Booking Conditions, Procedures and General Questions

Contact UsBooking Conditions & Procedures

Here are the booking procedures and our most frequently asked questions. Our booking conditions and contracts for the vacation rentals are simple and un-bureaucratic, with most conditions based on common sense. As you will see, we try to be as flexible as possible. As always, if you have any questions, ask as we will be more than happy to let you have any clarifications.

Booking Procedures

To book a property, we will need your

• Name
• Address (Residential)
• Phone Number
• Fax numbers
• Apartment Name
• Arrival and departure dates
• Number of visitors (It can be changed later)

We will then put together a contract and email it to you in word format. Let us know if you can not print out attachments so we can fax or post it. When you receive the contract, sign it and fax it to the owners within three days. The three days should give you enough time to book car rentals and plane tickets. They will in turn sign it and fax it back to you. At this point, you send the deposit. If the contract is not faxed back within three days, or there is a delay in sending the deposit, we reserve the right to rent the apartment to another party. We try to be flexible, as we understand there is a lot involved in planning a vacation. But please, don’t do like the person who got the contract, sat on it for 6 weeks, did not reply to emails and phone calls, and then got mad at us because some one else booked his weeks.

All the contact details of your landlord are in the contract. When booking, we will email you the directions to the property and possible check in instructions.

Rental Dates and Durations

Note that for apartment rentals, bookings are from Saturday to Saturday, and that the rental minimum is one week. Rentals less than a week are charged at the rate of a full week. Exceptions on arrival dates might be possible, but ask in advance (We usually say yes if the booking is done less than a month prior to the arrival date). Arrival on a day other than Saturday means loosing a week’s rental, more work coordinating check in and check outs, and arranging staff cleaning on another day than the scheduled one. In addition, most landlords have regular jobs, forcing them to take time off work. Please do your best to arrive on a Saturday, it makes everything much easier for every one. If you find cheaper airfares landing on a Friday, why not get over your jet lag in Rome or Florence, or spend the night in an area not easily reached in a day trip? We have lots of suggestions, so ask us (Remember to include the direction you are arriving from).

Deposit

A 40% deposit is to be paid upon booking, and the rest upon arrival. Payments are made directly to the landlords. Deposits can be made through bank transfers or through private checks in any currency. The landlord will save the currency exchange slip, and final amount owed is calculated upon arrival. Final payments have to be made in travellers cheques or cash. We do not accept credit cards due to the high commissions charged.

Some landlords might ask for a security deposit that is returned upon checkout.

Cancellation Policy

Upon cancellation, the deposit is not refundable. Vacation rentals do not have the same turn over as hotels, so chances that the property remains empty, especially if the cancellation is done close to the arrival date are large. We have an unwritten rule, however. If we are able to rent out the property again, you are able to use the deposit towards the final payment of a new booking with the same landlord. This rule is not included in the contract, and applied to our discretion, as it has unfortunately been abused (I will tell you about it over a glass of wine at Aldo's bar). We suggest you take out an appropriate travel insurance if you wish to cover yourself in case of a cancellation.

Check In / Out

For the Macchione farmhouse, as the owners do not live on site, check in time is between 4pm and 7,30 p.m. Check out time is no later than 10 am. For the other properties, the same times applies if there are tenants leaving on the day of your arrival, or arriving on the day of your departure. (Check with your landlords). Otherwise, times are flexible as long as they are within reason, we and your landlords have been informed and who ever is checking you in is able to be there. In all cases, it is a good idea to drop your landlord a call and give them an estimated time of arrival once you are in the country or have landed. Landlords have on many occasions spent the whole day stranded at home waiting for tenants to arrive, only to discover they had decided to arrive one day late, but had not bothered to inform them. Please tell us. We are trying to develop psychic abilities, but so far, have failed miserably at it.

Occupancy

Italian law regulates the maximum occupancy of each apartment, and is directly associated with the rental license associated with each property. Maximum occupancy is stated in the description of each apartment, and exceptions can only be made for young children if we are told in advance. If a control takes place (they happen more often than you think), and they find your friends camping in the garden, your landlord is the one who gets fined and looses his license.

Hidden Costs

For short-term rentals, the price includes linen, towels, kitchen utensils, electricity, warm water, all taxes and initial and final cleaning. If your landlord has olive trees or produces wine, you might be lucky to find a bottle of it as well. We hate when hidden extras show up on our bills and would thus do not apply it to others.

Keep in mind that electricity in Italy is very expensive. They banned nuclear energy in the early 80s, and have now resorted to importing it from France at twice the cost. Please remember to switch off lights and fans when you are not in a room and especially when not in the property.

Final cleaning is included in the price, but that assumes the property has been kept in good condition. Deductions on the deposit will be made if there are damages or if you expect the cleaning staff to wash your dishes and pots and pans from the night before. Once again, common sense prevails.

In the Rocca, the price used to include daily maid service in the bedrooms and bathrooms, and a welcome dinner in the owner’s gourmet restaurant. That is not the case any more.

The only extra you will be charged for are heating costs in winter (Another story for the bar). They are charged based on consumption. As there are thermostats in every apartment, it is a cost you influence yourself.

For long term rentals, gas costs (heating and cooking) and electricity costs are extra. They are charged based on consumption at a nominal rate.

Your Duty

Last, but not least, your duties as a tenant. It is the Renter’s duty to take care of the property and its inventories. The Renter is personally liable for damages caused by misusage of the inventories and equipment, as well as damages caused by negligence.

It is also your duty to have lots of fun, eat lots of good food, discover excellent new wines, and enjoy the culture and beauty Umbria, Tuscany and the Lake Trasimeno have to offer. Let us welcome you to the green heart of Italy!

Contact Us for more information on the area, properties, and bookings.