Why HomeSorted Doesn't Take Deposits (and Why That Matters for Your Wallet)

The deposit problem, in plain language

Almost every other home-services marketplace in South Africa works the same way: client books a job, client pays the platform (or the provider) upfront — either fully or as a deposit — and the work happens *after* the money has cleared.

This is convenient for the platform. It's convenient for the provider. It is rarely good for *you*.

When you pay before the work, three things shift:

1. The provider's incentive flips. They got paid. Whether the job is brilliant or barely acceptable changes nothing financially. 2. Disputes become recovery exercises. You're now trying to get money *back* — always harder than refusing to release it. 3. Provider quality stops mattering. The platform has captured your transaction. Whether the provider is excellent or terrible, the platform's fee is locked.

How HomeSorted's no-deposit model works

You request a quote. You compare bids. You pick a provider. No money changes hands.

The provider arrives. The provider does the work. The job is marked complete (by them, then confirmed by you, with photos).

You now have a 24-hour review window. In that window you can:

• Approve and trigger payment
• Raise a dispute (admin mediates within hours)
• Flag specific issues for the provider to come back and fix

After the window closes — if everything's fine — payment auto-releases to the provider via Stitch (instant EFT). If you paid cash, your 15% platform fee accrues to the provider's "owed balance" which they settle from their dashboard.

"But how do you make money then?"

Honest question, honest answer: we charge a flat 15% service fee on the total job amount. It comes out of the provider's earnings (built into their quote — what you see is what you pay).

That 15% funds:

• Verification (ID, bank, police, selfie checks — every provider)
• The dispute team and the 24-hour review system
• Stitch payouts and infrastructure
• The trust-scoring engine that ranks providers honestly
• POPIA-compliant data handling

We don't take a cut of deposits, because there are no deposits.

What this means for you, the client

Three concrete things:

1. You can request five quotes and ignore them. Costs you nothing. No "booking fee", no "service credit". Worst case, you decide the job can wait.

2. The provider is incentivised to finish well. They don't get paid until you say so. Combined with the trust-score system, this makes shoddy work financially irrational.

3. Cancellations don't cost you money. If a provider no-shows or cancels, you find another. No "non-refundable deposit". No "platform processing fee". Nothing.

What this means for the provider

The provider has skin in the game on every job. They show up. They do it right. They get paid *every Friday* (Stitch automated payouts) for the jobs completed that week.

It's harder to operate this way as a marketplace — we've absorbed more risk than competitors who collect deposits. But it's the only model that aligns everyone's incentives.

What we will never do

We won't ever:

• Ask for a deposit to "secure" a booking
• Charge a card-on-file before work begins
• Hold provider payments hostage if they perform well
• Reward providers who pay us for placement (no pay-for-rank)

What you should do next time you book a tradesperson

Whether or not you book through HomeSorted, internalise this rule: don't hand over money before the work is done. If a provider insists on a deposit, ask why. If their answer is "to buy materials" — fine, agree on a separate, itemised, traceable transaction for the materials (with the receipts handed to you). Never pay labour up front.

That single discipline will save the average South African household tens of thousands of rand over a decade.

Get your first quote — costs you nothing, and no card required.