Terms and Conditions
Terms & Conditions of rental Florida licensing laws and fire regulations state that only persons named on the booking form may occupy the property. Failure to adhere to this rule will result in eviction and loss of all monies paid. Under no circumstances may the permitted maximum of 11 persons plus 1 infant be exceeded. At least one party member must have attained the age of 25. Strictly no pets. No Smoking inside the home. Confirmation of booking a booking between the owners and the person(s) making the booking (the clients) is only valid after the booking form has been completed and signed, the appropriate non-refundable deposit ** paid to the owners, and the booking confirmed in writing to the clients by the owner. The owners reserve the right not to accept a booking. Signing of the booking form by the party leader constitutes acceptance of all these terms and conditions by EVERY member of the party. ** Deposits A 20% non-refundable deposit is required to secure a booking. If a booking is for a period less than 10 weeks hence, payment in full is required at the time of booking. Deposits are non-refundable UNLESS cancellation is due to a COVID19 travel ban. Cancellation In the event of the booking being cancelled by the renter for any reason whatsoever, the following charges will apply: If cancelled more than 10 weeks before the arrival date - Deposit only is forfeited, However, the owners will always try to offer alternative dates. If cancelled less than 10 weeks before the arrival date - 100% of rental is forfeited In the first instance, the owners will always insist that guests make a claim on their travel insurance and will provide all necessary documentation. If proof is received that the claim was unsuccessful, alternative dates may be offered at the owners’ discretion. All cancellations must be notified by telephone or email as soon as possible and will be confirmed by us in writing. Security / Damage Deposit A security deposit is required to be paid with the final balance of the rental. This will be refunded within two weeks of your departure provided the owners have received confirmation from the local management company that no loss or damage has occurred to the property, its furnishings or contents, or the pool and decking area including the screening .In the event that the value of any damage exceeds this amount, the client shall be held liable for the cost without limit, of making good the damage or loss. Final Payment The balance of the rental and the (refundable) security deposit will be due 10 weeks prior to the date of arrival in the home. Any additional items i.e. pool heating, extra cleaning etc. must be paid for at this time. The owners reserve the right to cancel a booking where full payment has not been received by the date specified on the confirmation letter and the deposit paid will be lost. Insurance Comprehensive travel / holiday insurance is strongly recommended for the full duration of your holiday AND SHOULD BE BOUGHT AT THE TIME OF BOOKING YOUR HOLIDAY NOT THE WEEK BEFORE TRAVEL STARTS! All members of your party must be covered by insurance. Pay particular attention to the coverage provided for cancellation including pandemic, accidents, death, repatriation, illness, loss of luggage etc. Remember medical treatment in the USA is extremely expensive. The owners and their agents do not accept responsibility or liability for any of the following: Loss, damage, changes, curtailment or cancellation caused by force majeure events including but not limited to ; hurricane, uprising, terrorism, pandemic and any event beyond their control. Personal injury howsoever caused or sustained. Injury or death as a result of the use of the property’s swimming pool and /or spa. (The pool is not designed for diving and this activity is extremely dangerous) Loss or theft of luggage or personal property from the villa. Unsupervised children. Arrival/Departure The property is available from 4pm on the day of arrival and must be vacated by 10am on the day of departure. Early check in or late check-out MUST be pre-arranged with the owners and may be subject to additional charges. Early/late check in/out are always subject to amendment if another reservation is received. The local property manager always has the final say regarding late departures. Safety Guests are hereby made aware, that the pool and deck area is fully screened, however, this is NOT a child safety fence. Furthermore, please note, there is a door from the deck out into the garden area which has direct access to the lake in which Alligators could be present. Therefore, supervision of young children is of paramount importance and they remain your responsibility at all times. The doors leading from the home onto the pool area are fitted with safety locks and audible alarms. Turning off these alarms is an offence in Florida. Fines start at $1000. Use of the Pool USE OF THE POOL IS always AT THE PERSONS’ OWN RISK. The owners, their servants, or agents, will accept no responsibility for any loss or personal injury incurred from using the pool or its surrounding areas. Children must be supervised by an adult in the pool area and are your responsibility at all times. The owners do not provide life preserving equipment. Any inflatable items etc. found, purchased, or supplied by any person whatsoever and used in or around the pool area, are used at the person’s own risk. The pool is not suitable for diving. Use of the pool by any person whatsoever deems their acceptance of the pool rules displayed on the pool deck. Glass and breakable crockery must not be taken onto the pool decking or in the pool or spa. (Plastic items are provided). Guests are expected to conduct themselves with reasonable decorum and violent games and exercises are not permitted. Please refrain from using hard balls, water bombs and Frisbees inside the pool area as these easily damage the screening and you will be charged if damage occurs. Care must be taken when entering the home from the pool area as tiled floors can be very slippery when wet. POOL CLEANING Pool cleaning / maintenance / chemical balancing is done weekly. Please vacate the pool AND deck area to allow the pool guy access to the water. It takes him less than 10 minutes to complete his checks and this ensures clean healthy swimming water. In the unlikely event you notice a pollen bloom (water gets a green haze around the edges/steps) please inform the property manager immediately. Pool Heat The pool and Spa heating is charged as an optional extra. This should be arranged at the time of booking (recommended for Oct-May). The water in the main pool will be heated to 85’F to comply with Florida state regulations. The spa when activated will gradually heat to 104’f PLEASE NOTE; IN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS (i.e. when the outside air temperature falls below about 52’) THE HEATER MAY BE UNABLE TO HEAT THE WATER TO THE STATED TEMPERATURES due to it working on a heat exchange system. THIS IS BEYOND OUR CONTROL AND NO REFUNDS WILL BE GIVEN. Guests can contact our management company and ask for the heater to be switched off. In which case, only the number of days the heater is switched off will be refunded, During winter months, a SOLAR BLANKET IS PROVIDED TO MINIMISE HEAT LOSS WHEN THE POOL IS NOT IN USE. Air Conditioning The air conditioning is pre-set to maximise efficiency and comfort. The management company will adjust it if required. PLEASE DO NOT OPEN WINDOWS OR LEAVE THE PATIO DOORS OPEN as this will cause the unit to freeze. We reserve the right to charge your security deposit if the unit does freeze due to windows/doors being left open and an engineer is needed to restart the unit. Mechanical failure Our home is maintained to the highest of standards; however, very occasionally failure of mechanical equipment such as the air con unit, pool heater or pump may occur. Our property manager will endeavour to have the problem fixed with the utmost of urgency. Renters are hereby made aware that such failures are beyond our control. Self Catering The home is rented on a ‘self-catering’ basis. It will be cleaned/serviced before your arrival. Only an initial supply of toilet tissue, garbage bags and dishwasher gel will be provided. Subsequent supplies are your responsibility. Our management company can provide a ‘welcome pack’ of basic groceries if required. Please contact us for the current prices / item list. Additional cleaning during your stay can be arranged and paid for directly with our property manager. Condition of our home If, upon arrival, guests are not satisfied with the condition of our home, their concerns MUST be reported to us AND our property manager within 24 hours. We will endeavour to rectify the problem as soon as possible. This includes the BBQ. Maintenance It may be necessary for our property manager to enter the home whilst it is occupied. This will be for air conditioning maintenance, routine pest control services or ongoing repairs when parts have been ordered. Attempts will be made to advise guests in advance however there may be occasions when this is not possible. SUCH OCCASIONS ARE VERY RARE. A calling card will be left on the console table to advise you that a visit has taken place. Resort play equipment Children must NEVER be allowed to use the resort play equipment without an adult present. Please remember that Alligators could be nearby and the lake can look very inviting to a younger child Alligators Lake Berkley has 3 expanses of water. Please ensure that each member of your party is fully aware of the possibility of Alligators being present, in, and around the lakes. NEVER swim or paddle in the lakes. Fishermen should always fish from the pier DOGS / PETS PLEASE NOTE WE DO NOT ALLOW PETS of any description IN OUR HOME. In addition, the covenants and bylaws of Lake Berkley now prohibit DOGS in rental homes on the resort. Guests with service dogs must INFORM US AT THE TIME OF BOOKING, and if the booking is accepted, you must have the animals’ relative paperwork and vaccination certificates available at all times for inspection by the gate guard and resort supervisor. Parking Please observe the parking restrictions within the resort which are clearly marked. The driveway at our home provides parking for 2 cars. A further 2 vehicles are permitted to park on the roadside. THERE IS NO GARAGING FACILITY AT OUR HOME. Camper Vans, Trailers, Boats and R.V’S. The covenants which rule Lake Berkley Resort strictly prohibit the parking of these vehicles within the confines of the resort. The guard will allow access to the property for unloading only, after which, the vehicle will need to be parked outside the gates. Re-cycling / Garbage Re-cycling of rubbish/garbage is now in operation. Guests are hereby made aware that they must comply with the current instructions clearly given by the garbage cans in the kitchen and those outside. The outside bins have a unique identification number and there are cameras in the chute on the collection truck! It is against the bylaws of the resort to have trash cans in plain sight other than on the morning of trash collection. Guests are not required to put the bins out or return them to the side of the house on collection days. This is undertaken by the landscapers. Climate The client is hereby made aware that Florida has a tropical climate and is the home of many insects’ bugs etc. The property is regularly treated against such unwanted visitors but inevitably they occasionally find their way inside. They are best eradicated by spraying with the appropriate product. Any serious infestations should be reported to the management company immediately who will arrange for the pest control company to call. International travellers;
Management company call out fees apply, week days $35 per call out, weekends $45, holidays $60. Always reach out first to the owner to confirm this as sometimes management might be on resort already. This payment will be taken from the security deposit.
Passports/ESTA It is a MANDATORY requirement of USA immigration that all members of your party have valid passports and any appropriate visas. Passports must be of the ‘machine readable’ type. Current entry requirements can be found on the web-site HYPERLINK "http://www.usembassy.org.uk" www.usembassy.org.uk or HYPERLINK "http://www.worldtravelguide.net/data/usa" www.worldtravelguide.net/data/usa ESTA This electronic travel authorisation is now mandatory. Please log on to HYPERLINK "https://esta.chp.dhs.gov" https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov For full information see ‘For International Visitors’ at HYPERLINK "http://www.CBP.gov/travel" www.CBP.gov/travel or HYPERLINK "http://www.cbp.gov/esta" www.cbp.gov/esta Currently, the ESTA application costs approx $14 p.p. including babies. (If you are asked for more you are not on the legitimate site) =============================================================================================== WE PAY OUR County, State and Federal TAXES AND OUR HOME IS FULLY LICENCED AND INSURED. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CHECK US OUT! HYPERLINK "http://www.myfloridalicense.com" www.myfloridalicense.com Licence no; DWE