VisitingPortugal - Vacation Rental Agreement

(updated 24 July 2009)

VisitingPortugal agrees to rent to you the vacation property detailed in your "Reservation Confirmation" email which also outlines your rental timeframe and maximum occupancy.

The house will be delivered in good order, clean, fully furnished and with fresh linens. VisitingPortugal has contracted with local utilities to provide water, heat and electricty (plus internet and Cable TV access for Lisbon rentals). VisitingPortugal is not responsible for outages on the part of these utility providers.

Rental rates provided by VisitingPortugal are all-inclusive. There are no additional fees for utilities, cleaning or taxes. Guests are, however, responsible for all outgoing calls on the cell phone.

The property is offered for occupancy, and its use is governed by, the Portuguese General Rental Law, known as "Regime de Arrendamento Urbano".

You agree, in consideration of the use and occupancy of this property, to the following conditions:

1. GUEST IDENTIFICATION: You are at least 25 years of age and are making this reservation for yourself. As such, you will personally be present at check-in and will present your passport photo page to the VisitingPortugal rental agent, if requested. If paying by credit card, the name on your passport must be recognizable as the name on the credit card used to secure your reservation.

2. GUEST RESPONSIBILITY: You take full responsibility for all occupants, also referred to as Guest(s), on the premises during your stay.

3. DAMAGE DEPOSIT: For Lisbon rentals, a Damage Deposit must be paid in cash upon arrival. (The Casa Armona deposit is paid in advance or upon arrival, depending upon arrival schedules.) This Damage Deposit is 100% refundable given that:
a) all provisions of this agreement are complied with;
b) the house and contents are left in good order, clean and with no breakage or damage beyond normal wear and tear.
In the event of resultant damages beyond normal wear and tear, Guest agrees to reimburse VisitingPortugal the actual costs arising from excessive clean-up, missing items, repairs, replacement, and, if necessary, costs incurred for removing Guest from the property. Guest responsibility is not limited to the Damage Deposit amount.
(See "Reservation Confirmation" email for your damage deposit amount.)

NOTE: For Lisbon rentals, VisitingPortugal will attempt to assess the premises and return your Damage Deposit upon check-out. However, we reserve the right to retain the entire amount at our discretion in order to perform a more thorough check-out evaluation. If this occurs, your Damage Deposit will be mailed to you no later than three weeks (21 days) after check-out, less any amount deducted, if necessary. (For Casa Armona, deposit will usually be refunded electronically.) Please assist us in returning your Damage Deposit in full by ensuring that the premises are in good order upon check-out.

4. CHECK-IN/CHECK-OUT: Check-in is at 4pm, check-out is at 10am. Non-standard check-in and check-out times must be pre-approved by VisitingPortugal in writing prior to booking.

(In addition, there is a €50 late fine for each hour, or fraction thereof, that Guest(s) stays beyond the contracted check-out time, thereby impeding the preparation of the property for the next guests.)

5. PHONE: For your convenience, a loaner cell phone is provided with outgoing calls at your own expense. (Lisbon rentals are also equipped with a laptop and wireless network for making skype calls.) There is no fixed phone line available.

6. EXTRA VISITORS: For insurance purposes, only the contracted Guest(s) as listed on the Reservation Confirmation email may be onsite at the property. As such, parties, meetings, over-occupancy, etc., are expressly forbidden. Violation of this clause will result in immediate termination of occupancy and forfeiture of all payments.

7. PETS/SMOKING: No pets. No smoking. Pets or smoking anywhere on the premises will result in immediate termination of occupancy and forfeiture of all payments.

8. COMPORTMENT: Guest(s) will peacefully and quietly occupy the premises and will conduct themselves in a manner inoffensive to the neighbors. Guest(s) will not permit activities on the premises that are contrary to any law, ordinance and/or applicable health or fire provisions. Violation of these conditions will result in immediate termination of occupancy and forfeiture of all payments.

9. PARKING: Parking is not provided. For all Lisbon rentals, guest(s) agrees to not attempt to park on the street in front of the property nor in front of the neighboring homes.

10. LATE PAYMENTS: If Final Payment is not received at least 60 days prior to your arrival, your reservation will be cancelled.

11. CANCELLATIONS:
a) TRAVEL INSURANCE. Please purchase travel insurance to protect yourself from the unexpected, including cancellation coverage, personal belonging protection and public liability. We realize that cancellations are unplanned and, usually, for traumatic reasons; however, we can not provide cancellation insurance for those who opt to not purchase it themselves.
b) CANCELLATIONS BY VISITINGPORTUGAL. Once your booking is confirmed, we will not accept any other offers -- no matter how financially attractive -- for your chosen dates. Your reservation is guaranteed.
c) CANCELLATION BY GUEST. Upon receipt of emailed notice from you, we will cancel your reservation and, within 48 hours, email an invoice reflecting all payments received. You can then deliver this invoice to your Travel Insurance provider.
d) CANCELLATION REFUNDS. The amount of refund depends upon the terms and conditions of your Travel Insurance company; they will be responsible for any reimbursement of payments.
e) PROPERTY UNAVAILABLE. If your chosen property, due to an act of God, major outage, etc., is not available upon arrival, we will (a) offer an available VisitingPortugal property of equal/greater value or (b) promptly refund your payment in full.

12. LOST ITEMS: Please contact us promptly if you believe you have left personal belongings at the property after check-out. Items left on the premises will be held for 30 days before being donated to charity or discarded.

13. SPECIAL ACCESS: Properties are not equipped for the elderly or handicapped. Although some complementary child-safety features may be provided, VisitingPortugal is not liable for the safety of children.

14. REPORTING PROBLEMS: Guest agrees to promptly report to VisitingPortugal any and all mechanical, electrical, plumbing or other problems with the premises.

15. OWNER ACCESS: With a minimum of 24 hours notice, VisitingPortugal shall have the right to enter and inspect the premises at reasonable times to ensure maintenance and safety and to show to prospective tenants or buyers. In an emergency, VisitingPortugal may enter at any time without securing prior permission of Guest(s).

16. RESIDENTIAL USE/SUBLETTING: The premises shall be used for residential purposes only. Guest may not let, sublet, or assign this rental agreement.

17. TENANCY LIMITS: This agreement does not create a long-term tenancy for the property. Guest(s) can be removed from the property without process of law if they do not depart at the check-out day and time indicated in the "Reservation Confirmation" email.

18. LIABILITY: VisitingPortugal will not be liable to the Guest(s) for any loss, damage or injury incurred at the property, or through the use of any equipment or facilities, other than death or personal injury arising as a consequence of the gross negligence of the owner. Under no circumstances will VisitingPortugal's liability exceed the amount paid by the tenant for the rental period.