts the other person’s vouch score.
- Connection degree
- How many vouch hops apart you are — 1°, 2°, or 3°.
- Connection score
- How strong and how many connections there are.
- Vouch score
- Measure of total vouches received, outside your connection.
Star ratings — work just like standard reviews.
Connection Signals
- Connection degree is how many vouches link you together.
- Connection score is how strong and how many connections there are.
- Every path is shown, person by person — in the app, tap any badge to see them.
Path 1 · via Anna
Path 2 · via Nathan
4.0 + 0.8 = 4.8
A path is worth the average of its two links, stepped down because it runs through someone else. The strongest path counts in full and each extra path counts for less, so more paths can’t inflate a score.
Vouch Score
- Measure of total vouches received, outside your connection.
- Weighted by how many vouches those people have.
- Useful when you and a host don’t share a strong connection.
No shared path needed — it’s the same number for every viewer, so someone new to you can still show how the whole network stands behind them.
One-sided vouches
Sometimes vouches haven’t been returned — typically only because someone simply hasn’t vouched back. In that case we designate it with colored arrows.
Petra Quint is reachable along your path but hasn’t vouched back yet.
The connection score you see is valid from your perspective, but they may not see you as connected. Nudge Petra to complete the vouch.
Lena Hartwell has vouched in your direction, but you haven’t vouched Nadia back.
The connection degree shown may not be accurate until you verify Nadia is someone you vouch for.
Standard ratings
- Host and guest rate each other — 5 stars just like other platforms.
- Shows the average rating, 5 stars and the total count.
Vouches come first, before any stay. Ratings arrive afterwards — the familiar layer on top of the trust that was already there.
What a host sees before saying yes
- The badge — degree, connection score, vouch score, rating, in one glance.
- The paths — the actual people between you, person by person.
- The arrows — any vouch that hasn’t been returned yet, flagged in color.
Book trusted stays — hosts see how you’re connected to them. Not a bio and a hope: a network, standing behind you.
Who sees a listing at all is a separate dial — that’s privacy, on the overview page .
Request to stay · Dec 12–15
Daniel comes vouched by Anna — someone you gave a 6.0 vouch — with a second path through Nathan. That’s who’s asking.
Trust, established before
anyone ever rents
Eight things to know — the whole system on one sheet, in the same order the app teaches it. Trustead shows you the people between you, and turns them into numbers anyone can read.
Vouching is the foundation
You vouch for people you know — picking how well (Know · I know them / Know very well · I know them very well) and how long. Separates new friends from life-long besties. Try it — this one calculates:
How well and how long decide what the vouch is worth.
One action, three trust signals
A single vouch sets a connection degree, strengthens connection scores, and lifts a vouch score. Star ratings work just like standard reviews.
Connection degreeHow many vouch hops apart you are — 1°, 2°, or 3°.
Connection scoreHow strong and how many connections there are.
Vouch scoreMeasure of total vouches received, outside your connection.
RatingAverage stars from past stays — like every other platform.
Trust, ranked in 3 colors
All metrics are out of 5, but go above for extra strong signals. Every signal reads in the same colors.
Connection degree & score
Degree is how many vouches link you together — 1°, 2°, or 3°. Connection score is how strong and how many connections there are. More paths add up.
Your 6.0 vouch, one degree removed — 2° · connection score 4.8.
Vouch score
Measure of total vouches received, outside your connection — weighted by how many vouches those people have. Useful when you and a host don’t share a strong connection — it’s the same number for every viewer.
One-sided vouches
Sometimes vouches haven’t been returned — typically only because someone simply hasn’t vouched back. Colored arrows designate it.
Not a red flag by itself — just which direction the trust has been declared.
Standard ratings
Host and guest rate each other — 5 stars just like other platforms. Shows the average rating and the total count. Ratings arrive after stays; vouches exist first.
What a host sees
Every request arrives with the whole picture attached — the badge, plus the actual people between you, person by person. Hosts see how you’re connected to them.
A request, as the host receives it — the paths behind the number.
