Policies & Procedures
Special Note: For information regarding the beach nourishment and breakwater project please visit our FAQs or click here.
Below are a few of our most requested policies. At time of booking you will receive a rental agreement with more information and policies.
Our Rates & Fees
The rates on our website are all inclusive, except pet fee, per 7 night stay unless otherwise noted. That means the advertised rates already include cleaning and taxes. There are no additional fees for credit card processing, booking or service fees, pool heat, or anything else besides the pet fee, when applicable. The price you see is really the price of the rental! Please inquire for an official quote. Rates are subject to mistakes and changes.
Incidentals/Damage Deposit: We require a $400 refundable damage deposit up front via check in addition to the total cost of the rental OR a valid credit card on file. This damage deposit/incidental information is to cover for unexpected damage, additional cleaning, beyond normal wear-and-tear, pet incidents, etc upon check-out. In the event that damage occurs during your stay, please contact us immediately so that we can settle the it together. The full damage deposit policy will be on your rental agreement.
Pet Fees: Our normal fee for up to two approved dogs is $100.80 including tax, but an additional pet fee may be required on a per basis situation. Pet fees are non-refundable once a reservation is paid in full.
How To Book
Payment Timelines
Down Payment: A $500 down payment is required for bookings of less than 14 days. For 14-21 days a $1000 down payment is required. For 22+ days/monthly we require half down. Reservations made within 60 days of the arrival date are due in full via credit card at time of booking. The down payment is part of your total cost.
Final Payment Schedule: Final payment is due 60 days prior to arrival. You are welcome to make payments along the way on your own schedule as long as the account is paid in full by 60 days prior to arrival.
Payment Methods: As a small business we prefer to receive payment by check, but we accept both checks or credit cards. The credit cards we accept are: Discover, Mastercard, and Visa. We do not accept online payments. To provide credit card information give Terri a call at 850-229-1522. Please leave me a voicemail if I do not answer. If you wish to mail a check please contact us for our mailing address as it has recently changed.
Pay as You Go & Payment Plans: Our minimum payment requirements are that we require the above down payment with remaining balance due 60 days prior to arrival. However, if you wish to pay as you go you are more than welcome to do so. If you would like to pay by check you would just e-mail me and we would take care of the information needed. Some people set up bill pay through their bank and send me incremental payments as they go. Please contact me prior to doing this. If you would like to pay by credit card and I already have the card on file you would just e-mail or call me and let me know how much you would like me to run. I will then process that payment, in most cases, within a week. If you need to provide a new card call 850-229-1522.
If you are looking to reserve and need a payment plan outside of our normal payment requirements, please contact me directly here. We can then discuss options by e-mail to see if we can find something that works for both of us. Please fill out all information that you can and provide a personalized message regarding what your needs are so that I will have the best ideal of the request.
Cancellation & Refund Policy
Our cancellation policy applies to down payments as well as paid in full reservations. Payments will not be refunded for cancellations unless the home is re-rented for the same price and time period. We reserve the right to discount cancelled weeks in order to get them re-booked. If the property re-rents a $150 cancellation fee plus any difference in rental revenue will be deducted from your refund amount. If the property does not re-rent no refund will be provided. We do not refund for inclement weather, nearby construction, or any act(s) of God with the exception of ordered mandatory evacuation nights due to hurricanes. Change of dates and/or homes falls under the cancellation policy. In the event that you need to cancel/modify your vacation please contact us immediately so that we have a better chance in helping you and providing a refund. We strongly encourage purchasing travel insurance to protect your family’s vacation investment.
If you need to cancel your reservation please click here to Contact Us.
Pet fees are non-refundable once a reservation is paid in full.
Inclement Weather / Hurricanes
No refunds are provided for inclement weather with the exception of mandatory evacuations due to hurricanes. Should a mandatory evacuation happen due to hurricane during your vacation we would refund you for the mandatory evacuation nights only. We strongly encourage you to purchase travel insurance to protect your family’s vacation investment.
Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance is recommended and helps protect your vacation investment from unexpected cancellations. There are many companies that provide travel insurance and Teresa’s Beach Homes does not endorse any one company. We recommend researching your options and selecting a company and policy that meets your own individual needs and concerns at time of booking.
Occupancy
Occupancy of a rental home includes all amenities of that rental home as well as all premises of the property. This includes, but is not limited to: indoor facilities, utilities, pools, boardwalks/ beach access, bay side access/docks, outdoor kitchens, decks, carports, etc. Max occupancy numbers include all persons regardless of age.
Provided items / Beach Gear
Standard provided items on all of our homes include:
- Bed, Bath, & Kitchen Linens Provided
- We provide the first soap, toilet tissue, and waste bin liner per bathroom/kitchen.
- WIFI / Wireless Internet
- Cable, Satellite, or Streaming TV’s
- Full Sized Washer & Dryer
- Outdoor Grill
- Outdoor Hot/Cold Shower
- Central Heat and Air (AC)
- Fully Stocked Kitchens including Drip & Keurig Coffee Makers, Blenders, Crock Pots, etc. If there is anything super specific beyond the normal kitchen you’d like to know just e-mail us.
We do not provide beach gear, beach towels, linens for pets/boats/cars, or any paper or food products. Daily maid service is not provided.
We do not provide beach or pool gear/toys. While our beach closets typically have items in them for you to enjoy, we can never guarantee what will be there as inventory changes weekly. If you need to it to have a successful beach vacation we recommend that you bring it with you, rent it, or buy it once you get here.
Leave No Trace
Gulf County is a Leave No Trace community. Simply put, this means that no items may be left on the beaches between dusk and dawn. Leave Only Footprints! Glass is also not allowed on any Florida beaches and all debris from beach fires should be extinguished and removed from the beached rather than buried in the sand.
Dog Friendly Homes Policy & Fees
Most all of our homes are dog friendly for up to two dogs per home. We accept dogs only. Our normal fee for up to two approved dogs is $100.80 including tax. Some homes have size and/or other restrictions. All animals are subject to pre-approval. Please see individual home pages for whether or not they accept pets. Pet fees are non-refundable once a reservation is paid in full.
Pools with Heat
Some of our private pools have complementary pool heat at no extra cost. Pool heat is available on these homes from the first weekly rental in March through the weekend following Thanksgiving. Pool heat is not provided on monthly rentals or from the time period between Thanksgiving and the first weekly rental in March. Our private pools are heated from 84-86 degrees, as needed. Once pools are maintaining 86 degrees in the spring pool heaters are turned off until they’re needed in the fall. Pool heaters may not be able to fully heat the pool if the weather conditions are below 60 degrees at night and/or cloudy, rainy, or windy. Refunds are not provided for pool heat performance.
Elevators
Some of our homes are equipped with private elevators for convenience only. Children are not permitted to use the elevators. The availability of the elevator is not guaranteed due to the possibility of outages occurring during or prior to your stay. Elevators are highly complex pieces of equipment and it may take time to repair if an outage occurs. While we wish we could provide access to everyone, regardless of mobility restrictions, unfortunately we cannot guarantee the availability of elevators. For this reason, our homes are not considered handicap accessible. Although we work very diligently to provide immediate notice in the event of an outage, it can happen at anytime without notice. Please have a plan in place to access our homes without an elevator in the event of outage. Refunds are not provided for any appliance or equipment outage including elevators.
Hot Tub Pool Rentals
Hot tub rentals are not permitted anywhere on the premises of Teresa’s Beach Homes rental home properties. Any guest found to have a hot tub rental on Teresa’s Beach Homes property premises will be evicted immediately without refund and fined $1000 plus the cost of any additional utilities and damages.
Repeat Renter Discount / Refer-a-Friend Program
Repeat Renters are eligible for $100 off their total rate on new bookings. To redeem mention that you are a repeat guest at time of inquiry. Repeat guests are guests that have booked and stayed with Teresa’s Beach Homes in the past. Subject to verification.
Refer-a-Friend Program offers $100 off coupons for each guest referred by a Repeat Renter. The referred guest will also receive $100 off their first booking. Referred guests must mention the repeat guest’s first and last name from past reservation at time of booking. Once the referred guest books the repeat guest will receive an e-mailed referral coupon with code. Repeat guests may redeem the referral discount on any future reservation by mentioning the referral e-mail and code. One referral coupon may be used on booking totals less than $3000. Two referral discounts may be used on booking totals greater than $3000. May be combined with repeat discount. Only valid on future reservations. Terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Referred guests are not guests that have stayed with or in one of Teresa’s Beach Homes before or are traveling with guests who have done so. However, you will still receive an honorary repeat guest discount.
Frequently Asked Questions – Our FAQs have moved. CLICK HERE