Rental Policies

Check-In

Guests may check in any time after 4 pm EST. Every effort is made to have your property ready by check-in time, but it is not guaranteed. After payment of any balance owed, you will be given arrival instructions for accessing your property.

Check-Out

Check-out time is no later than 10 am EST. Upon check-out, please wash dishes and place trash in outside receptacle. Laundry should be for current day only and property should be left in an orderly condition. Excessive laundry or cleaning time will be charged to credit card on file. Leave loose keys on the kitchen counter, lock all windows and doors and lock the door you are exiting with the lockbox key. Please return the lockbox key to the lockbox before departing. Once you have locked the house, please call (850) 349-2696 and leave a voicemail to let us know that you are vacating the property.

Damages

Please report any damage, repairs or maintenance issues upon arrival. Our housekeepers carefully inspect the property upon departure, and tenants will be held responsible for any damages beyond normal wear and tear.

Smoking & Pets

All of our units are NON-SMOKING. We require all smoking materials to be disposed of properly. There will be a minimum charge of $25 for failure to dispose of cigarette butts in the trash receptacle and a $250 charge for smoking inside any unit. Pet friendly units are indicated on our website with a paw print icon. These are the only units that allow pets. Failure to comply with smoking and/or pet policies will result in forfeiture of rent and deposit money and immediate eviction of the property. Guests traveling with pets will be charged an additional $100 refundable deposit. This pet deposit will be refunded provided all pet waste has been properly disposed of and all evidence of pet hair has been removed from the unit. Guests with pets are responsible for any additional expenses incurred related to pets’ presence on the property. This includes, but is not limited to, additional cleaning fees for pet hair removal and pet waste disposal and for flea treatment resulting from infestation, regardless of flea prevention products used on pets. Pet owners will also be responsible for any lost rent due to flea infestation. For liability reasons, we will only accept non-aggressive dogs.

Length of Rental

Reservations are booked in advance weekly and run Friday to Friday or Saturday to Saturday, depending on the property reserved. Shorter stays may be reserved at the last minute, depending on the season, property availability and approval. Some properties offer a discounted rate when renting four consecutive weeks. (Published as monthly rate) Please contact our office for information about specific properties and dates.

Deposit

A deposit of 1/2 of the total rental amount (rent, taxes & fees) is due at the time a reservation request is made. Any outstanding balance of the total rental amount is due upon arrival. Guests are responsible for all charges for damage and excessive cleaning fees of the property caused by guests.

Reservation Processing Fee

A nonrefundable reservation fee based on property rental rate and the duration of the stay, is added to all reservations at the time that a property is reserved. This fee covers cleaning, credit card processing, a starter supply of paper goods and administrative expenses.

Rental Payments

Full payment of any unpaid balance is due seven days before arrival. This payment may be made by credit card online or by phone. We accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover.

Taxes

Rentals less than 6 months are subject to current sales tax rate in effect at time of arrival. (Currently 10.5%)

Rental Occupancy and Age Requirements

Each property indicates the maximum number of occupants allowed in a property at any one time. This occupancy rate is the maximum number of persons, including infants, allowed on the premises (inside or outside of the structure) at any time. Only adults aged twenty-five (25) or older may contract for rental. Identification and proof of age may be required. Failure to comply with occupancy limit and age requirement will result in forfeiture of the full rental amount and deposit money and immediate eviction of the property. Weddings, wedding receptions and other large gatherings are expressly forbidden at all of our properties.

Cancellations and Reservation Changes

The following applies for stays 14 days or shorter in duration: 1) If cancelled more than 60 days prior to arrival, deposit less reservation fee is refunded; 2) If cancelled between 30 and 60 days prior to arrival, there is a 20% cancellation fee of the total rental amount; and 3) There are NO refunds if reservation is cancelled less than 30 days prior to arrival. Travel Insurance is recommended.

Long Term Rental Cancellation Policy

For stays longer than 14 days: 1) If cancelled more than 90 days prior to arrival, deposit less reservation fee is refunded; 2) If cancelled less than 90 days prior to arrival, there are NO refunds unless the same unit can be re-rented for the same dates at the same rate or greater. If unit is re-rented at a reduced rate, any difference in the re-booked rate will be deducted from the refund of the deposit.

Hurricane Evacuation

In the event of a MANDATORY EVACUATION due to a hurricane, tropical storm or other potential disaster, you are required by state law to evacuate the property. A prorated refund will be granted only for the days that you are denied access to the property. If you elect to leave or delay your trip due to storm warnings or voluntary evacuations, no refunds will be given. Travel Insurance is recommended.

Rates Changes

Rates, descriptions, furnishings and availability are subject to change WITHOUT NOTICE. We are not responsible and cannot give refunds for changes by individual property owners.

Property Substitution

Substitution of comparable properties may be made without notice or liability should your reserved property become unavailable for rent. You may choose a comparable available property at the published rate or receive a refund of monies paid.

Properties For Sale

Houses listed for sale may be shown during your visit. We make every effort to schedule the showing at a convenient time. However, if we are unable to reach you, the property may be shown without your presence.

HARBOR POINT VACATION RENTALS has a contractual relationship with the property owners. We act as agents and have a responsibility to protect their interest. If we suspect that a guest’s stay will be detrimental to a property, we reserve the right to refuse a rental or discontinue occupancy.

Special Needs and Physically Challenged

Some of our homes include residential elevators for persons with mobility restrictions. However, we cannot guarantee them to be in working order.

Telephones

Many units have a toll block and operator block feature, which only allow local calls. Long distance calls must be made with personal phone card or credit card that utilizes a toll-free access number. Mobile phone service can be unreliable, so please purchase a prepaid long-distance card if planning to make long distance calls. Verizon, Sprint and AT&T are generally reliable in the area. We do not guarantee internet service availability.

Internet Service

Please note that in our rural area internet service can be unreliable. If your rental property is experiencing an outage and you are unable to trouble shoot to resolution, management will submit a help ticket to the proper provider. No guarantees are made that internet will work or be restored during your stay.

Grills

Charcoal grills are provided at each unit. Use of grills on wooden decks, porches, balconies, on beaches or in sea oats is prohibited.

Linens

Harbor Point provides one bath towel set per person, one set of sheets per bed, along with a dishcloth and dish towel. In most cases, beach towels are not provided. Linens are furnished according to the number of people the house accommodates.

Trash Service

Place all trash in garbage bags and place in the commercial receptacle located outside. Leave by the road for curbside pick-up. This should be done Tuesday night or Wednesday morning (before 9 AM). Please note recycling pick up is not available on Alligator Point.

Repairs and Utility Outages

Every effort is made to keep appliances, air conditioners, etc. in good working order. In the case of a breakdown, we will repair as soon as possible. No refund or rate adjustment will be made for mechanical or utility failure. While some units include high speed internet access, service is NOT guaranteed and no refunds or rate adjustments will be made for internet access failure.

Lost Items

We are not responsible for items left in properties. Items left behind will be returned ONLY upon guests’ request and at guests’ expense. Items not claimed after 5 days of departure will be donated or discarded. Any food and beverages are discarded by cleaning personnel upon departure and will not be returned.

Liability

IT IS EXPRESSLY UNDERSTOOD AND AGREED THAT THE OWNER AND ITS AGENT OF SAID PREMISES, SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR ANY INJURY TO TENANT OR HIS FAMILY OR TO HIS FAMILY’S PROPERTY WHATEVER CAUSE ARISING FROM OCCUPANCY OF SAID PREMISES BY TENANT AND HIS FAMILY. IT IS FURTHER UNDERSTOOD AND AGREED THAT THE OWNER AND ITS AGENT SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY PERSONAL PROPERTY LEFT BY TENANT ON SAID PREMISES.