Mission statement -
Contract conditions

The properties we select are of trustworthy proprietors, and the payment is due to them only. We are intermediaries and a service company, our duty is to assist you and guide you throughout your stay in Italy. Consider us your Rome experts and custodians. We will be overjoyed if you will consider us your Roman friends.

By dealing with us you agree to the following conditions:

1. Booking: We can refuse a booking if we experience that prospect clients tenants disregard moral and ethical principles, or if their behaviour conflicts with our philosophy of polite and constructive international relations.

2. Booking confirmation and arrival procedure of rentals: At least 30 days before the beginning of the rent, tenants must agree with us the check-in arrangements, or in any case a precise meeting time at the apartment. The messages on this matter must be double confirmed from both ends (i.e. we both need to be sure that the other side has received the instructions/arrangements, to avoid unpleasant and possibly problematic misundertstandings). If this is not done, tenants lose their reservation rights and forfeit their deposit.
We need to do this because we must organize in advance the check-in from a logistics point of view (the properties are scattered all over Rome's centre and in Italy).
The check-in, the consignement of the keys, final contract writing, and financial matters are directly performed at the property.

3. Payment of the rental: It must be paid upon arrival in Rome, on the day the rental begins and before actually renting the property.

4. Cancellation by you: If you cancel all or any part of your booking, you will not be entitled to reimbursement of the deposit by the proprietors or the agency, as it is an earnest (in Italian "caparra"), which is not reimbursed by the Italian law.

5. Amendments and alterations: If you change your dates, this becomes a new rental. Your deposit is subject to the cancellation conditions as explained in paragraph 4.

6. Alterations and cancellations by Roman Homes: Although it is very unlikely that we will have to make any changes to confirmed arrangements, it does rarely happen and we will advise you at the earliest possible date. If, for any reason beyond our control, the proprietors are unable to provide you with the property you have booked, we will suggest similar alternative properties. However, if this will not be possible, or if you do not wish to proceed with the change, the proprietors will refund the amount paid in full. The proprietors or us will not be liable for any further obligations or claims by you.

7. Number of persons / Replacements: Only those persons listed in the booking procedure may use the property. The number of people must not exceed the number of sleeping places indicated in the property listing or brochure. Pets need to have the explicit permission of proprietors. Should the key holder find any violations to this clauses, it is totally up to her/his discretion to ask you to vacate the house.

8. Arrival and departure hours: You must arrive between 2 pm and 5 pm and leave by 10 am on the day of departure unless alternative arrangements are made in advance. You should kindly plan on providing us an estimated  arrival time at least 20 days before the date of your rental beginning. If you arrive before the above time, we will do our best to make you drop your luggage, complete the bureaucratic / financial aspects, take they keys, and stay in the property, bearing in mind that if the property was rented the night before, it will have to be cleaned and prepared, and you may be asked either not to stand on the clenears way, or if they consider it necessary, you should leave it and return between 12:30 - 1 pm, to enable them complete their work. Everything will be done to welcome you as soon as possible.
Mind you, the legal/technical/customary time in Europe at which properties are consigned clean varies between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm. So we do our best to let you access the property before, however the proprietors and cleaners need more time for a complete professional cleaning.
If you arrive later than the above hours, and especially after 7:30 pm, late arrival fees are charged, proportional to the late hour. However, late arrivals must be discussed and agreed upon with the agency, it is not an automatic step, as it depends on the feasibility of working at such late hour.
If duly informed, we will responsibly wait additionally, however waiting fees might be applied, 12 Euro every 30 minutes delay until 9 PM, and 15 Euro every 30 minutes after 9 PM.

9. Utilities and other extras: All extras are specified on the property listing and are due in local currency or western currencies cash on arrival or during your stay. If you wish, long distance calls made from the rented property can be put on an AT&T, MCI, Sprint or similar phone credit card. Meters will be read on arrival and departure and the exact charges will be due on departure. We will deduct the cost of any unpaid utilities and telephone charges from your security deposit (warranty against damage). Also additional maid service or cooking service must be paid separately. Please give us as much notice as possible regarding these services.

10. Security deposit (warranty against damage): A security deposit or warranty against damage is due on every property. The amount of each deposit will be specified when you contact us. It will be held in a non-interest bearing account (interest-bearing only for long term rentals over 9 months). The security deposit covers the cost of any damage or breakage during your stay to the property and its contents, inside and outside, excluding normal wear. This amount, less any applicable claims (see paragraph 9), will be returned at your departure, before you leave the property. If the damage caused by you exceeds the amount of the security deposit you will still be accountable for it.

11. Complaints: (a) We must be notified upon arrival at the property of any complaints you have about the property, its furniture, equipment, maintenance or cleaning allowing us to explain them to the proprietors, thus enabling them to possibly make whatever is needed to solve the problem.
(b) Repairs or substitution of appliances, furnitures, items belonging to the apartment is the responsibility of the owners, not of our agency, as we act as intermediary.
(c) Complaints lodged at the end of the rental period will not be taken into consideration. Should you abandon the property without authorisation from the owner, key holder or property representative you will lose all rights to compensation.  We do not accept responsibility for the breakdown of the supply of utilities or other essential services though we will use our best efforts to arrange for these problems to be solved. As soon as any breakdown of appliances or breakage appears you should notify us, giving us a way to repair or fix the problem as soon as possible.

12. Facility malfunction due to national or international suppliers (internet, phone etc.). The owners of the apartments and Roman Homes do our best to make all facilities work. However, occasionally, there might be a malfunction due to the national or international suppliers (such as Telecom Italia or Fastweb Italy for the phone or internet, ENEL Italia for electricity, Comune di Roma or Rome Municipality etc.). In these cases we will do our best to contact the suppliers and to make them solve the problem. However, these are large national companies, usually having a monopoly on the facility, and thus not customer-friendly nor prone to solve the problems immediately. They might intervene and solve the problem immediately, or they might do it slowly. The owner or Roman Homes cannot will not be accountable in such cases, nor will reimburse part of the payment as "compensation" etc. It is simply beyond us.

13. Cleaning: You will find the property clean. The property must be left in good order by you at the end of the rental period. If you require special cleaning during the stay, please see paragraph 9. Additional cleaning charges may be assessed against the security deposit if the home is not left in reasonable conditions in the opinion of the owner or of the property manager.

14. Lockout or lockin policy. In the event that guest(s) are locked out of a property (for ex. because they forgot the keys inside, or they broke the keys inside the keyhole etc.), or in case the guests are locked inside, for ex. they broke the key inside the bathroom keyhole etc.), guests must call the emergency telephone number provided at check-in.  An agent or locksmith will meet the guest at the accommodation to either a replacement key, or to work to open the door. All locksmith's fees are responsibility and are charged to guests, including the possible repair or change of the lock and repair of the door. In addition to this, a call out charge of 50 Euro is due (80 Euro if out of office business hours between 20-24 pm and 100 Euro if past midnight). 
Only the locksmith entrusted by our agency will be authorized to work to solve the problem. In case guest(s) call another locksmith, the fee to call our entrusted locksmith are still due, and also the cost of repairing any possible damage caused by the unauthorised locksmith, in order to restore the door/window frames of the house in the present pristine conditions in which it was consigned.

15. Loss of keys. In case the guests lose a set of key, if it will be possible to reproduce them, the locksmith fee is charged to them. In addition to this, a call out charge of 30 Euro is due. If it will be impossible to reproduce the key, and the entire lock needs to be changed, all relevant expenses of lock, locksmith and assistant's call to follow the case are charged to guests.

16. Exchange of foreign, non-Euro currency. The official currency of the rent, and of our service, is the Euro, which is the currency you should pay with. If you would like to pay with a foreign, non-Euro currency, the owners or Roman Homes will exchange the amounts given into Euro. We will naturally try to obtain the best exchange for you, and with no additional charge for this service, done out of courtesy. However, the foreign currency will be exchanged to cover the due amount in Euro, and nor the owners nor Roman Homes will be held responsible or accountable for the exchange rate applied by banks or exchange bureaus. Along the same line, prices mentioned in US$ and foreseeable exchange rates between Euro and non-Euro currencies mentioned to clients (in the e-mail correspondence, or orally) are just a guide and a forecast. The exchange rate applied of banks or exchange bureaus will be the only one valid, for which we are not responsible nor accountable.
The amounts are due net of commissions, in particular to exchange travelers' checks. Please bear in mind that also Euro travelers' checks require a commission to be exchanged in Italy although the Euro is the currency of the country. It is a contingent reality applied by all exchange bureaux and banks, thus embedded in this method of payment, beyond our will, and it will be thus the clients' responsibility to pay such commissions. We do not advise thus that you pay in Euro travelers' checks, as you will have to pay a premium in your country to obtain them, and a commission in Italy to exchange them into real Euro.

17. Behaviour: The person signing the rental contract is responsible for the correct and decent behaviour of his/her party. Should the person and his/her party behave in such a manner that is not acceptable by civilised standards, the key holder may ask the person and his/her party to vacate the house and ask also the intervention of local authorities.

18. Vacating the property. It is understood that the contract automatically expires at the end of the rental term as stated on the contract. Neglect to vacate the rental property within its leased term will automatically result in a daily fine of 400 Euro in addition to the prorated rent for occupying the rental property without a contract. Any renewal of the contract must be closed with the proprietors or with their representatives. In such circumstances, the rental rate can be re-negotiated, all utility bills must be paid and a reassessment of the security deposit shall be made.

19. Liability: You and your party hold Roman Homes and the property owner harmless from and against any and all liability arising out of, or in any way connected with, your use and occupancy of the property, including injuries, damages or losses from fire, theft or criminal activity. Roman Homes and the property owner are never liable for consequential damages.

18. Jurisdiction: Both the booking contract and the rental contract are governed by the Italian laws. Courts in Rome, Italy, have exclusive jurisdiction over any claims, disputes or other matters in question between the parties.

RELATED PAGES IN THIS SECTION:

Visit Rome | Rome panoramic views | Rome apartments and villas | Inquire | Rome travel guide | Rome map | Service | Resources

Roman Homes homepage