House Rules & Short Term Vacation Rental Agreement – Sleepy Hollow
Recital:
Ken and Sarah Elder (herein after referred to as we, our, or the “Owners”) offer short-term rental of the home known as Sleepy Hollow at 14190 Vista del Lago Blvd, Winter Garden, Florida 34787 (the “Property”) to the person named as the Primary Guest on the Reservation (herein after referred to you, your or as the “Guest”).
1. Making a booking:
By completing the reservation process and signing the rental agreement during check out, it is deemed that you have read and agreed to abide by this Short Term Vacation Rental Agreement outlined below. A copy of the agreement will be sent to you upon completion. Your reservation is for short term vacation purposes starting and ending on the dates shown on your booking.
2. Guest Registration:
Vista del Lago is a gated resort that is manned 24/7. Advance guest registration is essential to gain access through the gate. We require a guest registration form to be completed within 48 hours of booking with the primary guest name, address, email and phone. The names of all guests occupying the property must also be listed on the guest registration form, including all children and infants, along with the ages of all guests under the age of 21.
Upon arrival, your name will be with the guard at the gate and you will be required to show a valid ID in the name of the primary guest to gain entry. Any drivers of additional vehicles registered on the registration form will also be required to show ID.
3. Cancellation Policy:
Our cancellation policy is 60 days prior to arrival.
The reservation deposit is non-refundable, unless we manage to rebook the dates in full.
Providing the Owners receive notice of cancellation not less than 60 days prior to the actual arrival date, the Guest will not be liable to pay the full balance.
If cancellation is received 59 days or less to the start of the stay at the property the Guest is liable to pay the balance.
If we manage to rebook the dates in full, the deposit and final balance will be refunded, less any taxes, fees or payment processing charges incurred.
In the unlikely occurrence of a Force Majeure event, which necessitates a cancellation of the booking by the owners before the commencement of the stay, the Owners will refund any monies paid by the Guest, but without interest, compensation or consequential loss of any kind.
4. Payment
Payment of the remaining balance of the agreed rental cost must be paid 60 days prior to arrival.
Where reservations are made within 8 weeks of arrival, payment must be made in full at the time of booking.
If any balance is overdue by more than two weeks then we reserve the right to cancel your reservation and cancellation penalties will apply.
5. Guest ID
We apologize for the additional step of requesting ID, but we were sadly the victims of credit card fraud on several occasions in 2023 and have to take these extra measures.
During the check out process, the primary guest will be required to upload an image of their government ID. Guests are welcome to cover their ID number to protect identity fraud. The image of guest ID is securely stored on the encrypted server owned by the reservation software we use, which is OwnerRez.
The name on the ID must be in the name of the person signing the vacation rental agreement and must match the name and address of the credit card being used for payment.
6. Occupancy Limits:
The maximum number of guests accepted in Sleepy Hollow is 6 adults/children plus two infants/toddlers. We can only sleep 8 if there are children young enough to use cribs.
We have two king bedrooms and a third bedroom with full/twin bunk bed. We also have one crib, a pack n play and a twin air bed. Children 6 and under are not permitted to use the top bunk bed.
Persons under 21 years of age must be accompanied by parents or responsible adults.
Permission must be obtained from the Owners if persons not listed on the booking form are to visit the property and use the facilities. At no time can these guests stay overnight at the Property. The Owners reserve the right to refuse admittance if these conditions are not met.
All visitors MUST be registered to gain access through the gate.
Violation of over occupancy will make the reservation void, with a requirement to vacate the property immediately, no compensation will be paid.
The Property cannot be shared or sub-let and only the persons listed on the booking form are permitted to stay in the Property.
The maximum occupancy length governed by community rules is 112 nights.
7. Smoking
There is no smoking of any kind or vaping/e-cigarettes allowed anywhere inside the house. Any evidence of smoking or vaping inside the house will result in a $500 deep cleaning fee.
Smoking and vaping is permitted on the sun deck.
8. Pets & Service Animals:
All pets MUST be pre-arranged with the owners prior to arrival and appropriate pet fees must be paid.
Please see our Pet Addendum.
Non-compliance with these terms may result in a $300 fee.
Guests agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend home owners and managing agents and employees against liability, judgement, expense (including attorney fees), or claims by third parties for any injury to any person or damage to property of any kind caused by guests pets.
Guests agree to pay for all damages, replacements and repairs, including cost of professional repair/replacement, to any damage caused by pets.
Service Animals – service animal are more than welcome. Please see our Service Animal Addendum.
9. Trip Insurance:
It is STRONGLY advised that your trip is covered by adequate travel insurance. As we all witnessed with Coronavirus, totally unexpected reasons can disrupt travel plans at any time. The Owners cannot be expected to be financially liable for every reservation made.
Travel Insurance is available with your reservation during the booking process. The travel insurance offered is from a third party insurer and is in no way affiliated with or provided by us. We encourage you to compare different policies and choose whichever is better for you. We do not receive any renumeration or payment of any kind for recommending any travel insurance product.
Please also be aware that you are traveling to a hurricane zone. Hurricane season is June to November in Florida.
If you choose to decline any kind of travel insurance, you are agreeing and acknowledging that your reservation cannot be cancelled or rescheduled after the 60 day cancelation policy date.
10. Check in and Check out:
Check in to the Property is after 12:00pm (noon) on the day of arrival as shown on the reservation and check out is before 3:00pm on the date as shown on the reservation.
If you need to check in earlier or check out later, please let us know and we can make arrangements if possible.
11. Security/Damage Deposit:
Your agreement to abide by these terms includes acceptance to pay for any damage of any kind caused by your occupancy of the Property.
The property will be checked prior to your arrival. If you do find any damage upon arrival, please report it within 24 hours.
- Damage Waiver: You may pay a non refundable damage waiver of $65 which covers you for any accidental damage to the contents of the home up to the value of $500. This does not cover you for any excess fees such excessive cleaning costs, excessive trash removal or the removal of any items from the property.
This option does NOT cover any pet damage.
The Primary Guest will be held responsible for all additional costs and will be required to pay the balance within 14 days.
- Security Deposit: You may select to place a $500 hold on your credit card. Your credit card will not be charged this amount, but an authorizing hold will be placed 2 days prior to your arrival, which will be released within 48 hours of your check out, once the home has been inspected by the Property Manager.
Claims include, but are not limited to: additional costs caused by guest misuse of equipment, excessive cleaning costs, excessive trash removal or the removal of any items belonging to the property.
The Primary Guest will be held responsible for all additional costs, which exceed the security deposit and any additional sums must be paid within 14 days of your receipt of an invoice setting out these additional items.
12. Owners Access:
Guests will have complete privacy and nobody else will enter the property during your stay. Access to attend to emergencies or urgent maintenance issues is required, with your advance permission whenever time allows.
If an emergency arises when the guest is not home and immediate access is essential, prior notice may not be possible.
13. Responsibilities:
All persons forming the party of the Guest where or not they are stated on the booking form are responsible for the care of the Property and are expected to take reasonable care of it, turning off all unused items and ensuring all doors and windows are securely closed and locked whenever the property is unoccupied. Failure to comply could result in the named persons (jointly and/or severally) being held responsible for the cost of losses and damage incurred in the event of a burglary whilst the property is unoccupied.
At the end of the rental period, carpets, furnishings, walls, and fittings must be left clean and tidy.
The Guest is responsible for leaving the property in good order and in a tidy condition.
14. Code of Conduct:
The Property is located in Vista del Lago which is a residential community and we ask that nothing interferes with the enjoyment of others on vacation or residents of the community. Please do not do anything that is likely to inconvenience your neighbors.
Noise restrictions between the hours of 10:00pm and 7:30am are in operation.
No vehicles may be parked on the road overnight.
No RV’s are allowed within the community without prior permission.
In the event that any member of your party behaves in a way that is likely to cause distress, danger or annoyance to any other vacationers, residents of Vista del Lago or damage to any property, the Owners or their property manager reserve the right to terminate your contract immediately and forthwith with a requirement to vacate the property immediately.
The Owners or the property manager will not be liable for any costs you will incur, nor shall we pay any compensation, nor make any refunds due to this action.
15. Allergies
We cannot guarantee our home for allergy sensitive guests. If you do have allergies please discuss your allergies with us to ascertain if our home would be suitable for you. We will do whatever we can to assist with allergies.
16. Limitation of Liability:
Nothing in this clause or these terms will limited the Owners liability for death or personal injury caused by the gross negligence of the Owners.
Subject to the preceding sentence, the Owners accept no liability whatsoever for death, personal injury, accidents, loss or damage, to persons or personal belongings howsoever else caused. The use of the Property, its amenities including the community pools are at the Guest and their party’s own risk.
The Owners and the Management Company cannot accept liability for the sudden failure of equipment at the Property but will take immediate and reasonable action to rectify any such failure upon notification by the Guest.
The owners cannot be help responsible for use of any equipment provided by the community of Vista del Lago and accept no responsibility for guests using the communal pool areas. Children MUST be supervised at all times around the swimming pools and lakes within Vista del Lago.
17. Force Majeure:
The Owners (including the Management Company) accept no liability whatsoever and no compensation or any other payment will be made if any cancellation or change to the terms of your booking becomes necessary due to war or threat of war, riots, civil commotion, terrorist activities, industrial disputes, natural and nuclear disasters, fire, flood, adverse weather conditions, building or construction in progress within the community, technical problems with transportation, closure or congestion of airports, alterations or cancellation of schedules by carriers, loss of mains electricity or gas supplies, or any other events beyond our reasonable control.
18. Complaints:
In the unlikely event that you should have a problem with the Property or its facilities, please bring this to our attention immediately so we can investigate and attempt to resolve the issue locally.
If you have any complaints upon arrival, please advise us immediately. If you do not bring your complaint to our attention immediately, you will have not allowed us the opportunity to satisfactorily resolve your problem.
Please note, however, that we cannot accept responsibility for the actions or omissions of our Management Company staff.
19. Parties/Events
The property is not suitable for parties, events or gatherings and no more than the stated number of guests allowed are permitted on the property at any time without prior arrangement.
If you do have visitors coming to the property, permission must be obtained from the owners. All names must be submitted and registered with the clubhouse at least 24 hours prior to visitor arrival.
20. Email Contact
We will add your email address to our mailing list to keep you up to date with any specials, events or news. You can unsubscribe from this at anytime, or if you don’t want to be added, just let us know.
You can read our Privacy Policy.
21. Internet Usage
We provide a complimentary internet service that is securely password protected and only accessible to you and your group during your stay. As the Primary Guest you agree to accept all responsibility for any misuse of the Internet Service during your stay.
It is strictly forbidden to use or allow others in your group to use the internet service in any manner that violates applicable federal, state, local or international law. This includes, without limitation, material protected by copyright, trademark, trade secret, or other intellectual property right used without proper authorization, and material that is obscene, illegal, defamatory, constitutes an illegal threat, or violates export control laws.
22. Governing Law
These terms and conditions are subject to and shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the state of Florida and all parties hereby submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Florida Courts. If any provision hereof is held to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable under any present or future laws, such provision shall be fully severable and the terms and conditions herein shall be construed and enforced as if such illegal, invalid or unenforceable provision had never been made a part hereof. The remaining provisions herein shall remain in full force and effect and shall not be affected by such illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions or by their severance here from.
