house rental policies
The following policies for the rental of our home at 74 Lanes Island Road, Vinalhaven, ME include but are not limited to:
Check in/check out: All rentals run from 4 p.m. on Saturday to 9:00 am on Saturday. There can be no exceptions or flexibility without our prior consent. Generally keys will be available at check in, unless other arrangements have been made. If you have special needs, please call us.
Maximum Occupancy: We limit the occupancy to 10 people, including children, as described on the Renter Information Form, unless special arrangements have been made ahead of time, depending on the configuration of bedrooms, number of children, etc. The maximum occupancy by a Lessee and their party set forth here is part of the Lease Agreement.
Reservation Procedure: Once we have confirmed with you that the house is available for specific weeks, we will hold your reservation for seven days. During that time you must send us a deposit equal to one-half the rental amount that has been agreed to between us, as well as the signed Lease, House Policies and Rental Information form. If your deposit is not received within seven days, we will be forced to cancel your reservation.
Final Payment: Payment of the balance of your rental amount and security deposit is due not less than 60 days prior to your arrival.
Security Deposit: We treasure our island home, art, furniture and furnishings that we are providing for your vacation enjoyment. While we fully trust that you will be respectful, we do require a security deposit of $1,000 and a cleaning fee of $350 per week. No interest is paid on security agreements.
The security deposit will be returned within 15 days (two weeks) of your departure provided all keys are returned, the house and yard are left reasonably clean, and there has been no breakage of our property. Fees for damage, broken items and excessive cleaning are charged against the security deposit and you will be notified in writing.
Communication: A landline phone is available for local calls, however we recommend that you plan to use a cell phone(s) during your stay. Wireless internet service is available throughout all of the living spaces of the house.
Smoking: The entire property, including porches are non-smoking. If we find evidence of smoking on the property, we will keep your entire deposit. We take this very seriously because fire is such an extreme threat on islands.
Housekeeping: We require a fee in advance of $350 per week in addition to the security deposit, within 60 days prior to your arrival.
The house will be cleaned thoroughly prior to your arrival. When renting for multiple weeks, we require that the house be cleaned at the end of each week, as if for a standard turnover, (i.e., vacuum floors, clean bathrooms, wash floors, scrub kitchen, change/clean sheets, dust, remake beds and empty and haul trash away).
For multiple week rentals, we will arrange with our house cleaners to arrive at 9AM on the morning of the middle Friday of your stay at a cost of $350 per week at the Lessee’s expense. If you wish to schedule a different cleaning time, you must let us know. If you elect not to have beds changed because family members are sleeping late, those bedroom doors should remain closed and the occupants will not be disturbed.
If you would like us to arrange additional cleaning service during your occupancy please let us know. The cost would be $35/hr. at the Lessee’s expense.
Upon departure, we require the house be left as found (rooms clean, beds not stripped, towels in downstairs bathroom by washer, all trash to containers by barn, bottles in the recycling bins in the mudroom, all dishes cleaned and put away and food removed). If you move furniture, please return it to its original placement. Please do not start the laundry before you depart – we will take care of this chore. If the house requires excessive cleaning after departure because cleaners need additional time to return the house to its original condition, we will deduct the cost (at $35/hr.) from the security deposit.
Bedding: Some guests prefer to bring their own linens and towels – if so, please let us know so we will not make beds up that then need to be unmade and remade.
Trash: A covered trash and recycling box is located outside, near the mudroom door and propane tanks. Bottle redemption receptacles in the back hall under the counter. Trash will be picked up once each week by the Lessor.
Septic System: Rockaway has its own septic system. Guests MUST ensure that only human waste and NOTHING ELSE gets flushed down toilets.
Personal Belongings: As the house is also a residence, some of personal belongings will remain. We ask that guests be respectful of all personal items.
Parking: Parking is limited by available space in the driveway and on the lawn in front of the house with a maximum space for 2 cars (ask us if you plan to bring more than 2 cars). Please do not park in unauthorized areas. No motor homes, trailers, campers, or motor boats and trailers are allowed at our property without prior permission.
Non-Rental Areas include attic, basement, tractor shed and Room 4. Their contents are also not included in the rental.
Fireplaces: The fireplaces in the library is not for guest use.
Fireworks: You are NOT permitted to use fireworks at our property. If you buy fireworks, plan to take them home with you, unused. If we find evidence of firework use on the property, we will keep your entire deposit. We take this very seriously because fire is such an extreme threat on islands.
Repairs: We will do everything within our power to assure that all kitchen and laundry equipment is in good working order upon your arrival and we will correct any problems not caused by misuse or negligence as soon as possible. We regret that there will be no refunds or adjustments for malfunctioning equipment.
Personal Property Left Behind: We will hold all personal property left behind for 15 days or until you instruct us to discard it, which ever is less. If we find your personal property at the termination of your occupancy we will send you a note describing the property and asking whether you want it. If you do, we will ship it to you via UPS or similar carrier and the charges will be deducted from your security deposit.
Lawns and Gardens: Lawn care, gardening, and other reasonable landscaping activities are required to maintain the property are permitted between the hours of 10am and 4pm, Monday through Saturday. Landscapers or those attending to the aforementioned activities do not need to give prior notice when they are coming to the Property. We will of course encourage our helpers to do all landscaping on turnover days, but weather and other contractor obligations do not always permit this.
We will arrange to have the lawns mowed on a weekly or as needed basis. Depending on the weather, arrangements will be made by the Lessor to water the gardens as required.
Right of Entry: We reserve the right to enter our rental property anytime to investigate disturbances, check occupancy, or provide entrance to service technicians as deemed appropriate. This is standard policy in any hotel or resort in the USA as well. 99.9% of the time, we will give notice if we are planning to come to the property and only exercise this right as a last option in rare situations.
Check out and Check-in Times: Check out time is 9 a.m. at the end of the rental period. Late checkout will be penalized with a $250 fee deducted from the security deposit because we will have to hire additional cleaners to turn the house over to the next renters. Check-in time is 4 PM on the day of your arrival.
Violations of Policies: You may be charged up to $1,000.00 additional in the event of a violation of our "no smoking", "unauthorized pet", or "maximum occupancy", policies or neglectful damages which occurred during the tenancy. Please treat our home as if it belonged to a good friend and you want to be invited back, and you'll have no troubles.
Additional Information: Prior to your arrival, we will send you additional important information, tips and an orientation to the area, including a list of our own favorite activities, restaurants and attractions in the area. Upon receiving the final rental payment 60 days prior to the rental, we will also send you a copy of our “House Hints,” to make your stay more enjoyable.