Terms and Conditions

You are responsible for your own safety and for having basic wilderness survival skills (e.g. do not approach wild animals, do not leave food out, etc. Neither Escape Pods nor the Land Owner are liable for damage to personal property, including vehicles, due to exposure to inclement weather or rural, rugged settings. By booking with Escape Pods, you recognize and accept this responsibility and affirm you have these general skills.

CANCELLATION / CHANGE POLICY (unless you’ve booked via Airbnb/Riparide)

All cancellations or changes to your booking must be made via email or by phone/text message. In the event of cancellation of a fully paid booking, Escape Pods applies the following rules:

• DATE CHANGES
• 100% credit for changes made 7 days before arrival or earlier,
• Not allowed within 7 days of arrival (unless approved by Escape Pods host)
• CANCELLATIONS
• 100% of paid prepayments refundable less a $50 service fee when cancelled 7 days before arrival or earlier;
• 0% refundable if cancelled within 7 days. (unless approved by Escape Pods host)

In the event that the guest changes the dates, it will be considered a new booking and will be subject to the standard cancellation procedures. If, after receipt of the confirmation email, Escape Pods is unable to provide the client with the property that they booked or a property with similar or better characteristics, the client will be refunded 100% of the total booking amount. We will not offer refunds for guests who depart early. We reserve the right to cancel “no shows”. All monies paid will be forfeited.

WEATHER OR OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES

Please note that we are unable to guarantee in-house heating or cooling due to being off-grid. Whilst most houses are equipped with fans and heaters, there is no air-conditioning. In summer (in particular), it can get very hot and uncomfortable. For this reason we recommend you consider your dates carefully. We cannot consider or offer refunds due to adverse or inclement weather or other circumstances beyond our control. We strongly recommend you take out cancellation insurance to cover your reservation for severe weather (high / low weather, rain, hail, wind etc) and/or natural disasters. Please note that travel insurance will not cover any change in plans or disinclination to travel on your part due to rain or overcast weather.

WILDLIFE

Our properties are maintained and cleaned regularly, however, wildlife is common in country and coastal areas. Escape Pods nor the Land Owner accept any liability (nor will we issue a refund or credit) for the unfortunate or seasonal visits of any animals, wildlife, insects or bugs, including, but not limited to; cattle, kangaroos, wallaby’s, wombats, birds, mosquitoes, spiders, snakes, ticks, leeches and rodents. The client agrees to take appropriate safety measures to prevent negative interactions with wildlife in the area. This includes, but is not limited to, not engaging with wild animals, keeping food out of reach, keeping the site clean, and securing all personal items. You are not permitted to harm the land or the natural habitat of any wildlife in any way. Escape Pods nor the Land Owner are liable for any personal injury due to animals, wildlife, insects or bugs. The client is expected to take necessary steps of precaution against these animals & insects. 

EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES PROVIDED

Our Tiny Houses are off-grid and as a consequence may fail to provide essential services such as water, heat, gas, power etc. We therefore do not guarantee that you will have any of these items during your stay and recommend you bring essentials with you.

All equipment and facilities are provided at the discretion of Escape Pods and while every attempt is made to ensure that such equipment is in working order for the duration of the rental period, should a breakdown or some other situation occur that renders non-essential element unusable, Escape Pods does not take responsibility for replacing or refunding the client for the lack of use of these equipment or facilities. The equipment and facilities referred to include (but are not exclusive to) such items as stove, toilet, shower, fridge, running water, BBQ and sink. The client must report any inoperative or defective equipment to Escape Pods immediately. We will make every reasonable effort to have repairs made as soon as possible. While every attempt will be made to ensure that all the advertised equipment and appliances are in working order at the commencement of a rental period, no reduction of rent, rebate, or refund will be issued for a mechanical failure of any appliances.

CAMPFIRES

All campfires must be contained within the designated area and you are responsible for complying with local fire regulations, including as listed at http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fdr-and-tobans (including, amongst other things, observing total fire bans). When lighting fires you must (1) only use the designated permanently constructed fire-pit, (2) ensure there is no debris within 2m of the fire and (3) completely extinguish the fire before leaving. When it is not safe to light the campfire you are welcome to use the BBQ or internal stove if you think it is safe.

TOILET USE

If you do not follow the instructions relating to the compost toilet Escape Pods reserves the right to charge for any costs associated with restoring the toilet to normal operating standards. This includes (amongst other things), a $2,000 repair and servicing charge for placing any sanitary or other products (other than toilet paper) down the toilet.

LOCATION

Escape Pods reserves the right to move any Tiny House at any time. If an Escape Pods unit must be moved in advance of an upcoming booking, we will make every attempt to inform the guest of the location change before their stay.

DAMAGE

Please note that you are liable for any damages caused by you or your accompanying party. This includes for failure to properly exit the house (e.g. failure to close windows, lock the door, turn off the gas, turn off the water etc).

CODE OF CONDUCT

Please note that in addition to our T&C’s, you are responsible for adhering to the HRIA Code of Conduct- https://aussiechillout.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Holiday_and_Short_Term_Rental_Code-of-Conduct.pdfto

which we also abide.

PREPARATION FOR ARRIVAL

You are expected familiarize yourself with Escape Pods’ policies and get in touch with our team if you have any questions before check-in. We will prepare your Tiny House for check-in and can be prepared to help with your arrival. Your confirmation email states contact information for Escape Pods, should you need it.

CHECK IN

Check-in from 3:00pm. Note that the Tiny Houses are not always easy to find, so try to avoid arriving after dark. You must follow the supplied route and park in the designated area. You must not attempt to drive off the supplied route and you will be responsible for all losses or damages caused if you do not follow the directions supplied.

CHECK OUT

You should leave the tiny house before or at 11:00am sharp. Our cleaners require access to the property from 11:00am as they are operating on a tight schedule. Leaving after 11:00am without prior authorization will result in you being charged for an extra night. If you need to leave the location at a later time, please contact Escape Pods prior to your arrival and ask if this is possible. We will try to meet your request, but cannot guarantee late checkouts.

DEPARTURE

On the day of your departure you should leave the Tiny House clean and tidy with all waste removed from the property. Please leave and lock the door behind you, after making sure that you have all your personal belongings. Escape Pods is not responsible for returning any personal belongings left behind after check-out but will try and accommodate its return.

CLEANING

The property will be cleaned prior to each guest’s arrival. Before leaving, the client is obliged to leave the property in perfect conditions, i.e. all waste should be correctly disposed of and the Tiny House tidied. If not, there will be an additional cleaning charge.

NUMBER AND IDENTITY OF GUESTS

The client should inform Escape Pods of the number of guests in the booking and may be required to pay for any additional guests, if the number exceeds two. Only those persons indicated in the booking made by the client may enter the Tiny House, unless an alternative agreement has been reached with Escape Pods. The number of clients using the property should not exceed the number assigned to each Tiny House, except for in the case of infants under the age of two.

Individuals booking a reservation on behalf of their client are encouraged to use the contact information of their client and otherwise assume the responsibility of relaying all reservation instructions and details to their client.

MINIMUM AGE

All minors must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Guests are required to use a credit card in their own name in order to book a cabin. No illegal substances or underage drinking are permitted at the property. Escape Pods will not be held responsible for underage drinking, and violations of this policy will result in immediate expulsion from the premises without refund, and the involvement of law enforcement.

CONDUCT

Unruly, disruptive, and destructive behaviour and criminal activity is prohibited.

PHONE AND INTERNET

There is very limited phone reception in the tiny house and no internet services are provided.

SMOKING

Smoking is not permitted inside the Tiny House and must be done responsibly at a minimum distance of 10 meters from the building. Litter is not permitted on the land, and the client must clean up all cigarette butts responsibly and safely. If it becomes clear that you have smoked or taken illegal substances in the Tiny House without express written permission we will charge you a $1,000 cleaning fee.

LOCATION

We lease land from wonderful farmers and rural land-owners in Australia. From time to time these leases end and we therefore we may need to move our tiny’s from one location to another. Therefore when you book, we can guarantee you the house but not the ultimate location. It’s all part of the surprise!! In the event of a change in location, you may receive an email letting you know that your Tiny has been moved. You will be given adequate notice.

RULES

The client agrees to read and abide by all rules specific to their booking, which may vary by unit and location. These rules must be read and agreed to before booking confirmation. Escape Pods will also place the rules inside each Tiny House, accessible to the client. If rules are not abided by, Escape Pods reserves the right to ask the client to leave the property and pay for any necessary damages as a result of the clients’ disregard for these rules.

SUBSCRIPTION

By booking with Escape Pods, clients also agree to subscribe to our mailing list. Clients may unsubscribe at any time.

COOKIES AND WEBSITE USAGE

When clients visit Escape Pods, Escape Pods collects standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns in order to find out the number of visitors to various parts of the site and to improve our web presence. We collect this information in a way which does not personally identify anyone. Most web browsers allow for some control of cookies through the browser settings. By visiting our website the client agrees to indemnify and hold us harmless from all claims, actions, damages, costs and expenses including legal fees arising from or in connection with their use of our website.

When the client visits our website, we provide a limited license to access and use our information for personal use only. The client is not permitted to copy, mirror, reproduce, republish or display any of the information on this website without our express prior written permission.

Escape Pods takes no responsibility for the content and maintenance of privacy compliance by any website linked from or to our website. Any link on our website to another does not imply our endorsement or support of the operator of the website nor of any information, service or products which they provide.

Escape Pods undertakes to take all due care with any information which the client may provide to us when accessing our website. However we do not warrant and cannot ensure the security of any information which the client may provide to us. While we undertake to take reasonable steps to ensure the security of any information transmitted to us, it is entirely at the client’s own risk.

LIABILITY

The client will not hold Escape Pods or the landowner responsible for any direct or indirect damages caused to the tiny house or land as consequence of use. This includes damages, insurance, loss due to misadventure, fire, theft, injury (whether occurring inside the Tiny House or on the surrounding property), and misconduct. The client provides their guarantee that they will indemnify and hold Escape Pods and the landowner harmless from all claims, actions, damages, costs and expenses including legal fees arising from or in connection with any person accompanying the client during their stay.

In the event that the client fails to comply with the aforementioned Terms and Conditions, Escape Pods reserves the right to ask the client to leave the unit and property, and the client in question cannot request any form of compensation.

The client, on submitting these terms and conditions, agrees to behave responsibly and correctly on behalf of their accompanying party as well as themselves, and acknowledge that they and their guests will absolve Escape Pods and the landowner from any liability associated with the aforementioned damages or injuries. If this person, or any of the accompanying party behaves in an unsuitable and incorrect manner, Escape Pods reserves the right to ask the person and their accompanying party to leave the Tiny House. Furthermore, from that moment on they will have no right to future claims or any form of compensation. Finally, the client will lose all payments made including the Tiny House rental and any extras they prepaid for. May we remind you that on booking a Tiny House with Escape Pods you automatically accept our Terms and Conditions, which we expect you to comply with.