SeaShells

Terms and Conditions

All services and prices are subject to change without notice.  All photographs on the property pages may be updated or changed at any time and are accurate to the best of our knowledge.

TERMS & CONDITIONS:  

1. NUMBER OF GUESTS

• Strictly as per your booking. Exceeding the declared number of guests in your booking is considered by Country Getaways to be a breach of legal contract between us.
• Strictly no parties or functions.  If either are discovered, Police will be called, you will be asked to leave and there will be no refund of any bond paid. If no bond has been paid, a charge of $500 will be debited to your card. If in doubt, please talk to us for clarification.
• Caravans, motorhomes, campervans and the erection of tents is not allowed in or on the property grounds.  If found, immediate eviction of all guests will occur and no monies refunded.

  2. LINEN

• Some properties have linen included or as an optional purchase.  Most properties supply quilts, blankets and pillows; with guests to bring their own bed linen, towels and tea-towels; please refer to property details regarding linen requirements. 
• Please note that to comply with health & safety, all beds must have linen used on them.

 3. PETS

• Thanks to conscientious pet owners we are lucky to have a large selection of pet friendly homes available.  Please advise Country Getaways of your pet needs, including breed and age, when booking.  Details regarding your pet will be shown on your booking documents.
• A $100 refundable pet bond applies per pet, and only at properties that are advertised as pet friendly.
• We request that you are mindful of good pet etiquette, clean up any droppings left behind and respect the owner’s property.
• Please also bring your own doggie bed and under no circumstances allow pets on the furniture; refer to the Country Getaways Pet Rules. Failure to do so may result in a $50 charge or the bond withheld.
• Puppies are not permitted at any property (dogs under the age of 1 year are classified as a puppy), with the exception of those required for medical purposes. 

Pets are accepted at Country Getaways properties on the condition that:

• There is a mininum $100 refundable bond applicable for all pets
• Pets are only allowed at those properties that are pet friendly
• Country Getaways are advised prior to your arrival that there will be pets on the premises (failure to do this will result in immediate termination of the tenancy)
• You clean up after your pet in every way (excrement must be wrapped and placed in bins)
• Damage to garden or any other property is rectified or replaced immediately
• BYO bedding - pets must not sleep on beds, couches, or any other part of the furniture
• Consideration is given to neighbors. If reports of constant barking or noise are received, your tenancy will be immediately terminated
• BYO food bowls. Crockery or bowls that belongs to the house is not for pet's use
• Pets are not to be left unattended inside house at any time
• Pets are kept outside the house
• Poo Patrol is done prior to departure. A $50 fee will be apply and a deduction made from credit card if poo is left in yard. (Waste needs to be wrapped and placed in rubbish bin)
• No puppies are permitted to any property (dogs under the age of 1 year is classified as a puppy) 

 4. REFUNDABLE BOND - Security or Pet

• A refundable security bond may be payable for a property; a bond may also be required in lieu of credit card details for security (prior to obtaining key details).
• At a pet friendly property, a minimum $100 refundable pet bond is to be paid.
• Refer to specific property details for security or pet bond details. The property cleaner will advise the bond status following your departure, and your bond less any debits, will be refunded within 14 days of your date of departure via the method paid (credit card, bank transfer or cheque).

5. CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS:

• Standard cancellation conditions
  • If cancelled 28 days or more prior to occupancy: The non-refundable deposit $200 is forfeited. In special circumstances we may be able to offer you alternative dates.
  • If cancelled 21 - 27 days prior to occupancy; 10% of cost of accommodation or non-refundable deposit $200, whichever is greater
  • If cancelled 14 - 20 days prior to occupancy; 50% of cost of accommodation or non-refundable deposit $200, whichever is greater
  • If cancelled up to 13 days prior to occupancy; 100% of cost of accommodation
• Any cancellations received that are due to 'change of mind' will incur a $35 administration fee in addition to the above standard cancellation conditions
• No refunds are available should you decide to shorten your stay after arrival

6. SEASONS, RATES & LENGTH OF STAY

• The following shows the seasons for tariffs. All rates are quoted per night in AUD.
  • LOW: 1 May - 31 October
  • HIGH: 1 November – 30 April; plus all long weekends & local special events
  • PEAK: Easter, and Christmas/New Year, (26 December-31 January)
  • Costing calculation: Rate x Number of nights + Cleaning Fee + $35 administration fee  = Total Price
• Please check individual property pages for rates, and tariff differentiations.
• Tariffs will change from time to time, however any existing bookings will be honoured at the published tariff from the time of booking.
• All bookings must be for a minimum of 2 nights (except where indicated 1 night bookings are allowed).  In addition, seasonal minimum length of stays apply for long weekend (3 nights), Easter (4 nights), and Christmas/New Year (7 nights).
• Specials may be available throughout the year, and are shown on the property page for participating properties.  Existing bookings cannot be edited to include a special not available at the time of booking.

7. BOOKING & ADMINISTRATION FEES

• All bookings will incur a $22 non-refundable booking fee
• Multiple changes of a reservation/booking may incur a $35 administration fee.
• When making more than one booking for the same dates and under the same name, guests will receive a maximum of one complimentary booking fee. 

8. PAYMENT OPTIONS

• Country Getaways can take payments by bank transfer, branch deposit, cheque, money order or credit card (surcharge applies).
• For phone and email bookings the deposit is due within 7 days of making the booking, and the balance due 4 weeks before arrival.
• For online bookings, the full amount is payable upon making the booking.  Please refer to the online booking screen for fee breakdowns, including any online booking fees.
• When paying by credit card, only one credit card may be used per reservation or per group booking.
• Please note that an amount of $1 is held for authorisation and verification of your card, in line with PCI compliance; this amount is not charged and is released back to your card within 7 days.
• We use the secure Payment Express solution from DPS to process online bookings and credit card payments over the phone. All credit cards transaction are being authorised and debited in real time, in a SSL secure environment. The payment solution offered by DPS enables us to offer customers a safe payment experience.

 9. PROPERTY INFORMATION

• All of our holiday properties are owned by individuals who provide amenities of their own varying standard and style.
• An information folder is provided at each property, normally in a highly visible location such as the kitchen bench or coffee table; and notices can be found on the fridge.  Please familiarise yourself with this information as it can help to answer questions regarding the property and your stay
• All properties are self-contained, and are not serviced mid-stay.

 10. WHAT TO BRING

• All properties are fully self-contained; however personal requirements and consumables are not supplied.  Please refer to property details for specific information
• Please bring bed linen, towels and tea-towels (except where indicated it is included; please bring quilts/pillows if not supplied). For health and hygiene reasons, linen and bedding must be used on all beds.
• Whilst some properties may have minimal quantities of toilet paper, washing powders & detergents, and soap; it is expected that guests will bring their own items for the length of their stay
• Generally, nothing is provided in the way of food items. Guests need to bring their own tea, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper and other food stuffs. 

  11. KEYS

• Most properties have keysafes and you will need to contact Country Getaways within 7 days of your arrival to obtain a code for access to the keys . Refer to your confirmation travel documents for instructions on using the keysafe.
• Please take care with the keys, and do not lose them or lock them inside the house
• If keys are misplaced by the guest, a service fee of $55 will apply to let you in with a spare set of keys. If keys cannot be located, it is deemed to be a loss of keys and will result in a $100-$300 fee for changing the locks, new remotes (if applicable) and key cutting. 

 12. UPON ARRIVAL

• Guests must inform the Country Getaways office immediately upon arrival of any damage, faults or breakage to the property and its contents. 
• If a property is reported as dirty or with damage, Country Getaways reserves the right to inspect and have the property cleaned or repairs made as soon as possible.
• If no contact regarding the condition of the property is made, it is deemed that guests have accepted the property in the condition of arrival; and that any damage/fault will be considered to have occurred during the guest's stay and charged accordingly. All damages and extra cleaning will be deducted from the refundable security bond or credit card details.
• At certain times of the year (Winter), you may be required to turn on power and hot water at the meter box upon arrival.  Please note that if the power is off, often you will not have hot water until the following morning; you may also need to press the boost button for the hot water service (refer to property notices).

 13. CHECK-IN & CHECK-OUT

• Check-in is from 2.00pm, unless an early check-in has been arranged. Refer to item 12 Upon Arrival and contact Country Getaways if required.
• Check-out is by 10.00am, unless a late check-out or day use has been arranged. Upon departure, secure the property and return keys to the keysafe.
• Day-use of properties can be arranged at time of booking, and the rate for day-use is calculated at ½ the nightly tariff.  Day-use is typically used on the day of departure and a check-out time of 6pm is given; day-use can be used on the day of arrival, with check-in available from 8am.

14. NO SMOKING

• There is strictly no smoking inside the property. If smoking has taken place inside the property, an amount of $200 will be deducted from your credit card or taken from your bond.
• Please respect the environment and dispose of butts thoughtfully in the bin.

15. IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• All bookings are accepted by Country Getaways in good faith but are subject to change or cancellation prior to the commencement of the booking. In the unlikely event that this happens, Country Getaways will assist in finding a suitable alternative.
• Should a property be sold or deemed inhabitable outside of Country Getaway’s control; Country Getaways will make arrangements to relocate guests to an alternate available property with any differences in rates to be paid by the guests; or a refund will be made.
• These terms and conditions may be negotiable, dependant on the time of year and at our discretion. In some cases, we may be able to hold payment "in trust" for use within a 6 month period for use at the same property. If not used within 6 months, the amount held will be forfeited. 

16. DURING YOUR STAY

• Please do not move furniture around the property, as this will invariably cause damage which you are responsible for.
• From time to time, there may be mice in some properties which is part of rural living; mice can be difficult to control in the winter months as they are seeking warmth. We do our best to keep on top of mice; but ask that you please do your bit by emptying any dead mice in mouse traps and re-setting and keeping doors closed. 

 17. ELECTRICITY, GAS & HOT WATER

• Electricity is included in the rental cost
• All gas (household and barbecue) is included in the rental cost. If gas bottles are empty, refer to the information folder within the property for refill arrangements or contact Country Getaways 
• If household gas bottles have run out, please switch to the other bottle; or if both bottles are empty contact Country Getaways .
• If you run out of hot water, please phone Country Getaway to discuss; sometimes it is simply that the use has exceeded the capacity of the hot water service. Please check power is on, and try using the boost button for the hot water service to see if this rectifies it. If a tradesperson is called and it is deemed that the usage of hot water has emptied the tank (and there is no fault with the hot water unit), then the cost of the call out will be borne by you.  

18. CLEANING & DEPARTURE PROCESS

• As a cleaning fee is paid at time of booking, you are not required to thoroughly clean the property before departure (sweep and mop etc). However, please note the minimum requirements below: 
  • Empty your rubbish into the red-lidded waste bin and recycling into the yellow-lidded recycling bin; put out in street for collection (see folder within property for details on collection days). Rubbish not contained within a bin must be taken with you.
  • Wash, wipe and put away any crockery/cutlery, and/or unpack dishwasher
  • Remove any food scraps and clean barbecue  
  • Dispose of any cigarette butts in the rubbish bin (red lid)
  • Remove any foodstuffs from fridge and freezer and wipe any spills
  • Leave the property in a clean & tidy condition
  • Lock all windows and doors and leave things as they were found (eg hot water).
  • Return keys where found or to keysafe and scramble numbers to lock securely
• Barbecues must be properly cleaned at the end of your stay. If found to be unclean, a $50 barbecue cleaning fee will be charged
• Country Getaways reserve the right to charge an additional $50 fee if any of the above is not done on departure. Any charges will be invoiced to you, recouped from your refundable security bond or debited to your credit card following a phone call or email from our office. 

19. RUBBISH & RECYCLING

• All rubbish and recycling must be contained within the appropriate wheelie bin. If it does not fit, you must take it with you.  Please call Country Getaways for advice or clarification.
• Red-lidded garbage bin is for general garbage and yellow-lidded bin is for recyclable items only. If the recycling bin is contaminated with waste there will be a fee applicable, as the recycling collectors will not take it.
• Please put bins out on collection day (refer to property notices) AND upon departure. 
• If the rubbish or recycling bin is not put out for the weekly/fortnightly scheduled collection, Country Getaways may need to arrange a special collection with the cost to be paid by the guest.  The minimum cost of this to the guests is $20.00.

 20. PROPERTY DAMAGE

• Refer to 12 Upon Arrival; please advise any damage found on arrival so that we may rectify accordingly.
• We take pride in the properties we offer and we realise accidents can and do happen; please advise Country Getaways of any incidents. The property has been inspected prior to your stay and immediately after.
• Costs to repair damage not advised upon arrival as per item 12 will be invoiced to you, recouped from your refundable security bond or debited to your credit card following a phone call or email from our office.

 21. REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE

• If a property is reported as dirty or with damage, Country Getaways reserves the right to inspect and have the property cleaned or repairs made as soon as possible.
• Should you request a tradesperson to carry out a repair that is not urgent, the cost will be borne by the guest.
• Any maintenance issues must be reported to our office or phoned through to the after hours number. No responsibility will be accepted for maintenance accounts not directed through the Country Getaways office.
• If retuning of televisions or other electronic equipment is required following a stay, guests will be invoiced any costs incurred

22. LOST PROPERTY & RETRIEVED ITEMS

• Please check carefully before you leave the property, as we cannot guarantee any items left behind will be found and returned to you.
• In the event of items left at a property – the agent takes no responsibility for any items left behind. If a guest calls to report of items left behind, Country Getaways will endeavour to contact the cleaner to retrieve them for which there will be a minimum charge of $30 plus postage costs to be paid by the guest prior to posting items.
• Left items will be kept for 2 weeks; if we don’t hear from a guest or receive payment for the retrieval and postage the items will be disposed of.