Rental Agreement

1. Price and payment

1.1The price shown at checkout is the full price of your stay. It includes the nightly rate, the $255 cleaning fee, the 7.5% Victorian short stay levy and, if you add a pet, the $50 pet fee.

1.2You pay the full amount when you book.

2. Security deposit

2.1We place a $300 hold on the card you booked with, 2 days before check-in. It is a hold, not a charge.

2.2The hold is released within 7 days after check-out unless we make a damage claim under clause 6.

3. If you cancel

3.1Cancel 30 days or more before check-in and we refund everything you paid.

3.2Cancel less than 30 days before check-in and the booking is non-refundable. If we re-let the same nights, we refund the amount the new booking brings in, up to what you paid.

3.3Refunds go back to the card you paid with, within 5 business days of the cancellation or the re-let.

3.4We recommend travel insurance that covers cancellation.

4. If we have to cancel, or the property can't be used

4.1We will only cancel your booking if the property can't be safely used (for example, serious damage or a utility failure we can't fix in time), if a booking error means the dates were already taken, or if you have made the booking in breach of clause 7 (for example, for a party).

4.2If we cancel, we refund everything you paid within 5 business days, and we will help you find other accommodation where we can.

4.3If events outside your control and ours (such as bushfire, flood, a long power outage or a government direction) stop all or part of your stay, we refund the nights you can't use, or move your booking to other dates if you prefer.

4.4Short interruptions, such as a brief power, internet or appliance fault, are not grounds for a refund. We will fix them as quickly as we can.

5. Check-in and check-out

5.1Check-in is from 2pm. Check-out is by 10am.

5.2Late check-out is available only if we agree beforehand. A late check-out we haven't agreed holds up our cleaners and the next guests, so we charge $40 for each hour or part hour until 12pm, and the price of an extra night after 12pm.

6. Damage and extra cleaning

6.1Please tell us about any damage or breakage as soon as it happens.

6.2You are responsible for damage caused by you, your guests or your pets, other than normal wear and tear, and for the reasonable cost of cleaning well beyond a normal changeover.

6.3If we find damage or need extra cleaning, we will send you photos and an itemised cost (a quote or invoice) within 7 days of check-out. You then have 5 days to respond. After that, we may deduct the amount from the security deposit hold and, if the cost is higher, charge the balance to the card you booked with. You authorise those charges by accepting this agreement.

7. House rules

7.1No more than 12 guests may stay overnight, including children. Day visitors only with our approval.

7.2No parties, events or functions.

7.3Please keep noise down between 11pm and 8am, especially outdoors. We have neighbours close by.

7.4No smoking or vaping inside the house or on the balcony.

7.5Pets are welcome if you tell us when you book. Please keep them off beds, clean up after them, and don't leave them alone in the house.

7.6Never use the fire pit on a Total Fire Ban day or when the CFA (Country Fire Authority) restricts outdoor fires. Always supervise it and put it out fully before you leave it.

7.7Please follow the house manual, which covers the appliances and how to use them safely.

8. Problems during your stay

8.1If something isn't right when you arrive or during your stay, message or call us within 2 hours of finding it, with photos, so we can fix it while you are here.

9. Ending a stay early

9.1We may end your stay and ask everyone to leave if you or your guests hold a party, have more than 12 people staying overnight, deliberately damage the property, act illegally, or keep making excessive noise after we have warned you.

9.2If we end a stay under clause 9.1, we don't refund the unused nights, and clause 6 applies to any damage.

10. Our responsibility

10.1We take reasonable care to keep the property safe, clean and as described.

10.2To the extent the law allows, we are not responsible for loss of or damage to belongings you bring, or for injury or loss caused by you or your guests not following this agreement, the house manual or safety instructions.

10.3Nothing in this agreement excludes, restricts or changes any right you have under the Australian Consumer Law or any other law that can't be excluded.

11. Access

11.1We or our tradespeople will only enter during your stay in an emergency or, with your agreement, to fix something.

12. Your information

12.1We use your contact and booking details to manage your stay, meet our legal obligations and contact you about your booking. We don't sell them or share them except where the law requires.

13. Questions and disputes

13.1If you have a concern, contact us first at bookings@bigisleretreat.com.au and we will work with you to resolve it.

13.2This agreement is governed by the law of Victoria. Either of us can take an unresolved dispute to Consumer Affairs Victoria or VCAT (the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal).

14. Accepting this agreement

14.1You accept this agreement by ticking the box at checkout and paying for your booking.