Terms & Conditions

Please ensure that you read and understand the following terms and conditions pertinent to your accommodation rental. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us for clarification before you sign the booking form.

BOOKING REQUEST AND CONFIRMATION

The Owner of the property will confirm the availability of the property and the Rental Rate for the nights requested as soon as possible after receiving the booking enquiry, and will issue a Provisional Booking, which will be held for up to 7 days.

Every attempt is made to keep the information in the availability calendar accurate, but you should not make any arrangements (e.g. flights) that rely on the property being available for booking on the dates requested until you have received an email from the Owner confirming the availability and the Provisional Booking.

A Booking Deposit of 20% of the total Rental Rate must be paid to the Owner within 7 days to secure the booking. If the Booking Deposit is not received within 7 days, the Provisional Booking will lapse.

Payment of the Booking Deposit confirms acceptance of the terms and conditions set out within this document, and shall be binding on all persons (hereinafter known as the “Guests) staying at the property.

A copy of these terms and conditions, signed by the party leader (hereinafter known as the “Signatory”), must be submitted to the Owner at the same time as the Booking Deposit.

Please note The Signatory must be a member of the party occupying the property and must be 21 years and over. Booking cannot be accepted from parties of young people less than 21 years of age.

The booking will be confirmed in writing on receipt of the Booking Deposit. It is the responsibility of the Signatory to check that the Booking Confirmation shows the correct dates and costs.

The Rental Rate is inclusive of electricity and hot water, but does not include pool heating. Pool heating is available for an additional charge on request. If pool heating has been requested, this fact will be stated explicitly in the letter confirming your booking.

Payment of the balance in full is due no less than 90 days prior to the arrival date. On receipt of banking and clearance of the full payment, the Owner will send a Villa Information Pack to the signatory, including detailed directions to the villa, the unique door code, which the Guests will use to access the villa during their stay, and all necessary contact information.

CANCELLATION, CHARGES AND REFUNDS

Cancellation of the booking is subject to a charge as follows:

·90 days or more prior to arrival - 50% of the Booking Deposit will be returned

·Less than 90 days prior to arrival - the Booking Deposit will be forfeited

·Less than 30 days prior to arrival - the total Rental Rate will be forfeited

Any changes to the dates of the booking are subject to availability. If the number of nights booked is reduced less than 90 days before the original arrival date, no refund will be given for the reduction in the number of nights booked and the Owner reserves the right to cancel the booking. In this event the Booking Deposit will be forfeited.

If the booking is to be cancelled or the dates changed, this must be confirmed by the Signatory in writing or by email.

If the balance of the Rental Rate is not paid at least 60 days prior to the arrival date, the Owner reserves the right to cancel the booking. In this event, the Booking Deposit will be forfeited.

Please ensure you have adequate Travel Insurance to cover your losses in the case where cancellation is due to an insured event beyond your control resulting in a financial loss. If required by the insurance company, the Owner will provide documentary evidence of your booking and the total payment received.

As with any other vacation, there may be circumstances completely beyond our control, under which the property might not be available for occupation, examples of these circumstances include (but are not limited to) destruction of, or severe damage to the property. In such circumstances, the Owner will make best efforts to make alternative arrangements for the Guests, if this is not possible or alternative arrangements are unacceptable to the Guests, the Owner will refund all monies paid, without interest compensation or consequential loss of any kind. This will be the full extent of the Owner’s liability to the Guests in such circumstances and the Owner shall not be responsible for any other costs connected with such cancellation, howsoever arising.

PAYMENT METHOD

Payment can be made by the following methods:

·Sterling cheque or money order mailed to the Owner’s UK address

·Online, using a credit/debit card

·Wiring US dollar funds directly to the Owner’s bank account in Florida (routing details will be provided on request)

The Owner may add a surcharge of up to 4% for any payment using a credit card.

SECURITY DEPOSIT

A security Deposit of $250 of £150 will be required in addition to the Rental Rate. This must be paid at the same time as the full balance (not less than 60 days before arrival). The Security Deposit will be returned to the Signatory within 21 days of the end of the rental, subject to the property being left in a satisfactory condition.

All damage and faults caused or found at the property must be reported to the Owner’s Management Company at the earliest opportunity.

The Signatory agrees to accept full liability for all loss or damage caused by any member of his/her party of Guests, during the occupation of the property (excluding breakages caused by manufacturing faults and normal wear and tear), and confirms that the full cost of repair or replacement will be met. Any excessive use of utilities and/or leaving the property in such condition that warrants extra cleaning may be paid for using all or part of the Security Deposit. The Owner reserves the right to seek recompense for any and all damage caused which may exceed the value of the Security Deposit.

GUEST REGISTRATION

Florida State Law requires that the names and addresses of all Guests staying at the property must be recorded. This information can be submitted to the Owner before arrival on the appropriate booking form.

 

USE OF THE PROPERTY

Florida State Law requires that only the persons registered at the time of booking be allowed to use the rental property. The legal maximum occupancy for the property is 10 persons, including infants – if exceeded; this will result in the immediate termination of the rental agreement without refund of monies.

Any unauthorised occupancy by people not registered will be subject to immediate termination of the rental agreement without refund of monies. The property cannot be sub let. House parties are regarded as unauthorised occupancy.

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES

Check in time is from 1600 hours on the day of arrival and check out time is before 1100 hours on the day of departure. These times can only be changed with prior written approval of the Owner or the Management Company. The Owner and the Management Company will make every effort to accommodate time changes, but it may not be possible due to the arrival/departure of other Guests on the changeover days and the schedule of the cleaning service. Failure to comply with this may result in extra rental charges, which guests agree to pay.

CLEANING

The property will be cleaned and all bed linens washed prior to your arrival. The charge for the cleaning service is included in the Rental Rate, if you require extra cleaning during your stay; this can be arranged for an additional charge.

SMOKING POLICY

For the safety and comfort of the Guests, smoking is not permitted within the property, however smoking is permitted on the sun deck and pool area only. If any additional cleaning of furniture, fabrics or carpets is required as a result of the presence of tobacco smoke, the cost will be deducted from the Security Deposit.

PET POLICY

No pets are allowed.

POOL HEATING

Pool Heating is an optional extra, it can be arranged at time of booking for an additional charge –it is not included in the Rental Rate, unless this is explicitly stated in the Booking Conformation. If not booked in advance, it can be arranged by contacting the Management Company at any time during the rental period, and paying the applicable Pool Heating charge, although there may be a short delay before it is activated. There will also be a further delay before the pool reaches the desired temperature, however payment is required from commencement.

Should the pool heater fail for any reason every effort will be made to repair the equipment. If the pool heat has been paid for, there will be a refund for the days without pool heat.

With the exception of heater failure, the Pool Heating charge is non-refundable after the Guests have arrived at the property.

The pool heater is set to heat the water to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Pool heating is also subject to weather conditions, the colder the weather the longer the heater will take to warm up the pool. If the air temperature drops below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, the pool heater may not be able to heat the water to a comfortable temperature.

Guests are not permitted to adjust the pool heater controls, any sign of tampering will result in the pool heat being turned off and the pool heat payment will be forfeited.

 

Any problems with the pool should be reported to the Management Company immediately.

POOL SERVICE

The Management Company provide a regular pool cleaning service. The pool man will call every week to adjust the chemical balance of the pool water and clean the sides and bottom of the pool. However on rare occasions it may become necessary to close the pool for safety reasons, should this become necessary you will be advised to remain out of the pool for 12 to 24 hours.

POOL SAFETY

Use of the pool is at each Guest’s own risk. No diving is permitted. Guests are reminded to not allow unsupervised children to use the pool area at any time. For safety reasons, glass and crockery is not permitted in the pool area at any time.

TELEPHONE

A telephone is provided in the house, with local calls and calls to toll-free numbers being free of charge, but calls to numbers outside of the local call area can only be made by utilising a prepaid telephone calling card, (available at most retail outlets) or through other credit payment services.

 

AIR CONDITIONING

In a sub-tropical climate it is vital that doors and windows are kept closed at all times to keep out the heat and humidity. Failure to do this will result in excessive air conditioning electricity charges, which may be deducted from the Security Deposit.

The air conditioning controls have been preset at a comfortable level. Guests should not need to adjust the air conditioning controls. In Florida’s humid climate it is all too easy to freeze up the air conditioning condenser units causing the system to fail. A frozen condenser unit will require the attention of a service engineer and the repair will be deducted from the Security Deposit.

RUBBISH COLLECTIONS

Any rubbish will be collected twice a week from the property’s driveway. The collection days are posted on a notice in the garage (Monday & Thursday), it is best to take the rubbish out the night before just in case the collection is made early in the morning. Try not to miss this collection, as uncollected rubbish can get very smelly in the Florida heat.

OWNER ACCESS

The Owner or the Management Company shall be allowed access at any reasonable time during your stay, but in practise this will only be necessary if you have requested maintenance, or if you are in breach of these Terms and Conditions.

CODE OF CONDUCT

Saddle Ridge Drive is a small residential community. The actions of the guests should not interfere with the enjoyment of other holidaymakers or residents of Saddle Ridge Drive. Please do not use the swimming pool, play loud music or engage in any activity that may cause inconvenience to your neighbours after 2230 hours of before 0730 hours. In the event that any Guest behaves in a way that is likely to cause distress, danger or annoyance to any other holidaymakers or residents of Saddle Ridge Drive, or damage to any property, the Owner and the Management Company reserve the right to terminate your rental agreement immediately. The Owner and their agents will not be liable for any costs you will incur, nor will they pay any compensation, nor make any refunds due to this action.

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS

The Guests accept full responsibility for making travel arrangements to ensure their occupation of the property for the period reserved. No responsibility for any delay or liability is accepted in respect of loss or damage or alterations to the dates caused by flight delays or cancellations, weather conditions, industrial disputes, terror activity or any other event outside of the Owners control.

All passports, visas, travel insurance and health certificates are the responsibility of the Guests and the Owner accepts no responsibility for any expense incurred or any irregularities with the Guest’s documentation.

LIABILITY LIMITATIONS

The Owner or their agents will not be held responsible for loss or delay, howsoever caused beyond the Owner’s control, including but not limited to strike, riots, fire, war, threat of war, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, flight delays or cancellations, natural disasters, adverse weather conditions, flood, transport problems of any kind, or any other event.

The Owner and their agent do not accept liability whatsoever for death, personal injury, accidents, loss or damage to persons or personal effects however caused as a result or use or the pool and house. It is the signatory’s responsibility to ensure that children are always supervised properly around the pool and inside the property.

The Owner accepts no responsibility for the Guest’s property while they are in the house or the pool area. The Owner accepts no responsibility for lost, misplaced or stolen property, which Guests may have left in the property or it’s surroundings.

The Owner cannot accept responsibility for the sudden failure of equipment at the property, but will take reasonable steps to rectify any such failure upon notification by the Guests. In the event of the failure of the pool heater, if pool heating has been paid for a refund will be given for any days when the pool is not heated. The Owner cannot accept responsibility if the pool heater cannot reach optimum temperature due to adverse weather conditions.

In the extremely unusual event that circumstances beyond the Owner’s control necessitate a cancellation of the rental agreement, the Owner reserves the right to cancel any booking, and will only be liable to refund monies already paid in respect of the rental of the property. The Owner will, through their agents, attempt to offer the signatory alternative accommodation of a similar type, size and location, but this will be the full extent of the Owner’s liability in such circumstances, and if the alternative is not acceptable to the signatory, the Owner shall not be responsible for any other costs connected with any such cancellation, howsoever arising.

The Guests agree to take good care of the property and leave it in a clean and tidy condition at the end of the holiday. To report any damage, loss problem or concern immediately it is discovered to the Owners management company in Florida. Failure to do so will make any subsequent claim invalid.

The Guest agrees to pay the full cost of any breakages, losses or damage to the property (the Owner’s Management company will be the sole arbitrators on cause of damage or loss).

COMPLAINTS

In the unlikely event of a complaint during your stay, please contact the Management Company immediately. If the matter cannot be resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact the Owner, by email or in writing, within 14 days of the end of the rental period. If the problem has not been reported to the Management Company in the first instance, the Owner cannot accept any responsibility.

DATA Privacy

The Owner and the Management Company will treat ALL guest personal data in commercial confidence. Any data supplied will be used for the sole purpose of leasing the property and will not be passed to any other party, except where required by law.

LAW

The rental contract is subject to and shall be construed in accordance with the laws of England / America and all parties hereby submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English / American Court system.

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 entry to the U.S.

All other nationalities should contact the U.S. Embassy for further information.

IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT GUESTS TAKE OUT HOLIDAY INSURANCE TO COVER CANCELLATION FEES AND ANY OTHER LOSSES, WHICH MAY OCCUR.

I accept the Terms and Conditions above on behalf of myself and my party. I am over 21 years of age.