Stowe Vacation Rentals FAQs
Do you have a minimum stay?
All of our homes have at least a two night minimum stay some have three night minimums. Some of our homes have a week minimum stay at various times throughout the year. During the Christmas, New Year's and President’s holidays all of our houses have a five night minimum stay.
What are additional taxes and fees for the rental?
In addition to the rental charge, there is a 10% VT Room & Meals tax, a 3% Service Charge and a fully refundable damage deposit which is equal to a one night's stay for short term and one month for long term. In lieu of paying the damage deposit, you have the option of providing a credit card number as a guarantee that you will leave the property in damage free and acceptable condition. If the property is not left in good condition, we will contact you first but will use your credit card to cover all damage costs.
Do I have to put down a deposit to reserve a house?
Upon making your reservation, half of the rental charge is due by check or credit card with a signed copy of the rental agreement. If we have not received it or been in contact with you by that time, we will assume that you wish to withdraw your reservation. The remaining balance, which includes half of rental charge, tax and security deposit, is due no less than 21 days before you are scheduled to arrive. If you make your reservation less than thirty days from the time you are scheduled to arrive, you will be required to pay the full amount by credit card.
What are my payment options?
You can pay for your rental with money order, check, Visa, Master card or Discover. If you make your reservation less than thirty days from the time you are scheduled to arrive, you will be required to pay the full amount at the time you make the reservation by Credit Card.
What is your refund/cancellation policy?
If you need to cancel your reservation and the property you had reserved re-rents for the time which you had it reserved, you will be refunded all money you had paid minus a 15% cancellation fee. If you cancel and the property does not re-rent for your reserved dates, you will lose all money you have paid to that point. If at the point of cancellation you have paid in full, your security deposit will be refunded, regardless of whether or not the property re-rents. For this reason, we recommend that you purchase trip insurance . Please call 802-253-8484 before making a reservation if you have questions or concerns.
What is trip insurance and does Stowe Realty offer it?
For the protection of our renters, we have recently started offering trip insurance. This will insure your trip in many cases should you need to cancel your reservation. Please note that this is not cancellation insurance, but the purchase of trip insurance can help you to recover the cost of your trip in those cases that are covered by
Travel Guard’s all seasons Protection plan. The charge for trip insurance is 7% of the total trip cost. This insurance covers the cost of your rental if your trip is interrupted or cancelled due to documented medical illness, death in the family, natural disaster, and for several other reasons. You can get the full list of coverage and further information about this service at
www.travelguard.com or call Travel Guard at 1-877-249-5376. Trip insurance is an optional charge, but if you deny trip insurance and need to cancel your trip for any reason, it is likely that none of your money will be refunded. Please see our
cancellation policy above for more specifics.
What is the security deposit charge?
What we call a "security deposit" is in essence a damage deposit that ensures that our houses are left in the condition in which renters find them. The security deposit is fully refundable, and if the house is found to be in satisfactory condition, a check for the full deposit will be mailed to you within fourteen - thirty days of your departure.
When can I expect to get my security deposit back?
If the house is found to be in satisfactory condition, a check for the full deposit will be mailed back or the hold on your credit card will be voided within Fourteen days of your departure. If any part of the deposit needs to be applied to something that was broken or damaged during your stay, we will notate the cost and the cause on your check when the remainder of the deposit is returned to you.
What do I need to bring for the rental?
All our vacation rental homes are fully furnished. They include furniture, appliances, and a kitchen supplied with at least basic cooking tools. They will have blankets, pillows, comforters, dish soap, laundry detergent, paper products, wood for fireplace, etc. You will need to bring any toiletries such as shampoos, soaps and conditioners that you will need during your stay. In many cases the houses will already have these things, so you may want to wait until you arrive and if necessary, buy them at one of the local grocery stores.
Are linens included in the rental?
All of our houses are stocked with sheets, blankets, pillows, comforters and towels if they are NOT included it will be specified on the house details page on the website.
Are your houses pet friendly?
Some of our owners have chosen to allow pets in their homes. These houses will be specified as "pet friendly" on the house detail page. Pets are allowed in these houses only. Unfortunately, due to common allergy problems we cannot allow cats in many of our vacation rental homes. For the privilege of bringing your dog, there is a $500 refundable fee. Any damage that may be caused by your pet during your stay will be paid for out of your security deposit or charged to the credit card we have on file. Please be respectful of those owners who, because of allergies or other personal reasons, have chosen not to allow any pets. Bringing a pet to a house that is not pet friendly without owner consent or permission from Stowe Realty is grounds for termination of the rental agreement without refund.
What are check-in/check out times?
Check-in time is 4pm and check out time is 11am. It is important that we adhere to these times, because there is a chance that someone else will be checking out/in before or after you and we need sufficient time to ready the house for the next renter.
Where do we check-in/pick up keys?
Unless other arrangements have been made through a Stowe Realty employee, you will need to come by our office to pick up keys for your rental. Our office is located at 254 Mountain Road in Stowe.
What if we need to check-in after office hours?
Our rental office is open Monday-Friday 9-5 EST. If you need to check in for a rental at a time that our office is not open, there is a drop box on the front porch of our office (we'll leave the front porch light on for you). There will be keys and directions to your rental in the drop box outside our front door this is a large silver mail box to the right of the door your name will be on the information packet.
What do I need to do to check out?
When you leave a house we include a check list in your information packet giving you the information on how to leave the home. A few things we ask of you would be to make sure all of the trash is taken care of, that the dishwasher has been run, turn down heat, strip beds, etc. and that you have all of your personal possessions. If you have time, please fill out the report card that can be found in the Stowe Realty notebook. Then please bring your keys by our office. If you are checking out at a time that our office is not open, please put the keys in the mail box at our front door.
Are we expected to clean the house before we leave?
Cleaning is not included in your rental charge but additional fees do apply. Please ask your Stowe Realty Vacation Specialist for details. We do require that you make sure all of the trash is taken care of, that the dishwasher has been run, etc. and that you have cleared the house of your personal possessions. Should you need the basic cleaning supplies during your stay (mop, broom, cleaning spray) they will be provided for you at the house.
What if there is an emergency during our stay?
If you are having a medical emergency, dial 911 from the phone in your rental home. We hope that your stay in the area will be relaxing and without incident, but should you need to get in touch with Stowe Realty after hours please call the emergency cell phone number your rental agent has provided for you on top of your welcome letter. Please do not hesitate to call us if something needs immediate attention, but if your question or concern can wait, we ask that you call the office during normal office hours.