Protect Yourself From Liability
The reasons thus far are more concerned with protecting your site from potential harm, but what if your website is the one affecting clients instead? Regardless of intent, you could find yourself in a situation where a website user is dissatisfied with the service your page delivered or even an error caused by your site. To maintain good guest satisfaction, youll want to resolve this with superb customer service, but legally speaking you can find comfort in knowing youll be safe under the terms and conditions youve set forth.
Why Do You Need A Vacation Rental Contract
As cumbersome as it may sound, having a vacation rental agreement is essential for your business, your guests, and yourself. Most hosts shy away from diving too deep into the legality of a vacation rental agreement, as the paperwork can be tedious at best and time-consuming. Regardless of the initial effort required, the payout is well worth it.
What Is A Short
A vacation rental contract is a written document formalized between the host and his guests, where the property owner outlines the expectations and responsibilities of the guest and host. This rental agreement is for both parties use and defines the purpose of the stay. For the guest: its tourism or leisure on a temporary basis and for the host: the exchange of the property for economic compensation.
The vacation rental contract legally binds the host and the guests clarifying, in writing, an agreement that must be followed and fulfilled by both parties.
For this reason, a tourist rental contract is key when it comes to protecting both the host and the guests in case of any discrepancies or disputes, as well as giving you extra security when you are renting your vacation home to complete strangers. If problems arise, a vacation rental contract can help you to demonstrate that guests knew the conditions and rules of use in advance.
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When Should You Use A Short
Given that a short-term vacation rental agreement helps define hosts and guests rights and responsibilities for a particular lease term, it is a good idea to use it every time you rent your property to new guests. The length of the stay should not determine when you use the agreement. Use it even if the guests are only staying one night, and even when renting to friends.
The only time that you shouldnt use a short-term lease agreement is when renting with the intention of having a guest stay longer than 30 days. In this case, you should draw up a formal month-to-month or fixed-term lease agreement.
You can ask a guest to sign a short-term rental agreement as long as you disclose the terms prior to booking. Airbnb recommends that you do this by mentioning the agreement in your listing description.
You should also list the terms of the vacation rental contract again in a message thread with your guest.
Checked And Excess Baggage
Checked baggage is subject to weight, size and piece restrictions. Fees may be combined. For example, if a bag is a second piece, and is also overweight, both fees will apply.
For vacations purchased on or after November 5, 2018 for travel on or after December 3, 2018:
A fee of $30-35.40 CAD/USD will be charged for the first piece of checked baggage. A fee of $50-59 CAD/USD will be charged for the second piece of baggage and $100-118 CAD/USD for a third or fourth piece. Vacations booked with a Premium fare receive 2 free checked bags. A fee of $100-118 CAD/USD will be charged for overweight or oversized baggage. Select sporting and hunting equipment are subject to a handling fee of $50-59 CAD/USD. Currency will be based on the location of fee payment outside of Canada all fees will be charged in USD.
For vacations purchased prior to November 5, 2018:
A fee of $30-35.40 CAD/USD will be charged for the first piece of checked baggage on flights within Canada or to and from the U.S. A fee of $50-59 CAD/USD will be charged for the second piece of baggage on all flights , and $100-118 CAD/USD for a third or fourth piece on all flights. Vacations booked with a Premium Economy fare receive 2 free checked bags. A fee of $75-88.50 CAD/USD will be charged for overweight or oversized baggage on all flights. Select sporting and hunting equipment are subject to a handling fee of $50-59 CAD/USD. Currency will be based on the location of fee payment.
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What To Include In A Vacation Rental Agreement
As previously mentioned, before you write up any legally binding agreement, you should always speak to your attorney.
Below youll find a list of the general questions you should aim to answer in your rental agreement. This will help you create a basic outline that you can then present to your attorney theyll be able to put what you want to include in the right legal terms for the document.
Why Do You Need Terms And Conditions For Your Vacation Rental Website
Adding terms and conditions to your site might sound like a nuisance, but its actually quite important. If you dig deep enough youll find that most sites have a privacy policy, cookie policy, and, of course, terms and conditions. Intricate in nature, but important in practice, each of these legal policies is essential for safeguarding your business and online platform.
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Be In Charge Of Your Content
This is your website so you should really own the content that you create. Its well known that the more content you add to your vacation rental website, like a blog, the better it will perform and rank on Google. With that said, if you dont make it clear that you own this intellectual property, you run the risk of people copying and stealing your content.
Imagine if your competitor copied all your content and outranked you for what were actually your ideas. Under technicality, if you didnt define this as your property and content, they could potentially get away with it. With the proper terms and conditions, you would be able to rightfully claim your content and prevent competitors from stealing your intellectual property.
Things To Include In A Short
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As an Airbnb host, you can ensure that your vacation rental business runs smoothly by composing a short-term rental agreement that minimizes your risks. The agreement should cover the rights and responsibilities of the host and guests. In addition, it should contain the terms and conditions of the lease.
In this article, we will go over the 15 most important things that you should include in a short-term rental agreement and explain why you should use one.
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Westjet Vacations Terms And Conditions
Effective September 13, 2021
Thank you for choosing WestJet Vacations!
Please read the following carefully.
GST No. 839910072
Visit our contact us page and select your preferred mode of reaching us.
Phone operators are on duty during these hours:
Monday Friday: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. MTSaturday Sunday: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. MT
This local number may be used when calling from a country not listed below or in the event the appropriate toll-free number is not working. Long distance charges will apply.
|
Antigua 1-800-300-2658 |
TTY for hearing impaired: toll-free 1-877-952-0100
Liability Of Westjet Vacations
WestJet Vacations will not assume responsibility for any claims, losses, damages, costs or expenses arising out of personal injury, accidents or death loss, damage or delay of baggage or other property or delay, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment, upset, disappointment, distress or frustration, whether physical or mental resulting from any of the following:
A full refund will not be given in situations where travel must be cancelled by WestJet Vacations for reasons which are beyond its control and where WestJet Vacations contractual obligations with its suppliers do not allow it to obtain reimbursement of the sums paid to the supplier on your behalf.
WestJet Vacations reserves the right to refuse any booking and decline any guest at any time. In all cases, the liability of WestJet Vacations for any loss, damage or injury, whether physical or mental, arising from its own acts, omissions or negligence, is limited to the price of the package booked.
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Maintenance Of Rental Property
Owner/Agent Obligations – Owner or Agent is to comply with all applicable housing and building codes and to provide and present the Property in a fit and habitable condition and provide operable smoke detectors. Pursuant to 42A-17of the NCVRA, if at any time the Tenant is to begin occupancy of the Property, the Owner or Agent cannot provide the Property in a fit and habitable condition or substitute a reasonably comparable Property in such condition, the Owner or Agent shall refund to the Tenant all payments made by the Tenant.
Tenant/Guest Obligations – In accordance with the NCVRA, the Tenant is to:
Noise & Parking Ordinance
There is no excessive noise allowed after 10 pm, this ordinance pertains to any loud music or loud sounds coming from the property after this hour. If the police or the Management company is called due to the renters disturbing the peace we do reserve the right to terminate the rental agreement immediately. Any fines incurred by the guest to Padre Island Vacation Rentals or its Owners will be invoiced and paid out of the damage-deposit by the guest within 7 business days.
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Formatting Options For Your Vacation Rental Contract
After understanding the importance of the short-term rental agreement, you might be wondering how youre going to pass it off to your guests. If the material is so important, shouldnt the delivery be equally valuable? How you choose to pass off the rental agreement will largely depend on your needs, your guests, and the nature of the property.
Ultimately, you can give the vacation rental agreement to your guests in more ways than one, so if youre worried that one method wont cut it, dont be afraid to send it in different formats.
Vacation rental agreement in PDF
The benefit of having a PDF copy of the vacation rental agreement is that there are built-in features for signatures, initials, and print names. If you require your guest to sign or initial each page, this might be the easiest way to deliver the short-term rental agreement.
Further, our vacation rental agreement template is already formatted as a PDF copy so all you have to do is press download and done! Youve got the short-term rental agreement copy ready to use in PDF format.
Vacation rental agreement template on Word
The vacation property rental agreement template we provide is editable, but still, you might choose to transfer this to Word if thats your preferred platform. You can do so by manually copying the content or using an online platform to do it for you.
Physical copy of your vacation rental contract
Only Host Suitable Guests
Remember that the vacation rental contract acts as a guide for host expectations, but also the expectations of your guests. This provides a clear profile of what type of guest youre looking for. If your property has a strict no extra guests rule and bans parties then a group of spring breakers might not agree to your terms, and thats okay!
Ultimately, you want to only host guests that are suitable for your property, to ensure that everyone has a good time, yourself included. By outlining the trip guidelines in the holiday rental agreement, you help to make sure youre only welcoming guests that are a good fit for your home, saving you from future headaches or negative reviews.
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Rental Rules And Restrictions
This clause is essential for every vacation rental agreement as it helps to clearly outline your house rules. Some examples of house rules and restrictions that you might consider to include are no-smoking or no-pet policies. If you charge any penalties for breaking the rules, be sure to highlight them in this section as well.
Windsor Hills Parking Guidelines
To follow the guidelines placed by Windsor Hills Resort, weâd like to let you know that each party is allocated up to three vehicles per reservation .
3 days before your check-in you should receive an email labeled:Windsor Hills Resort Parking Voucher â Important Please Respond.
Please respond to the email with the following:
- Your reservation confirmation number
- The full name of the main driver of each vehicle
- The total number of vehicles that will be on resort property
If you fail to provide all the necessary information listed above this could result in not being able to park within the resort.
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Key Things To Include In A Short
As every property is different, the terms you should cover in an agreement will depend on the specificity of the situation. However, there are certain key things that should be present in each short-term rental agreement.
Here are 15 common elements you will want to include in your vacation rental agreement:
Vacation Rental Agreement Terms & Conditions
Agent is acting for and represents the landlord. All rental monies may be disbursed to the homeowner within 30 days of receipt. Therefore, no substitutions can be made. The balance of your rent is due forty-five days prior to your arrival. Reservations with unpaid balances within forty five days of arrival may be subject to cancellation without refund. This is a Vacation Rental Agreement under the NC Vacation Rental Act, N.C.G.S. 42A. The rights and obligations of the parties to this agreement are defined by law and include unique provisions permitting the disbursement of rent prior to Tenancy and expedited eviction of Tenants. Your signature on the reverse of this agreement or payment of money or taking possession of the property after receipt of the agreement is evidence of your acceptance of the agreement and your intent to use this property for a vacation rental. Tenant is responsible to insure Agent has received the signed Vacation Rental Agreement and required payments.
This contract represents a real estate transaction and constitutes agreement between the Tenant and Village Realty as agent, to rent the premises described in this agreement.
Agent shall conduct all brokerage activities in regard to this agreement without respect to the race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap or familial status of any party or prospective party to this agreement.
11. All taxes are subject to change and will be collected in accordance with North Carolina law.
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Host Access To The Property
This seems like a strange one, but in the rare case of maintenance issues or emergencies, youll need to provide a clause in your vacation rental contract that mentions you might require access to the property during a guests stay. Be sure to state the notice you will give guests before entering . This is to avoid any disputes or formal complaints when the time comes and you need to enter your property.
Rent And Other Charges
You will pay Us the full amount of rent, taxes and other fees stated in the Confirmation Email . Rent may be combined with other Fees and will be stated in the Confirmation Email.
Payment Deadlines. If Your Agreement Date is less than 60 days before check-in, You authorize Us to charge 100% of the Total Charges to Your credit card when You make the reservation. If Your Agreement Date is 60 days or more before Your check-in date, You authorize Us to charge 50% of the Total Charges to Your credit card when You make the reservation, and charge the remaining 50% to Your credit card 60 days before Your Check-In Date .
Payment Deadlines Hawaii Properties. If Your Agreement Date is less than 90 days before check-in, You authorize Us to charge 100% of the Total Charges to Your credit card when You make the reservation. If Your Agreement Date is 90 days or more before Your check-in date, You authorize Us to charge 30% of the Total Charges to Your credit card when You make the reservation, and charge the remaining 70% to Your credit card 90 days before Your Check-In Date .
Application of Payments. Payments You make to Us are first credited toward the Nonrefundable Reservation Fees , then the rental fees , and then the Security Deposit . You will pay Us $25 for any returned check.
Security Deposit and Additional Charges.
4. Cancellations.
5. Holdover.
6. No Assignment or Subleases.
7. Guest Rules.
You may not place wood, paper, or any other combustible materials in any gas fireplace.
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Scam Bookings And Cancellation Terms
Not only does including a section on scam bookings help deter untrustworthy renters in the first place, but it also protects you and your property in the event the booking was made under false pretenses .
A few legally binding sentences outlining the circumstances under which you can cancel a guests stay will give you the right to evict these bad-intentioned guests immediately.