Frequently Asked Questions

SWFL Real Estate Services is a locally-operated company. We have vacation rental experience since 2009 in our area and have served thousands of satisfied national and international guests. We strongly believe in personalized service and customer care. We heard from our customers that communication and a personalized feeling can often be lost easily with other large rental companies. Therefore, we take pride in over-communicating and having quick solutions for you on hand immediately. When you are on vacation, you should never have the feeling of being left alone. That is one of the reasons why many of our tenants are returning year after year. They have come to appreciate our exceptional service.

Our office is conveniently located at the intersection of Veterans Parkway and Santa Barbara Blvd. The address is 2517 Santa Barbara Blvd. Suite # 5, Cape Coral, FL 33914, allowing our staff to be at any Cape Coral rental location within minutes. All staff members live in Cape Coral for many years and have substantial local and professional experience.

Our local office is open Monday-Friday from 9AM-5PM. We have a monitored voicemail system for after hours and weekends to make sure that we are available for guests who have important concerns.

You are free to call us at (239) 673-9294 at any time. During office hours, our team is ready to help, and after hours or on the weekends you can leave a voicemail and someone will be in touch. You can also email us at [email protected].

Yes, we have handicap accessible vacation homes available. Please mention your request when inquiring with our staff.

Most of our homes have a 6-night minimum during May-November, with some homes at 4 nights. December-April we have a minimum of 7 nights, with 30+ nights preferred. When you enter your dates onto our website, it will show you the available properties that will fit your length of stay.

We currently do not offer discounts to returning guests. However, sometimes an owner will be willing to offer a discount if you are returning back to their home. Please inquire for potential discount opportunities.

If you book directly through us, you can cancel at any time, however, a refund is only given if the property is rebooked for your original dates. We strongly recommend travelers insurance if you are concerned about needing to cancel.

If you have a winter reservation that is longer than 3 weeks, we do our best to give you the first opportunity to re-rent the property for the same house and same dates next year. HOWEVER, we cannot guarantee that a house will be available, so we strongly recommend that you reach out to us as soon as you know that you would like to come back to the same house.

You are free to change your dates. Please note that if you will be shortening your stay or changing your timeframe completely, a refund may not be given until the original dates have been re-booked. Please reach out to the office as soon as you need to cancel to inquire about your options.

When you book with us, you are prompted to download an app called "Happy Stays," which is a great tool for guests to use before and during their trip! You can see your reservation details, make additional payments, and invite your other guests to have access and make payments. You can even check out our inventory and book directly through the app!

Yes, we accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover cards.

A 25% down payment is due at the time of reservation and the remaining balance 30 days prior your arrival. If your reservation is less than 30 days away, full payment is due at the time of booking.

You security deposit is returned back to the card used to make your final payment within 14 business days of your departure date. You will receive an email stating that the deposit has been processed, and if there were any deductions.

For maintenance issues or concerns: The property manager contact information will be located on the front of the binder in the house (or directly in your Happy Stays dashboard). You can also call us at any time, but make sure you leave a message if it's after hours. (239) 673-9294.

For questions on the home or the area: You can reach out to your guest relations team member, or check out the guide in the Happy Stays app!

For any other question or concern: Call or email us and we will be happy to assist you any way we can!

You will receive arrival/check-in information via email 3 days before your reservation. This is an automated email with important information, so we recommend that you add [email protected] to your contacts to avoid the messages going into your junk folders.

Should you arrive with more than two vehicles, an RV or other oversize vehicles, please mention this to our staff when inquiring. Cape Coral ordinance typically only allow parking of RVs and trailers at homes for a couple of days. Locally, there are many storage facilities available, which accept these vehicles for short term storage. You may also contact the City directly to inquire about short term permits.

You can arrive anytime after 4PM, and must depart anytime before 10AM. Our guest relations team will meet you at the house the morning after your arrival. There should be contact information in the binder to reach out to your guest relations team member if you would like to reschedule to a more convenient time. Our team will do the check-out walkthrough after you've departed to ensure the home is secure. If you would like an in-person check-out, please make sure you coordinate this with guest relations.

All homes have Wi-Fi available for guests. Not every home has cable or a landline, so if these are important amenities for you to have, please reach out to the office to confirm.

Every home is different. We do our best to include that information in the amenities and descriptions of each home, so check the listing first. If you're still unsure, reach out to the office and we can confirm. If the home does not have the equipment you need, we can give you recommendations for local baby rental delivery services.

The home should list a baby pool fence if there is one available to use. However, if it's an important requirement for your stay, please reach out to the office to confirm.

Our pet-friendly homes will typically allow up to two pets that do not exceed a combined weight of 35 lbs. and will be stated on the listing for each house. If you are unsure, or have a larger pet, please reach out to the office to confirm your options. If there is evidence that a pet is at the home without prior approval, you may be evicted or charged additional fees.

The properties have linens, pillows, blankets, towels, etc. They include kitchen amenities such as pots, pans, utensils, etc. There will be a "welcome basket" at the home which includes a starter supply for your first night such as hotel-sized shampoo, conditioner, a trash bag, a roll of toilet paper for each bathroom, paper towel, and hand soap. You will be responsible for purchasing any additional items you will need for your stay.

All of our homes come with a propane grill that is free for guests to use during their stay. Please be advised that we do not provide or guarantee that there is propane at the property. It is the guest's responsibility to purchase more propane if needed. You must clean the grill before you check-out. If the cleaners must clean the grill after you leave, there will be an additional charge that will be passed on to the guest.

There are no hidden cost. All charges are specified on our website and in your rental agreement.

There are certain fees you will have to pay in addition to the base price.

• Extra guest fee: Some homes have additional guest fees. They will be listed on the home’s page.
• Utility Fee: Our utility fee is to cover electric usage during your stay. It is calculated by the average electric use for the home and is paid at the time of booking. PLEASE NOTE that excessive electric usage may be considered mistreatment of the home and deducted from your security deposit.
• Cleaning Fee: It is a one-time charge and is used for the house to be professionally cleaned after your departure. The fee is listed on the home’s page.
• Security deposit: This will cover any additional electric overages and/or damage not covered by the damage waiver. As listed on the home’s page.
• Administrative Fee: 3%; this covers special costs of running our business, and our ability to offer 24/7 customer support.
• Damage Waiver: This will cover any incidental damage that may happen during your stay. As listed on the home’s page.
• Taxes: 6.5% Sales Tax, plus 5% Tourist Tax

A Damage Waiver Fee varies from $59 to $79 per reservation, depending on the type of accommodation and length of stay. This fee is not insurance. It protects you from incurring expenses related to accidental damage to your rental unit occurring during your stay PROVIDED DAMAGE IS DISCLOSED TO MANAGEMENT PRIOR TO CHECK-OUT. You are responsible for all damage to your rental unit and its contents occurring during your stay not covered by damage waiver fee. Your credit card will be charged for any damage not covered by damage waiver fee.

What is included? Minor, accidental damage to your unit and its contents during your stay such as: scratches on the doors, floors or walls, broken glassware, spills, stains, and broken furniture. Each registered guest is protected by this waiver and will not be obligated to pay for reported incidences of accidental damage to the unit and its contents up to $1500 ($59) or $3000 ($79) per stay.

What is not included? Intentional or careless damage to your unit is not included. Your personal items are not covered. Damage discovered by management is not covered. All damage must be reported prior to check-out. Coverage is not provided for: • Damage related to an intentional act or gross negligence. These included but are not limited to: damage caused by a party, damage caused by smoking or pets and theft or removal of unit inventory. • Damage related to violation of our rental policies. • Damage to personal items. • Damage caused by any person other than you or your traveling companions named on your reservation. • Damage not reported immediately to management. • Damages exceeding $1500/$3000 in repair or replacement cost per stay. • Loss or theft.

Your duties when damage happens: • Take all reasonable, necessary steps to prevent further damage. • Report damage in writing to management prior to check-out.

Final Cleaning Fee for your vacation home is shown on our website at the specific house listing and in your rental agreement. You do not need to clean the house upon departure, just leave the house broom-clean. The BBQ grill must be cleaned by the tenant prior to Check-Out to avoid an extra cleaning fee of $50.00. Our professional cleaning crew will clean the house after your departure.

Nothing. We do not charge for regular water use. However, if there is excessive usage due to guest misuse, additional charges may apply.

Yes. Lee County beaches are open to the public without any fees. You may have to pay for car parking or crossing certain toll bridges by car or motorcycle.

The closest airports are SW Florida International Airport in Ft. Myers (RSW) and Punta Gorda Airport. Depending on the location of your house and the traffic condition it may take between 30 and 50 minutes to get there. If you are flying out of Ft. Lauderdale or Miami, you should calculate about 2.5 hours for the trip. Tampa International Airport is about 2 hours away.

Florida is the golf capital of the world. Check out our Golf Guide on our website or in the Happy Stays app!