BOOKING TERMS AND CONDITIONS

In consideration of the monies received and the mutual promises contained herein, the Owner of the subject property hereby agrees to give a license to use the Property to the undersigned, (herein referred to as Guest), on the property and dates described on the reservation form and in the confirmation e-mail, under the conditions stated herein.

Signing of the Booking Form by the party leader confirms the acceptance of the terms and conditions set out and shall be binding on the person(s) booking and intending to occupy the premises.

Check-In – Check in time is 4pm local time. The villa is being cleaned prior to this. Please make arrangements to arrive after 4pm. If you need to check-in earlier please ask us well in advance of your trip and we will see if it can be scheduled with our management company.

Check-Out – Check out time is 10am local time. If you need to stay past the departure time, please ask us well in advance of your trip and we will see if it can be scheduled with our management company, as they need sufficient time for cleaning of the villa before the next guests arrive. Failure to vacate on time could result in additional charges or loss of security deposit if prior arrangements have not been made.

Non-Refundable Booking Deposit - $250 U.S. for each rental week is required to reserve our Orlando Sunshine villa. This is non-refundable in the event of cancellation. The booking deposit is applied toward the total rental cost. This can be paid by Paypal/Credit Card (recommended to get it processed immediately and get your dates) or by sending a bank draft, cashier's check, or money order (in U.S. funds). Once we receive your deposit, we will email you confirmation of your booking.

Final Balance – the final balance plus the Damage Deposit (see below) is due eight weeks prior to your arrival date. Failure to pay balance by due date could result in the cancellation of your reservation. After your party's final payment (by either bank draft, cashier's check or money order in U.S. funds) has been received, we will send out directions to the villa, security gate and house key details.

Cancellation – We must be notified in writing as soon as possible in the event of cancellation. Should you cancel after the deposit is paid but before the balance is paid, your deposit is forfeited. If you pay the balance earlier than the due date and have to cancel before the due date then we will refund the balance amount (not including the booking deposit). Once the full balance of your holiday is paid, and your arrival date is less than eight weeks away then 100% of the cost is forfeited (you will of course get your Damage Deposit back) if you cancel, and you must recover the loss from your travel insurance if possible. We cannot refund unused days (if you arrive late or depart early). We strongly advise all guests to purchase travel insurance and ensure that cancellation coverage is provided for within their policy. An online source for travel insurance is www.insuremytrip.com.

Changing Dates - Once you have reserved the villa we stop taking inquiries for those dates and sometimes turn away other potential renters for that period. As a result, we’ve lost potential rental of the villa. And, it's often not possible to rent the villa again in a short time before the original rental. As a result, we can only offer limited date change options. For rentals at least 6 weeks away, we will consider changing dates within 1 month of your original arrival date (before or after) IF the villa is available (rates may change if it goes into different rate seasons). This is at the owners discretion only and there is an additional rebooking fee of $75.

Pets – Pets are not permitted.

Smoking – Smoking is not permitted anywhere in the villa, or in the screen-enclosed pool deck area. Any evidence of smoking will result in the automatic forfeiture of the complete Damage Deposit. In addition, if our property managers determine that rental of a smoke removal machine is required to get rid of smoke smells in the home, you will also be charged the complete cost of that rental (approx. $300).

Damage Deposit – A $250 Refundable Damage Deposit is required along with your final balance 8 weeks prior to your arrival date (pay by bank draft, cashier's check, or money order). This will be refunded within 3 weeks of your departure following an inspection by our management company for missing items, loss of keys, or damage beyond normal wear and tear. Please be aware that you can be held liable for damages in excess of $250 and by agreeing to these terms and conditions you authorize charges to your credit card or other payment method for any damages in excess of the Damage Deposit. You may also be liable for court costs, attorney's fees, etc. to recover damages. The owner or manager has the right to request a higher Damage Deposit, up to $1000, or refuse a reservation request, if they feel the ages or makeup of the group poses a higher risk of property damage.

Some of this sounds harsh but it's just the legal way to simply cover the rare case of malicious vandalism and negligence. We have a valuable villa which means a lot to us, and we just want it cared for reasonably. The bottom line is "take care of the villa and you'll get your Damage Deposit back with no problem."

Our home inventory is checked for missing contents, including towels, linens, kitchen utensils and flatware, Cds, DVDs and video games and systems, hair dryers, etc. Missing items can cost you the security deposit. Leaving dirty dishes/pots/utensils in the sink or dishwasher without starting it with automatic dish soap will result in a $50 charge against your Damage Deposit, because we have to pay our cleaners to clean it up. We don't require our guests to do much before their departure but common courtesy dictates that guests leave the home in a good condition.

All doors leading to the pool area are fitted with a child alarm to alert you when they are opened. Fire alarms are also situated around the villa. Tampering with or obstructing the operation of these alarms will result in forfeiture of your Damage Deposit.

We recommend that the villa front door key be left in its security box all the time. Just take it out to open the door and then put it right back in. This will ensure that you don't have the inconvenience and cost of lost keys. If the key is lost, the charge is $250 because all the locks have to be re-keyed for security reasons. If you lock yourself out of the villa, phone our management company immediately, and they will let you into the house. Unfortunately you will also incur a small charge for their service depending on the call out time ($25 in office hours, $100 out of office hours).

Florida has a sub-tropical climate and care must be taken with food that is left uncovered. Apart from spoiling and contaminating, food left uncovered can attract insects very quickly. Added costs for unusual pest control services related to an extreme lack of care in this may be passed on to the guest.

In the unlikely event that we do retain some or all of the Damage Deposit to cover breakages, damage or missing keys, we will provide the guest with receipts showing the costs incurred and charged.

Maximum Capacities & Occupants – Our villa has a maximum occupant capacity of 10 (including infants) and this limit is set by Florida law. Exceeding maximum capacity will forfeit your Damage Deposit in it’s entirety. Our property manager has the right to request a head count of your group at any time during your stay to check the total number of your group. Please don’t try to exceed these capacities. Day visitors create additional wear and tear on the villa and increase the chance that damage will occur. As a result, you may be required to pay a higher security deposit if you have day visitors. If you intend to have day visitors please supply a list of day visitors, their ages and any additional information we can use to asses your group size.

We reserve the right to not accept bookings at our discretion. High risk groups include all male parties, or parties of guest who are all under the age of 21, or who live in the Orlando area.

Final Confirmation – Upon receipt of your balance payment and this completed and signed form we will provide you with management company contact information, along with driving directions and other information for when you reach Orlando. About a week prior to your scheduled arrival date, you will also receive an email from us with the entrance gate access code and the villa key lock code you use to open the key box for the villa. YOU MUST BRING THIS BOOKING FORM WITH YOU, SO THE MANAGEMENT COMPANY CAN VERIFY THAT YOU ARE IN FACT THE PROPER VILLA RENTERS.

Accommodation - During your occupation of the villa we expect you to take all reasonable responsibility for the safety and security of the property (e.g. ensuring that the property is secure when you go out and supervising children to avoid domestic hazards and accidents). We will not be held responsible for accidents in the home or the pool area and recommend that children are supervised at all times while in or near the pool area.

We cannot be held responsible for any withdrawal of amenities within the development or any breakdown of equipment, appliances in or around the vacation home during your stay.

All personal items and valuables are your own responsibility and we will not be held responsible for reclaiming items left in the vacation villa after your party has departed. Please take every precaution to secure your valuables when you are not in the villa. Check with your travel insurance for coverage against theft, etc.

Please be aware that the villa is situated within a mixed community of vacation homes and residential homes. We cannot therefore, be held responsible for any on-going construction, alternations to existing homes or any noise or nuisance on or around the housing development.

Stays of 6 nights or less will incur a cleaning fee of $90.

Our villa is SELF CATERING. Although we provide towels, linens, starter toilet paper and courtesy soaps in each bathroom, etc., we don't supply enough of these items for your entire stay. You will probably need to purchase items such as laundry detergent, regular size soaps, shampoos, etc to meet the needs of the size of your party and the length of your stay.

All local telephone calls are free. Also, all long distance calls to anywhere in the United States and Canada are also free. All other outgoing long distance calls will be blocked and you will require a readily available calling card to make those calls. The phone is linked to the cable television service and in the event of a power outage, there is a four hour battery backup on the phone system so it can still be used.

All bed linens and bath towels are provided for your needs. Bath towels are not intended for pool use, you should bring your own beach towels as well.

Having a nice drink by the pool is one of the many enjoyable aspects of staying in our villa. However, glass (glasses or beer bottles) is not permitted in the pool area. Plastic glasses are provided or you can buy disposable cups, and just get your beer in cans rather than bottles.

Barbeques - We do not offer a Barbeque with the villa as they are too difficult to keep clean and properly filled with propane in a vacation rental home. If you would like to rent a propane gas BBQ for your stay, please ask and we can give you contact information for BBQ rental suppliers. However, you must abide by the following usage restrictions for BBQ's at the villa:
• BBQ's are not allowed to be used or stored anywhere in (or even close to) the screened in pool deck area - they must be used and stored well outside the pool screen enclosure. It is against Florida law to cook under the screened area and the Fire Department have been in the area fining people for this practise.
• locate and use the BBQ in an area where the wind won't blow smoke and charcoal into the pool (yes, we have had guests complain about a dirty pool, when the problem was actually that they had their own BBQ charcoal in the pool!)
• when your stay is over, leave the rented BBQ at the back of the villa OUTSIDE the screened-in pool enclosure. Under no circumstances should you leave the BBQ in any covered areas (especially not the garage).
• use of a BBQ is completely AT YOUR OWN RISK and the homeowners are not liable for any damage or injuries sustained in the use of a BBQ.
• the guest accepts responsibility for any damage to the villa arising from BBQ use (extra pool or pool deck cleaning, smoke or fire damage on pool enclosure screens, Fire Dept. fines, etc.) and agrees to pay any resulting costs.
• if you purchase your own BBQ for use during your stay, please do not leave it at the villa when you leave. You are responsible for disposing it. Our regular garbage collectors will not take BBQ's and extra charges will be incurred (usually approx. $30) if our property managers are required to dispose of your BBQ.

Pool Heat – Our pool can be heated with a gas heater, and has a pool blanket available for use during cooler seasons. The sun's daytime heat is usually adequate to warm the water to a comfortable temperature from May – October. During the months of October – April extra heat via the gas heater is recommended (extra charge applies) to provide for comfortable water temperatures (however, you still need to put the pool blanket on at night to retain the heat). If the pool heater is desired please request this before your balance payment is due, as deciding for pool heat during your stay will incur an extra call-out fee from our management company to turn on the heater (as the controls are locked).

The pool heater is set to 88 degrees F which can be reached most of the year as our type of gas heater is considered the most effective pool heater type available. However, we cannot guarantee the temperature of the pool as this will vary according to several factors – the main one being prevailing weather conditions. If the weather is unseasonably cold, the pool heater will only be able to get the water temperature approx. 10 degrees higher than the air temperature. There are no refunds for pool heat because of weather conditions or non-use of the pool.

Tampering with the pool heating controls or attempting to disable the security devices on the pool heater will result in forfeiture of your Damage Deposit.

Computer/Printer/Internet Access – As a courtesy to our guests, we provide free use of the villa's computer, printer/fax/copier and wireless high speed internet access. While we do everything we can to reasonably ensure that these items will operate correctly during your stay, we do not in any way guarantee that they will work. Computer-related products do have problems and any issues related to the computer not working, printer being out of paper or toner, or wireless internet access being unavailable do not qualify for immediate response by our property managers and probably will not be fixed during your stay.

To minimize the likelihood of viruses and software confilicts, our computer is set up to not allow software to be downloaded or modified by guests. Some remote access products like GoToMyPc require an add-on which our computer's security software will block. The computer is a reference tool only to search for activities, get directions and check on internet-based email accounts.

If it's critical that you have internet access during your stay, we recommend that you bring your own laptop computer with you. Then you can log in to the villa's wireless internet connection, and in the rare occasion when that is down, you can go to an internet cafe for access.

Using the property for a Party - People who live in the Orlando area have been known to rent vacation homes for a weekend solely for the purpose of having a party or large gathering. Use of this home for that purpose is strictly prohibited. If our property managers find evidence that the home is being or has been used for this purpose, guests will have to immediately vacate the property and their entire Damage Deposit will be forfeited. All people who enter the home or property must be listed on the Booking Form.

Legal Compliance/Taxes - To ensure comfort, security and peace of mind for our guests, our home is registered with State Authorities and is compliant with all relevant legal and safety legislation.

Since the villa is properly registered and legally operating, we are required to collect the 12% state and local hotel taxes (you'll pay this at any properly licensed home or hotel you stay in). If you find accomodation where they don't charge this (even if they say "it's included in the price"), that villa might not be properly licensed and could be illegally operating. This will limit your rights and that villa won't have been inspected and might not meet the safety requirements that ours does.

Access - The owners and their agents reserve the right of entry to the property at any time (includes such workers as pool maintenance, lawn care, etc.).

Trash - Trash pick up for our home is strictly regulated by the home owner's association, the county and the city in which the villa is located. Guests are responsible for getting garbage out curbside for pickup by 6am on Thursday mornings.

In order for us provide a welcoming villa for incoming guests, we have also contracted at our cost with a private garbage service to remove any garbage accumulated between the Thursday morning pick up and your departure. You can leave a maximum of three bags in the trash alcove at no charge. If you need to leave any bags beyond 3, please do so but the charge of $8/bag will be deducted from your Damage Deposit. Failure to follow the instructions provided in the villa for Trash Pick Up can result in a fine from the regulating agency which will be deducted from your security deposit. These fines are typically $25 per occurrence.

Liability – During your stay, our agents and we will not accept any liability whatsoever for death, personal injury, accidents, illness, loss or damage to persons or property, however caused. We do our best to provide a safe environment for our guests but you assume full responsibility for all persons in your party. Please keep a close eye on your children and keep them from potential harm - they must be supervised at all times while in the pool area. By agreeing to these policies you hold us and our agents blameless and free from lawsuits for any injury to your party or loss of your personal property that may occur during your stay. We strongly advise our guests to obtain travel/renters insurance for your stay.

Force Majeure – We cannot be held responsible for or liable in respect of loss, damage or changes caused by force majeure such as strikes, floods, closure of airports, weather conditions or other events beyond our control.

Complaints – in the unlikely event of a complaint during your stay, this must be referred to the management company immediately during your stay. Complaints relating to how clean the villa or any of its amenities are, and discovered damages, must be reported to the management company within 24 hours of arrival or you have no recourse for those issues. If you make a complaint you must give management access to the house to confirm the problem and take corrective action. Failure to allow management to make corrective actions releases us, the management company and the villa owners from any claim for compensation or any liability and recourse from you.

Changes To This Contract - We reserve the right to make minor changes to this contract without notice to you. In the event of major changes to this contract, you will receive a revised contract for your review and signature.

Currency – All prices are quoted in US dollars, and payment must be received in US currency. Paypal and credit card payments will be in U.S. dollars and converted to your local currency value by the credit card company.

Payments - Any payment for reservation whether deposit or in full constitutes acceptance of these terms in their entirety.