Frequently Asked Questions
Booking & Cancellation
Q. How old do I need to be to book a holiday house with Ray White Straddie?
A. The responsible renter must be at least 21 years of age, guests under 21 are of course welcome but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Q. Do infants count toward the maximum occupancy?
A. Generally, children under the age of 2 do not count towards the maximum occupancy, as long as they are sleeping in a portacot or with their guardian.
Q. Can I bring my pet along?
A. Pets are permitted at selected properties, depending on owner preferences. Some owners may have pet allergies and we ask that you only bring your pets into pet-friendly homes.
Q. What is the difference between Stayz, Airbnb, Booking.com and your site?
A. Stayz, Airbnb and booking.com are advertising sites. We are the property management company that looks after everything from marketing to maintenance and housekeeping. We advertise the properties we manage on these sites to get our properties the most visibility. If you book directly through our website, you will likely pay less than these advertising sites as the prices are often marked up with a traveller fee charged by them.
Q. Can I bring more people than the maximum allowed listed?
A. Maximum occupancy does not only refer to the number a home can sleep, this is also the number of people allowed in the home at any given time. Please abide by the maximum occupancy number for the home. You must not allow a guest to sleep anywhere but the beds.
Q. What is Ray White NSI's cancellation policy?
A. When a cancellation is made by a guest, booking fees and equipment charges are not refundable. For bookings cancelled 30 days or more prior to the arrival date the deposit is not refundable unless the property is successfully rebooked for those exact dates. For bookings cancelled within the 30 days of arrival the full tariff will be incurred unless the property is successfully rebooked for those exact dates.
Q. Is there a cancellation fee?
A. A cancellation fee of $150 applies to all cancellations. This will be deducted from funds held and the balance refunded if the property is rebooked. Any refund applicable because the property has been rebooked will be made after payment in full has been received by the replacement guests. If the property is rebooked for only part of the original booking dates, then a pro rata refund will be made at the agent’s discretion. Cancellation of the arrangement due to non-payment of the balance by the due date will result in the loss of all monies.
Q. Do you have any homes without a two -night minimum stay?
A. Most of our homes have a two-night minimum stay outside of peak times. We do have some properties that allow for a one night stay. Feel free to contact our team and we will help you.
Q. When is the deposit due?
A. A deposit is due within 72 hours (3 business days) of booking. The balance is due 30 days prior to arrival.
Q. Once I have booked can I change the dates of my booking?
A. Once the booking is made and payment received a change of booking dates will result in an effective cancellation and our cancellation terms would apply.
Q. Do you take partial payments or must I pay in full upon booking?
A. Generally, we require payment within our terms above, under some circumstances such as a booking more than a year in advance we can arrange a payment plan. Please call us to discuss the options.
Q. Do you allow weddings in your homes?
A. Some of our homes do allow weddings with the owner’s and the local council's approval. Depending on the property, there may be additional fees, parking restrictions and guest count maximums. Please call us for more details.
Q. How can I modify my reservation, and are there any fees associated with that?
A. Please call us and we can help to help you modify your reservation. There could be additional fees as well as our $75 change booking fee depending on the change that is being made, but we will walk you through everything before finalising it.
Q. Do you offer cheaper rates for longer stays?
A. Our team can assist you with finding the most suitable property for your needs, depending on the length of stay and the season, we may be able to negotiate the tariff.
Q. I found a better property than the one I booked, would I be able to modify my reservation and change it to the other property.
A. If you have booked and paid, the property has been secured for you and accordingly if you wish to change properties our cancellation terms will apply.
Q. Would I need to sign a rental contract to stay at a holiday rental?
A. By booking a reservation, guests acknowledge and agree to abide by Ray White Straddie's Terms and Conditions. Some of our homes will require you to sign a reservation contract agreeing to policies that are specific to that home. We would ask you to sign this and return if it was necessary.
Q. How do I go about booking a holiday as a gift for a friend?
A. You can book and pay for a reservation for another person. Please contact us for further information.
Q. How do I pay for my booking?
A. We accept the following credit cards: Visa, MasterCard.
Features and Amenities
Q. Is smoking allowed in the home?
A. Smoking is not permitted inside any property.
Q. Does the home come with linen?
A. Quality linen is supplied and the beds will be made for your arrival. Bath towels are also included.
Q. Do I need to bring my own beach towels?
A. You will need to bring your own beach towels or rent them from our office.
Q. What items can I expect to find in the home?
A. Please see the features and amenities section of the home listing. The owner may also provide a few items to get you started including: tea, coffee, dishcloths, cleaning spray, hand soap, carpet spot cleaner, toilet paper, dishwashing liquid, dishwasher tablets, kitchen rubbish bags. If there is something specific that you require, please make sure you bring it with you. Each property is different, and guests may also leave non-perishable items in the revolving pantry.
Q. Does the property have pay TV and Wifi? Will we be able to watch the game?
A. Holiday properties are individually owned and each home will have different facilities available to guests. Ray White NSI cannot guarantee television service, TV channel availability or Wi-Fi connection. Please contact us to confirm what the property you are staying at has available.
Q. Can I bring my Wii/PlayStation/Xbox?
A. Yes, of course you can. We suggest you take a photo of how all cords are plugged in before you plug in your game box so that you can easily return them exactly on your departure.
Q. Is wood supplied in homes with a fireplace?
A. This is not a guarantee, if you are wanting to use the fireplace you can either purchase firewood on the island or bring some with you.
Q. Is there a first aid kit supplied in the property?
A. No.
Q. Is the water drinkable in all properties?
A. If you have booked a property which has tank water that is not drinkable you will be advised in the pre-arrival instructions. Majority of our town properties have drinkable water.
Location & Access
Q. How do I obtain the keys?
A. We will e-mail pre-arrival instructions prior to your stay including driving directions, check-in instructions and if applicable the code to the key safe for the property.
Q. The key safe only has one set of keys. Can we get another set?
A. We prefer the keys stay in the key safe so that each member of your party can access the home at any time. This will eliminate the need for multiple key sets. It also prevents the keys from getting lost.
Q. There are two key safes here. Am I using the right one?
A. The key safes will be labelled to allow clarification of guest keys. The other one is for our housekeeping and maintenance staff.
Housekeeping and Maintenance
Q. Can the cleaning fee be removed from the tariff if I clean the home myself?
A. No, our professional housekeepers meet very strict guidelines and are required to clean the home after each guest vacates.
Q. Do I have to clean the property before I leave?
A. You must clean up after yourself, do the washing up and put it away, put the dishwasher on, empty the bins, and generally leave the property the way you found it. Cleaning of the floors and bathrooms and linens is included in the tariff. If excessive cleaning is required over and above what is considered to be a standard clean, you will be charged at cost.
Q. We’ve run out of toilet paper. Can you bring us more?
A. The house has a starter kit of supplies only. If you need more than what is provided, you will need to purchase from one of the local stores.
Q. I am allergic to pet hair and other smells, but I want to stay in a pet friendly home. Is there any way to ensure that I won’t be bothered by them for my stay?
A. All our properties are thoroughly cleaned after each stay. However, we are unable to guarantee that you will not have a reaction to a home that has been regularly occupied by pets.
Q. I have excess rubbish what do I do with it?
A. You must take any rubbish which does not fit in the provided bins with you when you leave or you will be charged for its removal.
Q. Do I need to put the bins out for collection?
A. If it is bin night during your stay please put the bins out on the kerb. You will find a bin night notification at your accommodation and you will receive a text message reminder.
Q. Can I have a party at the property?
A. We have a strict NO Function policy at all our properties.
Q. Problems - what do we do if something unexpected occurs?
A. We do everything possible to ensure you have an enjoyable stay, but occasionally things go wrong. If a problem occurs you should, in the first instance, contact our team. Should a tradesperson or a member of our team be called to the property and the issue is deemed to be caused by a guest, equipment owned by a guest or because a guest has not followed instructions, then the guest will be responsible for payment of the invoice for the tradesperson or our callout fee of $110.
Check-in & Check-out
Q. What time can I check-in?
A. Check-in is at 2pm and guests can enter the property after this time.
Q. What time do I have to check-out?
A. Check-out is at 9 am.
Note: Unauthorised early check in or late check out will be charged at a minimum of $50 per hour.
Q. Is there an option for late check in or out?
A. During low season, a late checkout may be possible but cannot be arranged nor confirmed until the day prior to your departure.
After your stay
Q. I think I may have left something behind in the property?
A. If our cleaning team find an item that has been left it will be returned to our office. We will call you to arrange payment so that we can return the item to you. If you realise that you have forgotten something then give us a call, we will contact the cleaning team to see if they have found it, then payment for postage and handling must be completed before items are sent. We cannot guarantee the item will be found. We reserve the right to charge a fee for collection of lost property and cannot hold lost property in our office for more than 72hrs.
Q. I have some feedback for you, what do I do?
A. We love your feedback, it helps us offer better products for our guests. There will be a feedback card given to you at check-in, complete the form and return to us at departure. You can also email us at: straddie.qld@raywhite.com