RENTAL POLICIES -- EXCLUSIVE OCCUPANCY PLAN
FAMILY GROUP POLICY
Our policy is to rent on an Exclusive Occupancy Plan primarily to family groups or to recognized corporations, their senior officers and guests. A family group is defined as parents, grandparents, children and extended family members vacationing in one home. A non-family group is defined as unmarried young adults, high school students, college students or any other group type situation. Properties are patrolled on a regular basis by a retired Texas peace officer and should a violation to this policy be found, the group will be subject to immediate eviction with NO REFUNDS OF RENT. Identification may be requested.
RESERVATIONS
Rental weeks begin on Friday, Sunday or Monday. Partial weeks may be available. There is a 3-night minimum.
ADVANCE RENT
When you reserve a property, we will assist you with completing the Confirmation Lease Agreement. We must receive the signed Confirmation Lease Agreement, along with an advance rent payment of one half of the rental rate, plus trip cancellation insurance premium, if chosen, within 7 days of making your reservation by phone.
We cannot hold unconfirmed reservations beyond the 7-day period and therefore suggest that you take advantage of OVERNIGHT DELIVERY SERVICES or FAX your Confirmation Lease Agreement with credit card authorization to (214) 447-9249. Your reservation will be automatically cancelled without notice if your payment has not been received on time.
BALANCE
The balance of the rent plus taxes, security deposit, & any other fees is due 20 days prior to check in. ALL RESERVATIONS MUST BE PAID IN FULL PRIOR TO CHECK IN. Payments may be made by personal check (not accepted within 20 days prior to check in), or credit card authorized by telephone or FAX (214) 447-9249.
TRIP CANCELLATION INSURANCE & HURRICANES
In the event of a mandatory/ordered evacuation by the Property Manager and/or Galveston County Emergency Management, no rebate will be offered. However, Trip Cancellation Insurance is available as a viable alternative, as it offers additional coverage such as medical emergency, death in the family, as well as storm evacuations. The cost of this insurance is a percentage of the total rent and is automatically added and due with your advance rent payment. A brochure outlining the benefits, exclusions, and limitations will be sent to you after payment is received. If you do not wish to purchase this coverage, you may delete the charge by initialing where indicated on your Confirmation Lease Agreement. We strongly urge you to take advantage of this option, as no refunds are offered.
SECURITY DEPOSIT
We require a $600 refundable security deposit or credit card authorization, the purpose of which is to enable the owner to recover some of the expenses incurred for repairing damages caused by abuse or neglect, or for special cleaning requirements, or for unnecessary service calls by guests or failure to properly dispose of trash. Owners or Owners' representative, will inspect property upon Tenant's departure and will bill for all costs for damages due to extra cleaning, repairs, or replacements. Sales tax must be charged on the assessed damage amount. If the cost of the damages is undeterminable by the time of departure, the tenant shall remain responsible for such costs and agrees to pay promptly when notified by Owners or Owner's representative of assessed amount. Any disputes that cannot be resolved directly between renters and Owners will be submitted to arbitration in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas. Rearranging of furniture is not permitted. TENANT MUST LEAVE PROPERTY CLEAN AND READY FOR THE NEXT GUEST, ALL DISHES WASHED AND PUT AWAY, ALL FOOD REMOVED FROM REFRIGERATOR AND ALL TRASH REMOVED FROM HOME, ALL BEDS MADE PRIOR TO DEPARTURE AT CHECK OUT.
RETURNED CHECKS
There is a $25 charge for returned checks. We do not redeposit returned checks. The must be replaced with a money order, cashier's check, or credit card within 5 days.
CANCELLATIONS & TRANSFERS
In the event that a reservation has to be cancelled, this must be done in writing to David L. Smith, 5161 San Felipe St. #320 PMB16, Houston, TX 77056 or by FAX (214) 447-9249. Every effort will be made to re-rent the cancelled period. If the period is re-rented and confirmed, the amount paid will be refunded less a $75 cancellation fee. If we are unable to re-rent the canceled period, money paid will be forfeited.
Transfers may be made from one week to another subject to availability. Requests for transfers must be made in writing to David L. Smith, 5161 San Felipe St. #320 PMB16, Houston, TX 77056 or by FAX (214) 447-9249. Transfers that occur from a higher rate season to a lower rental rate season will remain at the charge of the higher rental rate season. Transfers from a lower rental rate season to a higher rental rate season will be charged the higher rental rate. There will be a $75.00 transfer fee due before we can transfer your reservation.
CHECK-IN
In order to allow time for cleaning, inspecting, and maintenance between guests, the Property will not available for check-in earlier than 3:00 pm on your arrival date. Check-ins will be available from 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm. Please do not expect early check-in and plan your trip accordingly. Keys will be released to the renters only Owners or by our agent, Captain (Ret.) Robert Powell, who will meet you at the property 22621 Bay Point Dr. (Isla del Sol) Galveston, TX. (Click here for map and directions.) Please call Capt. Powell at (409) 737-9504 as soon as you know your expected arrival time so that he can put your arrival on his schedule. To ensure you are met promptly upon arrivel, call Capt. Powell again when you reach the 61st Street exit off Interstate Highway 45 to confirm your time of arrival. (It will take 30 minutes to reach the property.)
LATE ARRIVALS
Check-in times are set for the safety of all parties concerned. Check-ins will be at the Property 22621 Bay Point Dr. (Isla del Sol) Galveston, TX (Click here for map and directions) within the specified check-in hours unless prior arrangements are made with David L. Smith. In no case will ANY check-in be allowed after 10:00 p.m. Guest unable to meet the 10:00 p.m. deadline will be required to check-in the following day. Additional fees will apply to all late check-ins.
EARLY DEPARTURES
If you are planning to leave early, please contact Capt. Powell at (409) 737-9504 as soon as you know your departure time. He will meet you at the property to receive the keys and inspect the property.
CHECK-OUT
Check-out on the day of departure will be no later than 12 noon. Keys must be returned to Capt. Powell on the check-out day. Contact Capt. Powell at (409) 737-9504 at least 1 hour prior to your departure time. He will then meet you at the agreed-upon time to receive the key and inspect the property. Upon check-out, we ask our guests to leave their home in the same general condition as it was found with windows shut, blinds down and doors locked. Leave the home clean, wash dishes, remove all food and trash, make beds. Renters who choose not to do so will be charged a cleaning fee of $125, deductible from the $600 security deposit.
MAINTENANCE & CLEANING
Every effort is made to have the home clean and all equipment in good working order. Even the newest or best-maintained equipment occasionally malfunctions. Any problems should be reported to Capt. Powell at (409) 737-9504 immediately so we can make arrangements to resolve them. (If Capt. Powell should be unreachable by phone, call David L. Smith at (713) 532-6090.) Repairs will be corrected in as timely a manner as possible. We reserve the right, if necessary, for the maintenance staff to enter the home during business hours for repair, care, or management of the property. We will make every effort not to disrupt your vacation. REFUNDS WILL NOT BE ISSUED DUE TO MALFUNCTION IN EQUIPMENT OR OTHER GUEST DISSATIFACTION.
PETS
Pets are not permitted on the premises. Breach of this condition is grounds for immediate eviction without refund.
FIREPLACES
Use of all fireplaces is limited to off-season only. No rebates are made for nonfunctioning fireplace.
GRILLING
Grilling is only permitted on concrete driveways with a minimum of 25 feet from the house. No grilling is allowed on decks, porches, and wooden walkways or in carports. Grilling on wooden decks is cause for loss of deposits. Please leave grill cleaned and ashes dumped upon departure.
TRASH
Place trash in trash receptacles provided and place receptacles by the curb prior to 8am on Mondays.
POWER & CABLE OUTAGES
As part of Galveston Island life, we occasionally experience outages that are beyond our control. We will be more than happy to report these outages, but NO REFUNDS will be given due to outages.
CONSTRUCTION
New construction is abundant throughout Galveston Island. Unfortunately, we have no control as to when and where construction occurs. Please be tolerant and remember why you are here. No refunds or property transfers will be made.
OCCUPANCY
Our occupancy limits are determined by local health laws and must be adhered to. Our 8-person maximum occupancy includes children. Recreational vehicles may be used for transportation purposes only and not as a means to increase occupancy, nor can they be attached to the water or the electricity facilities. In the event a property is over-occupied, guests are subject to eviction with NO REFUNDS.
BEDS MADE/TOWELS PROVIDED
We offer BEDS MADE and TOWELS PROVIDED. These are optional services provided as a convenience without additional cost to our guests. Renters are welcome to bring their own linens if they so desire or may contract with local vendors to provide linen service. If you decide to provide your own linen, bring the correct number and sizes of sheets: 4 queen-sized beds (including sofa-bed in living room if used). We cannot be held responsible for forgotten bed linens or towels. If you choose to use our linens, we ask that you wash and dry them in the washer and drier provided, and make the beds prior to leaving.
MAID SERVICE
Daily, mid-week & check-out cleaning may be scheduled with third-party vendors at additional expense prior to check-in. Contact David L. Smith (713) 532-6090 for further information.
NON-SMOKING
In consideration of the health and comfort of our guests, please respect our clean-air policy by not smoking in our home.
LOCKOUT POLICY
In the event a guest is locked out of the home during the rental period, the guest can borrow a key calling Capt. Robert Powell at (409) 737-9504. A $25 lockout charge is payable directely to Capt. Powell for obtaining the key after business hours. (If Capt. Powell should be unreachable by phone, call David L. Smith at (713) 532-6090.)
TELEPHONES/LONG DISTANCE PHONE CALLS
Telephones are provided for your convenience and safety. Our telephone has a phone block preventing long-distance calls. You may make collect or credit card calls by accessing your provider's 800 number. Incoming telephone calls will be received at (409) 632-0866.
LOST & FOUND
We are not responsible for any items left behind. Please be sure to check thoroughly before departure. If you notify David L. Smith at (713) 532-6090, every effort will be made to locate missing items. There will be a $20 handling charge in addition to postage. All items must be claimed within 30 days of departure.
RESERVATIONS FOR 2005
Pre-reservations for each rental season will begin one year prior to requested reservation date. Pre-reservations are taken on a first come first serve basis only. There is a non-refundable fee of $50 for reservations made more than 3 months in advance. Contact David L. Smith at (713) 532-6090 for more information or to make your reservation for MAR SERENA.
PRINTING ERRORS
Every effort has been made to assure that our information and descriptions are accurate; however, Owners cannot be held responsible for changes we make in furnishings and equipment, or for printing errors.
CLICK HERE TO SEE A COPY OF OUR CONFIRMATION AND LEASE AGREEMENT