Claim & Ownership Verification Policy

1. What claiming means

Claiming a listing confirms that Bookify Malta has taken reasonable steps to establish that the person managing the listing is authorised to represent the relevant business.

Claiming does notmean the business is licensed, certified, insured, safe, recommended, approved by Bookify, quality-checked, legally compliant, or verified in every factual respect. We use the term “Claimed”, not “Verified”, for this reason.

2. Claiming is free

Claiming a listing and managing basic profile facts is free of charge. It never requires:

• card details or any payment method;
• a subscription or paid trial;
• marketing consent;
• activating bookings; or
• a sales call.

3. What a claim request includes

• Claimant name;
• Claimant role in the business;
• Business name and listing reference;
• Business email and phone, where available;
• Preferred verification method;
• A statement that the claimant is authorised to represent the business;
• Acceptance of the applicable Terms and Privacy Policy;
• Optional notes.

We do not request an identity document by default. A claim submitted through this form is free and does not require a Bookify account.

4. Verification methods

We verify claims using one or more of the following, in order of preference:

1. An email from the business’s official domain;
2. Confirmation through an official business social-media account;
3. A verification code sent to a publicly advertised business phone number;
4. Verification against appropriate business-registration evidence;
5. Limited documentation showing authority to represent the business;
6. Manual review by Bookify Malta.

5. Identity documents

Identity documents are a last resort. If one is necessary, we will explain why, collect only what is required, never publish it, restrict access to it, and delete it promptly after verification is complete. We record the outcome of verification rather than retaining the document, and we do not keep identity documents after the claim decision.

6. Claim statuses

A listing moves through a small number of statuses: unclaimed; claim submitted; verification pending; more information required; claimed; rejected; disputed; suspended; ownership transfer pending; removed; or suppressed.

7. Competing claims and disputes

Where two people claim the same business, we follow a written process covering former owners, franchise and branch disputes, employees without authority, business sales, duplicate profiles and abusive claims. During an active dispute we:

• do not reveal one claimant’s evidence to the other without a lawful basis;
• may freeze edits to the listing;
• retain audit logs;
• display a neutral status where necessary;
• escalate to manual review and request independent evidence; and
• avoid deciding complex legal ownership questions without professional advice.

8. Ownership transfer

Where a business changes hands, the outgoing owner (or their representative) can initiate a transfer. We require evidence of the transfer, and the new operator is verified in the same way as a new claim. Content uploaded by the previous owner and any client or booking data is treated according to the relevant policies, and we keep an audit record of the transfer.

9. What you get after claiming

After a successful claim, the business can correct the business name, add a phone number, add a business email or website, add a logo and a limited number of photos, update opening hours, select categories, add a short description, request deletion, manage ownership and view basic listing status. Bookings, SMS reminders, analytics, an advanced gallery, additional locations, promotional tools and priority support remain subscription features and are never required to correct, remove or control basic listing information.

10. Contact

Claim questions or disputes: legal@bookify.mt · Bookify Malta, Gcoe, Triq il-Mithna, Qala, Gozo, Malta.