Money & guarantees
How your money is protected — escrow & the payment guarantee
Money is held safely until the job is confirmed. Here's exactly how it flows.
HelpLink uses escrow so neither side has to trust the other. The payer's money is authorised up front, captured into a protected escrow balance when work starts, and only released to the provider after the work is confirmed (by you, by the door code, or by auto-release). If something goes wrong, the money is still in escrow — not gone.
The four stages
- Authorize — at approval, the payer's card is authorised for the agreed amount (a hold, not a charge).
- Capture into escrow — when the provider starts, funds are captured and held by the platform.
- Release — on confirmation, escrow is released to the provider, net of commission.
- Refund — if a dispute is upheld, some or all of the escrow is returned to the payer.
Worked example: A £185 job is approved (card authorised for £185). Work starts → £185 captured into escrow. Tenant confirms → £185 released, the provider receives £157.25 and the £27.75 platform commission is retained. If the tenant had disputed and won a full refund, the £185 would have returned to them instead.
Frequently asked
When is my card actually charged?
It's authorised (held) at approval and charged when the job is captured into escrow as work begins — not before.
What if the provider never shows up?
No completion means no release. You can dispute, and the escrowed funds are refunded per the outcome.