Policies & FAQs
Policies
Below are our most frequently asked about policies. At time of booking you will receive a rental agreement with more information and policies.
Our Rates
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, pool heat, or anything else besides the $100 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.
How To Book
Payments
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.
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.
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.
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!
Pet Policy & Fees
Most all of our homes are pet friendly for up to two dogs per home. We accept dogs only. Our normal pet 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 pool heat included at no extra cost. Pool heat is available on these homes from March – Thanksgiving weekend. 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 it is cloudy, excessively 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.
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
What type of items do you include with your rentals?
Our homes come stocked with bed, bath, and kitchen linens. We provide a starter soap & one roll of toilet tissue per bathroom as well as the first liner in each waste bin. We do not provide beach towels, linen for pets, detergents, or paper products.
Do you include beach gear or beach gear rentals with your vacation homes?
Short Answer: No, we do not. Check out places to rent gear under Eat-Play-Shop tab above.
Long Answer: We like to keep things simple at Teresa’s Beach Homes. Our goal is to offer fair priced and well maintained vacation rentals without all of the fuss. For that reason, we do not include any additional services with our vacation rentals, but you are more than welcome to purchase them on your own. Our prices on our homes are priced in a way that typically, compared to our competition, you can purchase well more in terms of rentals and extras than you could renting something comparable with the included “free” beach gear. Some of our homes have beach gear storage closets that typically have a mixture of beach chairs, sand toys, boogie boards, and sometimes even an umbrella. These items change from week to week and are not guaranteed. Check out our Eat-Play-Shop tab for rental services.
Can I rent a golf cart for my vacation stay?
Shore Answer: No. None of our current homes have Golf Cart access to the beach so, it likely be pointless unless you only want to drive on the side road your home is located on.
Long Answer: In the state of Florida it is unlawful to drive a Golf Cart on, next to, or across any unapproved state highway or a roadway that has a speed limit of greater than 35MPH. Cape San Blas Road is both an unapproved state highway and a roadway over 35MPH. Hwy 98 near White Whale & Oaks Rest Barn has a speed limit of 45 MPH. None of our homes currently have legal beach access via ATV, Golf Cart, or not street legal vehicles. For this reason we will not provide advice or company recommendations for you to do so. If you need or want a golf cart during your visit to Gulf County we recommend renting a home within side road access to a beach access or out on Indian Pass.
What’s the time/time zone?
Port St Joe, St Joe Beach, Cape San Blas, Money Bayou, and Indian Pass are all Eastern(EST) time. Mexico Beach and further west is Central (CST) time. The north end of Gulf County is also CST (Wewahitchka area.) Our office and all of our homes operate on EST. Mostly everyone operates on beach time though…
What about Beach Driving?
Most Gulf County beaches allow driving with the exception of the mainland beaches (Windmark, St Joe Beach, Beacon Hill) and state parks. In order to drive on the beaches you must have a beach driving permit. You can purchase these from the tax, tag, and title office. Please contact them for information on access points as well as pricing.