TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1)         Booking

A booking between the owners [hereinafter referred to as we] and the client [hereinafter known as the guest(s)] will only be valid once we have received and accepted all of the booking information required on the booking form together with the  deposit detailed in 2a below. We will then confirm the booking with the guest. Bookings may be conducted by telephone, e-mail or post.

The guest that makes the booking on behalf of his/her party [who must be over 21 years old], shall be known as the lead guest and this person shall, by giving the information required on the booking form and paying the booking deposit, agree to these terms and conditions and have given warranty that they have the authority to act on behalf of the persons named on the booking form.

The maximum occupancy of the villa is normally10 persons (plus an infant for which a cot can be provided) unless special arrangements are made at the time of booking to increase the number to a maximum of 12. (An extra charge may apply.)

The villa cannot be shared, assigned or sublet and can only be let to those persons whose names are recorded at the time of booking unless we subsequently agree to an amendment to the booking in writing. [See 5a]. An adult must accompany any persons under the age of 18.

(In addition to these terms and conditions, Florida Law prohibits sharing, assigning and subletting. Violations can result in eviction without compensation.)

Any reservations obtained under false pretences will be subject to the forfeiture of all monies paid and you will not be allowed to check in.

2)         Rental Period

            a)         Arrival/Departure Times            The villa is available from

           16-00hrs local time on the day of arrival until 10-00 hrs local time

           on the day of departure, other than by prior arrangement.

            b)         Period of Stay      Reservations can start on any day and be for any period at our

            discretion depending on availability and season. Bookings of less than

            7 days will incur an additional cleaning charge of £100.

3)         Price

Current prices are published on the 'Rates' page on our website. Once the deposit has been received and acknowledged, the price is guaranteed.

4)         Deposits and Payment

            a)         Booking Deposit and Payment. A non-refundable deposit of £300

            or £150 per week or part week booked (whichever is greater) must be paid at the time of 

            booking. The balance is due not later than 8 weeks prior to the arrival

            date. ‘Late’ bookings made less than 10 weeks prior to the arrival

            date must be paid in full at the time of booking.

            b)         Security Deposit           A security deposit of £200 must be

            paid at the same time as the balance, i.e. not less than 8 weeks prior to

            the arrival date or at the time of booking in the case of ‘late’ 

            bookings. [Also see 9 below.]

           If the balance and security deposit are not paid by the due date we

           reserve the right to treat the booking as cancelled.

5)         Amendments and Cancellations by Guest

            a)         Changing Bookings       If after your booking has been

            confirmed you wish to change your arrival/departure dates or change

            members of your party we will do our best to accommodate you.

            [Though, depending on circumstances, this may incur an extra charge.]

            If we are unable to rearrange your booking we reserve the right to

            treat the booking as cancelled and the charges in c) below will apply.

            b)         Cancelled Bookings      Any booking cancellation by the guest must be notified 

            immediately by phone or email and confirmed in writing.

           (For this purpose notification by email will be considered to be in writing.)

            Notice of cancellation shall be deemed to have been received by us

            upon receipt of written confirmation.

            c)         Cancellation Charges    The following cancellation charges will

            apply:-

             Notice received more than 8 weeks prior to arrival date - loss of

             initial deposit.

           Notice received less than 8 weeks prior to arrival date – loss of all

           monies paid. (Except security deposit which will be returned within 21

           days.)

           Note:- Travel insurance may cover cancellations caused by unforeseen circumstances.

6)         Cancellation by Owner

If due to circumstances beyond our control it is necessary for us to cancel a booking we will inform guests as soon as possible and provide a full refund. We will also use our best endeavours to assist guests in finding a suitable alternative booking. Under no circumstances will any compensation be paid to the guest for bookings cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control.

7)         No Smoking Policy

We operate a strictly no smoking policy within the villa and garage/games room for health and safety reasons and to preserve the fabric and fixtures and fittings of our home. Smoking is allowed on the pool deck.

8)         No Pets          

No pets of any kind are allowed anywhere on the property.

9)         Damage, Loss and Breakages

The lead guest is responsible for any damage or breakages that may be caused to the villa or its contents and also for any loss of items from the villa during the stay. The security deposit

Detailed in 4b above will be held against such an eventuality or any other breach of these Terms and Conditions. The residue will be returned within 21 days of the departure date. Should the cost of damage etc. exceed the amount of the deposit held, the balance is to be paid within 21 days of written demand.                   

10)       Travel Documentation and Insurance

It is the responsibility of guests to insure that they have the correct travel documentation to enter the U.S. Cancellation due to guests not having the correct documentation will be charged the relevant cancellation fees. Guests are advised to take out adequate travel/health insurance.

11)       Care of the Villa        

The guests must read and become familiar with the advice given in the ‘Welcome Book’ supplied at the villa. This book gives useful guidance on many topics associated with your holiday, including important safety information.

Please remember that this is a privately owned villa and should be left in a clean, tidy and undamaged condition, e.g kitchen utensils & barbeques should be cleaned before leaving etc. The villa will be carefully inspected upon your departure and if not left in a suitable condition, charges will apply, e.g. for excessive cleaning costs, excessive use of electricity caused by leaving external doors open with the air conditioning on, etc.

All damage and breakages should be reported immediately to our local representative.

12)       Antisocial Behaviour

Guests are asked to be considerate to their neighbours and to ensure that their actions do not interfere with the enjoyment of other residents on the Hampton Lakes community. We particularly ask that guests do not make excessive noise or play loud music early in the morning or late at night. Antisocial behaviour is usually reported to the local Sheriffs office and can lead to criminal penalties.

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 Hampton Lakes or damage to any property, we reserve the right to terminate your rental agreement. We will not be liable for any costs, compensation or refunds due to this action.

13)       The Swimming Pool

SWIMMING POOLS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS PLACES 

                 a)          Safety

            All guests use the pool entirely at their own risk. Guests must obey the

            pool rules posted on the pool deck area. It is important to remember

            that this is a private pool and there is no lifeguard. The wet areas

            around the pool can be slippery so great care must be taken when 

            moving around the pool area.

                        i)          Children in the pool area must always be closely

                                    supervised by an adult.

                        ii)         Set the pool door alarm when appropriate.

                        ii)         For the safety of all guests, no glasses or bottles

                                    are allowed in the pool area.

            b)         Pool Heating

            Due to the nature of the weather conditions in Florida we cannot

            guarantee the water temperature in the swimming pool. If pool heating

            is ordered the heater is set to operate at certain times of the day at a 

            fixed thermostatically controlled temperature in accordance with the

            manufacturers operating requirements for the system to ensure that

            guests get the optimum benefit at normal times. In particularly cold

            weather (where the temperature drops below 45 degrees Fahrenheit)

            the pool heater will automatically shut down. Proportionate refunds for

            pool heating due to unusually low ambient temperatures will only be 

            considered if the average temperature falls below 45 degrees

            Fahrenheit for three consecutive days.

            Pool heating must be requested at the time of booking.

            c)         Pool Cleaning

            The pool is cleaned and chemically balanced every week for your

            safety and comfort. On rare occasions it may be necessary to apply

            certain chemicals to the pool which may require the pool to remain

            unused for up to 24hr for safety reasons. If this ever needs to be done

            we will strive to do this at a time convenient to you.

14)       Limit of Liability

            a)         We cannot accept any responsibility for any loss of or damage

            to personal property however caused during your stay.

            b)         We cannot accept any liability for death, personal injury or

            accidents sustained   as a result of using the villa, pool, games room, or

            any part of the property howsoever caused.

15)       Force Majeure

We accept no responsibility whatsoever and no compensation or any other payment will be made if cancellation or changes to the terms of the booking becomes necessary due to war, threat of war, riots, civil commotion, terrorist activities, industrial disputes, natural and nuclear disasters, fire, flood, adverse weather conditions, technical problems with transport, closure or congestion of airports, alteration or cancellation of schedules by carriers, building or construction within the community or any other events beyond our control.

16)       Equipment and Appliances

We accept no responsibility or liability for any failure of equipment within the property. After notification of the problem to our local representative they will endeavour to rectify the problem in a reasonable and timely manner.

17)       Public Utilities

We accept no liability for the failure of public utilities such as electricity or water.

18)       Telephone

The villa is equipped with a telephone providing free local and national calls. A calling card is required for international calls.

19)       Cable TV

Cable TV is provided in the villa. The service level has been chosen by us. No refunds will be payable for outages, content, lack of content or personal preferences with regard to this service. Guests must not alter or add channels to the Roku facility provided with each TV.

20)       Wireless Internet      

High speed wireless internet is provided as a convenience free of charge whilst staying at the villa. No refunds of rent will be payable for outages, content, lack of content, personal preferences, speed, access problems or lack of knowledge of use with regard to this.

21)       Insects Etc

The villa is regularly treated as part of a pest control program and is professionally cleaned prior to your stay. Guests must be aware however that due to the sub-tropical climate of Florida insects, such as ants for example, are occasionally inevitable and are not a cause for complaint.

22)       Security

Guests are responsible for their own security whilst staying at the property and should lock doors, shut windows, activate pool door alarm, etc. when appropriate to do so. We accept no liability for any loss or damage for which guests are or could be insured or entitled to indemnify from a third party.

23)       Safety Equipment

The villa is equipped with safety equipment such as fire extinguishers and smoke alarms. Guests are asked to report any problems with this equipment (such as ‘chirping’ smoke alarms) to our local representative as soon as possible.

24)       Access for Owners and their Representatives

            a)         Routine Maintenance     The villa is subject to weekly pool

            and regular garden  maintenance and the owner reserves the right for their

            local representatives to attend to these items at any reasonable time

            during your stay.

            b)         General Maintenance     The owner or their representative

            reserves the right to be allowed access to the villa at any reasonable 

            time for the purpose of maintenance and repair, after giving reasonable

            notice to the guest, except in the case of an emergency.

            c)         Marketing         The owner or their representative reserves the

            right to be allowed access to the villa for the purpose of marketing the

            villa for rent or for sale between 09-00hrs to 20-00hrs after giving the

            guest not less than 24hrs notice.

            d)         Enforcing this Agreement          The owner or their

            representative reserves the   right of access to inspect the villa at any 

            time without notice in order to enforce the terms of this agreement if

            the owner has reasonable grounds to suspect that a serious violation

            has occurred.

25)       Complaints

If you have any complaints whilst at the villa, in the first instance please contact our local representative for assistance. If the problem cannot be resolved please contact us directly on 01144 191 514 5072 or by email at merlinscomputer@aol.com.

26)       Website Description

All of the information on the website is given in good faith and every effort is made to ensure its accuracy. The information provided is accurate to the best of our knowledge however it is provided for guidance purposes only.

27)       Attorneys Costs

The guest agrees to pay all reasonable costs, attorney’s fees and expenses that shall be made or incurred by the owner in enforcing this agreement.

28)       Law Governing Our Agreement

These terms and conditions which relate to our booking agreement are constructed with and are subject to the laws of the United Kingdom and the parties submit to the executive jurisdiction of the United Kingdom courts. If any part or parts of these terms and conditions are unenforceable due to statute or common law, the remainder shall remain in force.

(Version Web1 21/1/09, last updated 30/7/2023)