When you arrive in Tuscany
ARRIVAL AT YOUR VILLA
Plan to arrive as close to 4pm as possible and please read the arrival details that are included at the bottom of your driving directions. Upon entering, please take a look at all the appliances and ask the Manager to show you how they work. Ask them to show you where the electric fuse box is located and how to reset the electricity. You should report anything broken or out-of-order in the first 24 hours and make sure you know the Manager’s home phone number and cell-phone number. Upon arrival you should give the Manager your security deposit in euros cash (if not paid in advance) and also make an appointment for your departure morning check-out.
The usual arrival time period is from 4pm to 7pm. Once you are about 1 or 2 hours from the villa, please call the number for the Owner or Manager at the bottom of your driving directions, so they know better when to expect you. Late arrivals must always be agreed to in advance. Managers cannot wait for you late into the night. If your arrival is delayed for any reason, please make every effort to contact the people waiting for you. Thank you!
Villas are rented on ‘self-catering’ basis. This means that you should buy washing powders, spices, sugar, salt, and paper towels, as these are not always supplied by the owner. Most villas have at least the basics, such as hand soap and toilet paper and often a lot more. But if you are in doubt, arrive at the villa early enough to check in and have a look, then go back out to shop at the local grocery store, these are typically open Saturdays until 7:30 or 8pm, but closed on Sundays.
Should any problem occur at the villa, you must inform us immediately, so that we can help. We will do our best to resolve problems quickly. If you do not contact us right away, it makes it very difficult for us to assist you. Any complaints received at the end of the rental period will not be considered.
DEPARTURE FROM YOUR VILLA
Departure time is by 10am. Please make an appointment to meet with the Manager for your check-out so you can return the keys and pay for any heating, air-conditioning, firewood or telephone usage, and have your security deposit returned. Do talk with the Manager about any damage or breakage, even if it’s just a plate or a glass, and settle these directly.
At most properties the cleaners arrive by 9am to start getting the villa ready for the next guests. There’s typically too little time to do this, so please make a part of the villa, such as the kitchen and the living room available for the cleaners to start early on your departure morning.
If you have an early flight to catch, you may need to leave the villa very early on Saturday morning, or already on Friday evening. The Manager can usually arrange to meet with you on Friday to settle any charges, and you can decide together where to leave the keys.
You should leave the property in a good condition. The final cleaning that is typically included in your rental is for cleaning after normal use. If you leave a big mess behind, then you would be charged for extra cleaning. We greatly appreciate your consideration as some villas are actually homes of the owners’ and not just rental properties. Please don’t move any furniture around and please don’t take any interior furniture outdoors.
SECURITY DEPOSIT
The security deposit is fully refundable at the end of your stay, minus any damage caused by you during your stay. We highly recommend that you discuss with the Manager anything broken or damaged when it occurs, and they would be most appreciative of this. It takes a lot of effort to settle accounts during the departure morning, especially if you didn’t notify anyone of damages in advance. If you depart without a checkout and we must settle these payments with the Manager on your behalf, then we will need to assess a service charge of a minimum US$ 100.
TRASH
There’s no trash collection from any property and you need to remove your own rubbish. You can easily find the green plastic or metal trash containers along the roads near habitation and along the streets in towns and villages. These rectangular trash containers usually have a foot lever that you can step on and it pops up the lid. Please bag your trash and tie up the bag securely. Plastic shopping bags make for good trash bags.
The special recycling containers are centrally located, typically at the main parking areas of towns and villages. The cone shaped containers (usually blue) accept glass, plastic and metal; you’ll see the symbols on the container. Please rinse out cans, jars and bottles before recycling. The yellow containers accept paper and cardboard.
Empty water bottles tend to make up most of the trash volume. Here’s a good way to make it easier: take off the cap from the empty plastic bottle, then crush the bottle, or flatten it by stepping on it, then fold or roll the flat bottle from the bottom up to squeeze out the air, and finally put the cap back on tightly. This saves lot’s of space.
ACCESS
The Owner has 24 hour access to the property for repairs and maintenance. Villas with pools and gardens need daily care especially during the hot summer weather, so you may see a gardener come to water plants in the morning or late afternoon. They know to be courteous and to respect your privacy. If you have any questions about who is coming to the villa during your stay, ask the Owner or Manager about their schedule so you know what to expect.
