Terms & Conditions

Terms and Conditions
Please ensure that you read and understand the following terms and conditions that relate to your accommodation rental. They are important to you [hereafter called the Guest] and ourselves [hereafter called the Owner] to ensure that your stay is as enjoyable and trouble free as possible. They are standard terms and conditions and should there be any part that should need further explanation or clarification please do not hesitate in contacting us.

Booking
Whilst we reserve the right to increase or decrease accommodation prices at any time, we will confirm to you the current price at the time of booking. As soon as you have confirmed your booking and your deposit has been paid, the cost of the rental is guaranteed against any increases. This guarantee is offered subject to our terms and conditions and providing that you do not make further amendments to your holiday arrangements.

Your holiday home rental includes, accommodation as booked, including services e.g. gas, water and electricity, [excluding pool heating unless otherwise stated]

Bookings are valid after:

The Booking Form and these Terms and Conditions have been completed, signed and received by the Owner
The appropriate deposit has been paid
The booking has been confirmed in writing by the Owner to the Guest
The person who signs the Booking Form certifies that he or she is authorised to agree the Booking Terms and Conditions on behalf of all persons included on the booking form, including any substituted at a later date. The signatory must be a member of the party occupying the property and must be 21 years or over. Bookings cannot be accepted from parties of young people under 21 years of age.
A deposit of £100 per week or part thereof must accompany bookings. This deposit is non-refundable. However and at our discretion, this deposit may be refunded in the event that the property is re-let at no extra cost to the Owner.
The balance must be paid eight weeks prior to the commencement of your holiday.
Guests will be required to pay a $200 Security Deposit upon arrival in Florida. This is taken by the Management company at the time of check-in. If damage or loss is reported in excess of $200, we reserve the right to instigate legal proceedings against the Guest to recover monies owed.

Payment
Cheques should be made payable to "P Howard" or "M Fairweather".

Booking Cancellation
In the event of a cheque not being honoured by the bank on which it is drawn, we will make a charge of £10 to cover the bank charges and our administration costs.

We will reserve the right to treat any bookings as cancelled if we do not receive the balance by the due date.

Should the Guest wish to cancel the booking, they should advise the Owner immediately by telephone and then followed by a confirmatory letter or e-mail. The Owner shall be entitled to retain all payments already made [except the security deposit] and to recover, if not already paid, the balance of the hiring charges as follows:

30 – 60 days notice: 50% of the rental charge
Less than 30 days notice: 100% of the rental charge

In the unlikely event that circumstances beyond the Owners control necessitate the cancellation of the rental agreement, the Owner reserves the right to cancel any bookings at any time and will only be liable to refund monies already paid by the Guest. Alternatively the Owner can provide accommodation of a similar or higher standard, if required.

Your Responsibilities
The Guest agrees to pay the full cost of any breakages, losses or damage to the property and will:

Take good care of the property and leave it clean and tidy at the end of their stay.
Report any damage, loss, problems or concerns immediately they are discovered to the Owners management company in Florida. Failure to do so could make any subsequent claims invalid.
Permit the Owner or their agents reasonable access to the property to carry out any maintenance should it become necessary.
Not sub-let or share the property except with persons nominated on the booking form.
Strictly no pets or smoking are allowed in the villa at any time.

The maximum occupancy of the property is 12 persons and is determined by the authorities within strict guidelines for fire safety. Please note that contravention of this number will render your booking void, all monies will be forfeited and you will be asked to vacate the property immediately without further compensation.

Check In/Check Out
The property is available after 4:00 pm on the day of arrival and must be vacated by 10:00 am on the day of departure in order to allow us adequate time to prepare the property for new guests. However we will always try to accommodate your specific requirements, should they fall out of this time frame and an earlier arrival and later departure may always be possible providing the Guest gives the Owner adequate notification.

Maid Service
This is available as an optional extra and may wish to be considered on stays of more that 2 weeks duration.

Climate
The applicant is hereby made aware that Florida is a tropical climate and it is the home of many insects etc. Our villa is treated on a regular basis to repel these unwanted visitors but inevitably they occasionally find their way inside from time to time.

Swimming Pool
Heating the pool and spa are optional extras, however they are recommended for stays between October and May. They are charged at the following rates per week: Pool £75, Spa - £55, both - £120.

An additional fee of £14 per day will be levied if the Guest requires the pool to be heated during their stay.

Pool heating will be switched on the day ordered and may take some time to heat the pool to its optimum temperature. If having ordered pool heating, the weather is warmer than expected pool heating will still have to be paid for.

The pool heater is a mechanical device. As with such devices, they can be subject to electrical/mechanical failure. If such an occurrence were to happen, every effort will be made to repair the heater. If the Guest has ordered pool heating, then the Owner will make a refund for those days that the pool was unheated.

The pool is cleaned and chemically balanced every week for your safety and comfort. However on rare occasions it may be necessary to apply extra chemicals to the pool to maintain safe and correct chemical levels. Should this occur during your stay it may be necessary to remain out of the pool/spa for a period of between 12-24 hours for safety reasons.

If the Guest has paid for pool heating and the pool is out of action then the Owner will refund the daily amount that was paid for every day that the pool is unavailable.

Safety
Guests may use the swimming pool and spa at their own risk. They should always observe the pool safety notice, displayed at the poolside.

Children must be supervised by an adult in the pool area. The child safety fence must always be deployed when the pool is not in use. Glass and breakable crockery must not be taken into the Pool or surrounding patio area.

Liability
As Owners of the property, we, our servants or agents, will not be liable for any loss or delay occasioned by any of the following: strikes, severe weather, riots, political unrest, war or the threat of war, terrorist activities, industrial disputes, fire flood technical/weather problems to transport, aircraft, closure of airports or any other event beyond our control.

No liability is accepted by the Owner for loss of main services or failure of appliances, nor for the consequences of the actions or omissions of persons who may control supply of mains services, nor any actions taken in the vicinity of the property by any authority over which there is no control by the Owner. Furthermore, it is possible that some construction work may take place in the area of new homes. The Guest should establish the status of the development prior to booking.

The Owner does not accept any liability for injury, damage or loss caused by any reason or for any claim made as a result of this booking and/or subsequent holiday. The Guest is responsible for taking out adequate insurance policy(ies) to cover all risks. This waiver is also applicable to people visiting the property as guests of the Guest.

The Owner does not accept any liability for injury, damage or loss caused, or for any such claim by a third party as a consequence of actions by the Guest(s) and other people occupying the property during the period of let.

Problems
In the unlikely event that you have a complaint, you should immediately contact the management company. In the event that you still remain dissatisfied, then you should contact the Owner direct. Any complaints must be made in writing with a copy being given to the management company and a copy forwarded to the Owner.

It is strongly recommended that guests take out holiday insurance to cover cancellation fees and any other losses which may occur.

British citizens travelling on the visa waiver scheme and staying for less than 90 days should hold a full British Passport, which is valid for at least 90 days following their entry to the U.S. All other nationalities should contact the U.S. Embassy for further information.