Terms and Conditions

The WishSicily brand is owned by the fully bonded Italian Tour Operator Support Sicily S.R.L., registered in Italy by Palermo's Chamber of Commerce. The Support Sicily head office is located at Via Uditore 11H, 90145 Palermo, Italy.

These Terms and Conditions, together with the entire contents of the Support Sicily website www.wishsicily.com, constitute the rules and regulations for renting a property through us.
In these Terms & Conditions, Support Sicily uses the word “customer” to mean the party representative/booking party; the word “customers” to mean all members of the booking party; the term “property owner” to mean the landlord.

Support Sicily requires that all customers read these Terms & Conditions and understand the rights and obligations of customers renting a property through Support Sicily. If, after reading these Terms & Conditions, any further explanation is required, written contact should be made directly with Support Sicily.

 

1. Agreeing to Support Sicily’s Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy

By submitting the enquiry through the contact form on each property webpage, the customer explicitly acknowledges having read and accepted the entirety of Support Sicily’s Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

 

2. Designating a Booking Representative / Booking Party

Each booking party must appoint a representative to communicate on behalf of the booking group. The booking representative is responsible for the booking with Support Sicily and will be considered Support Sicily’s contact person for all communications necessary in planning and carrying out the booking. The booking representative must be at least 18 years old and be authorised to make decisions for the booking party. Support Sicily will not be held liable for any commitment made in the name of and on behalf of the group, without the consent of each member of the group, by the booking representative.

 

3. Making a Booking

The customer can make a booking request by phone, e-mail or via the online contact form.

The booking procedure for bookings made more than 60 days before the customer arrival date is as follows:

• Once the property owner receives the booking request and confirms the availability of the requested property, the customer is obliged to arrange the deposit payment (up to 35% of the total cost agreed with the property owner when booking) to secure the booking.
• The customer must pay the deposit within 48 hours of receipt of the Deposit Payment request.
  Should Support Sicily not receive the deposit payment within 48 hours, the conditional offer will be terminated and the customer’s provisional booking will be cancelled.
• Following receipt of the deposit payment, Support Sicily will send the customer the Booking Confirmation.
• For Premium Listing properties, the full balance payment is due to Support Sicily at least 60 days before the arrival date.
• For Partnership Listing properties, the customer will pay the full balance directly to the property owner as agreed at the time of booking. If no agreement has been made at the time of booking, the customer is required to pay the full balance at least 60 days before the arrival date.
• For Annual Listing properties, Support Sicily has neither a role nor responsibility for payments and customer will pay both the deposit and full balance directly to the property owner in accordance with the booking conditions given by the latter.
   

The booking procedure for bookings made less than 60 days before the customer arrival date is as follows:

• For Premium Listing properties, once the property owner receives the booking request and confirms the availability of the requested property, the customer has to arrange total payment to secure the booking (unless alternative arrangements are agreed with the property owner at the time of booking). The customer must pay the total amount within 48 hours of receipt of the Total Payment request. If Support Sicily does not receive the payment within 48 hours, the conditional offer will be terminated and the customer’s provisional booking will be cancelled. Once the payment has been received, Support Sicily will send the customer the Booking Confirmation email.
• For Partnership Listing properties, once the property owner receives the booking request and confirms the availability of the requested property, the customer is obliged to arrange the deposit payment (up to 35% of the total cost agreed with the property owner when booking) to secure the booking. The customer must pay the deposit within 48 hours of receipt of the Deposit Payment request. Should Support Sicily not receive the deposit payment within 48 hours, the conditional offer will be terminated and the customer’s provisional booking will be cancelled. The customer will pay the full balance directly to the property owner as agreed at the time of booking.
• For Annual Listing properties, Support Sicily has neither a role or responsibility for payments and customer will pay both the deposit and balance directly to the property owner in accordance with the booking conditions given by the latter.
   

 

4. Payments

All Support Sicily prices are in EUR, GBP and USD. All payments to Support Sicily must be made in EUR.

• Deposit: up to 35% of the total cost is to be paid by the customer. This payment must be made to Support Sicily exclusively by bank transfer, VISA or Mastercard credit/debit card. 
• Balance: The unpaid balance of the total cost must be paid at least 60 days before the arrival date unless alternative arrangements are agreed with the property owner at the time of booking. If this payment is not made at least 60 days before the arrival date, the booking may be cancelled, no refund will be granted under any circumstances and the customer will be obliged to pay the cancellation penalty charges (see section 6 for more information about cancellation penalty charges).  
  
  For Premium Listing properties the balance payment must be made to Support Sicily exclusively by bank transfer, VISA or Mastercard credit/debit card. 
  
  For Partnership Listing properties the balance payment must be made to the owner exclusively via bank transfer or credit/debit card. For credit/debit card payments, the owner may at their discretion charge an additional fee of up to 3% of the amount due to cover administrative expenses. Payments via bank transfer do not incur any additional fees.
  
  When using a credit voucher issued by Support Sicily, the balance relating to the booking must be paid upon confirmation of the new booking.
  For Partnership and Annual Listing Properties the customer will pay the balance directly to the property owner as agreed at the time of booking.

Support Sicily won’t be liable for any sum paid by the customer directly to the property owner or liable for any loss or damage attributable to fraudulent activities and/or listing, unless the PAYMENT PROTECTION POLICY applies.

 

5. Property Voucher, Refundable Security Deposit, Damages and Customer Conduct

For Premium Listing Properties, approximately four weeks prior to arrival date, Support Sicily will send the customer the relevant documents including the Property Voucher which will have detailed arrival instructions. For Partnership and Annual Listing Properties the customer will agree the check-in procedures and arrival instructions directly to the property owner.

A refundable security deposit is required to access the property. The amount of this deposit varies depending on the property and will be detailed in the "Additional Notes" section of each property's online listing. In the event of negligence and/or damage to the property during the stay, the deposit will be used to cover any related costs.

Customers may choose to pay the refundable security deposit via a VISA or Mastercard credit/debit card approximately four weeks before arrival, or in cash at check-in. For payments made by credit card, Support Sicily will charge a non-refundable 3% fee to cover administrative expenses. No additional fees apply to cash payments, which are accepted only in EUR, GBP, or USD and must be paid to the manager or owner at check-in. Support Sicily is not responsible for handling cash deposits. Bank cheques are not accepted. If the customer fails to provide the full security deposit upon arrival, access to the property will be denied. 

The security deposit will cover the cost of any damages reported by the customer or discovered during check-out, but it will not cover additional charges for electricity usage or extra services requested by the client.

At check-out, the full security deposit will be refunded by the owner or manager, minus any deductions for property damages or unpaid charges. If the cost of damages equals or exceeds the deposit amount, the owner has the right to charge the customer for the full amount and request payment of the remaining balance. For deposits paid by credit/debit card, refunds will be issued within seven days after check-out, minus any deductions. If damages equal or exceed the deposit amount, Support Sicily reserves the right to charge the client for the full amount and request payment of any remaining balance.

By agreeing to these Terms & Conditions, every customer agrees to maintain a reasonable standard of conduct during the rental period. Please note that all Support Sicily properties are strictly non-smoking. Support Sicily reserves the right to enforce the removal of any person(s) at any time based on reports of inappropriate behaviour that come from any third party including the property owner/manager, property neighbours/community or based on Support Sicily’s own judgement. Inappropriate behaviour includes but is not limited to:

• using illegal drugs or participating in other illegal or disturbing activity on the rental property;
• increasing the number of people at the rental property without notifying Support Sicily;
• bringing pets/animals onto the property without direct consent from Support Sicily.
• failure of the customer to manage separate waste collection. In this case the owner / manager will be also authorized to charge EUR 200.00 from the security deposit as compensation.

 

6. Customer Changes / Cancellations

To communicate a change or cancellation, contact must be made with Support Sicily by the party representative in writing. When the customer reserves a property more than 60 days before the arrival date and pays the initial deposit, the customer is given a 7-day period of grace to make changes or cancel without penalty. If the customer makes a booking within 60 days of the arrival date, there is no period of grace.

Support Sicily must be notified of any changes to an existing booking as soon as possible. Wherever possible, Support Sicily will try to accommodate a change to an existing booking. Increases in the size of the booking party will only be accepted if the rental property can accommodate the increased number of people. If a customer wishes to increase the booking party size, the customer will be expected to pay the additional fees that apply to the reserved property. Decreases in the booking party size after the 7-day grace period will be accepted but no refund will be granted and the customer must pay the amount originally agreed. In the event of a new booking representative replacing the designated booking representative or if the booking party in its entirety must change, the new booking representative and/or booking party must meet Support Sicily's requirements and agree to Support Sicily 's Terms and Conditions. Support Sicily reserves the right to deny the transfer of an existing booking to a new booking representative or booking party for any reason.

If a customer makes a booking and then cancels the booking after the 7-day period of grace, the customer is responsible for a cancellation fee as following:

When the customer cancels a booking  60 days or more before the arrival date:	Support Sicily will apply a cancellation penalty for the deposit paid. However, clients retain the option to apply for a credit voucher or transfer their reservation to an alternative date, contingent upon availability. It is important to note that the original terms pertaining to the full balance payment will remain unchanged and not be subject to rescheduling.
When the customer cancels a booking  0-59 days before the arrival date:	Support Sicily shall enforce a full retention of the entire agreed-upon amount as a cancellation penalty. Nonetheless, clients have the option to reschedule their reservation for an alternate date or apply for a credit voucher, provided such requests are made no later than 30 days prior to the scheduled arrival date.

 

7. When Support Sicily Changes / Cancels an Existing Booking

Support Sicily does everything possible to avoid changes, including cancellations, after a booking has been made. However, in the event that an existing booking must be modified or cancelled, Support Sicily reserves the right to make changes to a property or to the conditions of property use at any time. Most changes made by Support Sicily are minor; however, on occasion, Support Sicily may be required to make a substantial change to a property or to the conditions of property use. A substantial change is a change in which the rental structure, property, location, or specific facility or structure on the property is changed from the original booking conditions in such a way as to decrease the value of the property or in the event that the property that was rented originally is no longer available and alternative accommodation is provided.

In the event of a substantial change for any reason other than force majeure to an already reserved property, Support Sicily will alert the customer immediately of the change (see section 13 for more information on Force Majeure). The customer will then be given the option to modify their booking. In the event of a substantial change to an existing booking, the customer must notify Support Sicily in writing within 24 hours of being advised of the substantial change, indicating how they would like to proceed. In this case, the following options are available:

• The customer may accept the changes relating to the original booking. By agreeing to this option, the customer chooses not to change the booking and no refund will be made by Support Sicily.
• The customer may decide to reserve a rental property of a similar standard to the property originally reserved. In this case, no refund by Support Sicily or additional payment by the customer will be made.
• The customer may decide to reserve a rental property of a lesser standard than the property originally reserved and will therefore receive the difference in value between the two properties as a refund made by Support Sicily.
• The customer may decide to reserve a rental property of greater value than the property originally reserved and will therefore be required to pay the difference in price between the properties.
• The customer may decide to cancel all bookings with Support Sicily and receive a full refund for all costs already paid.

In the event of Support Sicily changing or cancelling an existing booking more than 60 days prior to the date of arrival, Support Sicily will not be subject to a penalty.

In the event of Support Sicily changing or cancelling an existing booking less than 60 days before the date of arrival, Support Sicily will provide the following additional per person compensation for all members of the party who have a minimum age of 16 years and who have been officially listed on the booking:

When the customer is notified by Support Sicily  29-59 days before arrival:	Support Sicily will provide the customer with  €15.00 per person.
When the customer is notified by Support Sicily  14-28 days before arrival:	Support Sicily will provide the customer with  €30.00 per person.
When the customer is notified by Support Sicily  13-0 days before arrival:	Support Sicily will provide the customer with  €45.00 per person.

 

8. Special Requests & Needs

Should any customers have special requests and needs regarding disability accessibility, allergies and other requests, Support Sicily must be informed of all these requirements at the time of booking. If the customer fails to specify a special request within 7 days of making a booking, Support Sicily cannot guarantee that the request or need will be met. In this case Support Sicily will not be responsible or able to provide a refund.

 

9. Arrival and Departure

All customers can check-in no earlier than 4pm. The customer must clearly communicate to the property owner/manager or Support Sicily their estimated time of arrival time at the property. If a customer needs to change an arrival or departure time, the customer must receive a written confirmation from Support Sicily of the acceptability of the change. If while travelling to the rental property there is an unexpected delay such as a flight delay or car trouble, the customer must alert Support Sicily as soon as possible. If for some reason the arrival time is changed due to:

• an unexpected delay which results in a property owner or manager being unable to arrive on time;
• a property owner or manager being unable to adapt to a new arrival time, even if the new time is communicated in a timely fashion;

then Support Sicily will work with the customer to find a new acceptable arrival time. If delivery of the keys to the property is not possible on the arrival date, Support Sicily may decide to deliver property keys on the next available day. If the arrival time needs to be rescheduled, no refund will be granted.

The rental property must be vacated on the agreed departure date by 10am in the presence of the property owner/manager. The property owner/manager will be at the villa by 9:30am as check-out procedure usually takes 30 minutes depending on the property.

If the customer needs to check-out earlier than 10am, they will need to inform the property owner/manager on the day of arrival or with as much notice as possible during their stay so that an earlier check-out time can be agreed.

The customer will have the option to arrive at the villa before 4pm solely for the purpose of dropping off their luggage. The actual check-in time will be determined according to the contractual terms.

 

10. Customer Issues and Complaints

On the rare occasion that a customer encounters a problem with a rental property, Support Sicily will work with the customer to provide an acceptable solution.

The customer will be provided with relevant contact details to enable 24-hour a day access to Support Sicily for the duration of the holiday.

Please note that Support Sicily cannot be held responsible for any problems that are reported subsequent to departure. It is important that complaints are registered promptly in order for them to be investigated fully. In the event of a problem, the following should be implemented immediately:

• As soon as a problem or complaint arises the customer should communicate it verbally to both Support Sicily and the property owner/manager immediately.
• If the problem or complaint persists the customer should notify Support Sicily immediately in writing.

Support Sicily will look into every problem and complaint on an individual basis and decide on the best course of action.

Support Sicily’s liability in all cases will be limited to the amount paid by the customer for the villa booking.

If Support Sicily agrees to refund a customer an email or an acceptance refund form will be sent to the customer via email. The customer must respond to the email, complete and return the signed form within seven days of receiving it. No refund will be granted if the customer fails to follow the instructions provided within the time-frames notified in these Terms & Conditions.

In case of refund agreed with the customer, Support Sicily will charge EUR 165 + IVA (22%) for administrative formalities.

No compensation will be offered in the following circumstances:

• The customer fails to notify Support Sicily of their complaint during their stay.
• The customer and the booking party have not taken reasonable care to protect themselves and the booked property.
• The customer or a member of the booking party is at fault.
• In the event of unusual or unexpected circumstances which are either unavoidable or beyond the control of Support Sicily (see section 13 for more information on circumstances beyond the control of Support Sicily).
• Any event which Support Sicily or the property owner/manager could not help or prevent.
• If the problem is resolved during the rental period.
• The offer of similar alternative accommodation by Support Sicily is accepted by the customer.
• The customer fails to accept and signed the "Customer Refund Form" within 7 days of receipt.

 

11. Health, Cancellation and Traveller's Insurance, Travel Documents

All members of the booking party must have valid health insurance during the rental period. Support Sicily will not be responsible for the costs of obtaining health insurance nor will Support Sicily be responsible for any other losses or inconveniences relating to health insurance. It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure that all members of the booking party have the required health insurance.

Support Sicily recommends that all customers obtain cancellation insurance. It is the customer's responsibility to obtain cancellation insurance. Support Sicily declines responsibility for loss due to customer cancellation.

All customers must be covered by travel insurance during the rental period. It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure that their insurance policy covers all accidents, loss and damage. If a customer fails to have the necessary insurance to cover losses of any kind, Support Sicily will not be held responsible. Support Sicily reserves the right to check whether the customer has taken a valid Insurance policy and may cancel the booking without refund in the event that the customer is not insured.

All  customers are responsible for their own travel documents such as Visas and passports. Support Sicily is not able to provide passport and Visa advice. Cancellations of property rentals that occur because a customer was not admitted into Italy or failed to obtain the necessary documents to enter Italy will not qualify for a refund. Support Sicily bears no responsibility for the costs of obtaining the necessary travel documents nor will Support Sicily be responsible for any other losses or inconveniences relating to travel documentation. It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure that all members of the rental party have the required travel documents.

 

12. Safety, Injuries, Personal Damages and Insurance

Support Sicily expects that all customers follow standard safety practises to prevent any occurrence of personal damages, injury or death. This is especially relevant when children are present on a rental property, especially when facilities such as swimming pools are present on the rental property. The safety and well-being of children on a rental property is the sole responsibility of the customer. Support Sicily takes no responsibility for children’s safety and well-being. Furthermore, neither Support Sicily nor the property owner/manager will be responsible for personal damages, injury or death that takes place on the rental property. If a property guide is present on the property, which explains the rules and guidelines for using the property facilities, all customers are expected to follow the instructions within that guide and to carry out daily checks of all facilities, including sports structures and swimming pools.

Sports structures on the rental property, including swimming pools, may not be used by individuals who are under the influence of alcohol or other substances. Support Sicily and the property owner/manager decline all responsibility for any damages or accidents caused by incorrect use of sports or recreational structures, including swimming pools, during the rental period.

 

13. Force Majeure and Issues Beyond the Control of Support Sicily

Support Sicily will not be held accountable for any damage, loss, change, disappointment and/or dissatisfaction as a result of unforeseen circumstances or Force Majeure. In these Terms and Conditions “Force Majeure” means any circumstances beyond Support Sicily’s reasonable control including, but not limited to, war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural disasters, health emergencies, epidemics and pandemics, adverse weather conditions, fire, flood, beach/coastal erosion, pollution and negligence on the part of any government body or outside company. For these Terms and Conditions, Force Majeure includes: public and private construction work in the neighborhood, lack of maintenance around the rented property, including beaches, roadways necessary to arrive to the property and any inconveniences with transportation companies, such as airlines, that prevent the customers smooth arrival to the rented property.

If the customer needs to cancel his booking due to a Force Majeure event, the customer shall claim a refund to his travel insurance (see section 11 for more information on Travel Insurance and section 6 for more information on Customer Cancellations).

 

14. Activities and Excursions

Should a customer choose to book  activities and excursions in Sicily such as a boat trip, a cookery course, a guided tour or car rental, the customer must refer to the Terms & Conditions of the outside provider. The Terms & Conditions stated here do not apply to additional services and Support Sicily cannot be held responsible for losses, inconveniences or dissatisfaction relating to additional services.

Non-Refundable Deposit and Mediation Commission: The deposit paid to confirm activities and excursions in Sicily such as a boat trip, a cookery course, a guided tour or car rental is non-refundable under any circumstances. This deposit serves as Support Sicily's mediation commission for facilitating the agreed-upon service

 

15. Extra Fees

The customer may incur additional fees such as the use of extra electricity or pool heating, daily cleaning services or other domestic help during their stay at a Support Sicily rental property. In the event that extra fees are incurred, payment must be made directly by the customer to the property owner/manager. Support Sicily cannot be held responsible for losses, inconveniences or dissatisfaction relating to any extra fees incurred.

 

16. Support Sicily’s Liability

Support Sicily chooses to work with the best property suppliers and property owners in Sicily. However, it should be noted that Support Sicily bears no responsibility for the properties themselves. Support Sicily concludes these Terms and Conditions with a concise list of occurrences and elements for which Support Sicily cannot be held responsible and for which it will not offer any compensation or refund. Support Sicily declines all responsibility and is explicitly not liable for claims that occur as a result of:

• the actions of the property owner and the actions of any of the property owner’s employees or collaborators;
• the services provided by the property owner, any of the property owner’s employees or collaborators or any other service provider;
• the fault of anyone other than Support Sicily;
• customer illness, injury or death;
• customer financial loss;
• damage or loss of the customer’s personal property;
• customer loss of any kind;
• errors or incorrect information stated on any documentation from Support Sicily where Support Sicily was not informed of the misinformation within five business days;
• financial loss due to excessive damages to a property during the customer’s rental period that go beyond the normal wear and tear of a property;
• financial loss due to the stated cancellation fees;
• the failure to inform Support Sicily within 7 days of customer booking of a special request or special needs;
• the fault of an occurrence or element of Force Majeure;
• failure to arrive at the rental property on the designated date/time;
• any false or untrue information provided by the customer;
• the customer’s inability to read or understand these Terms & Conditions.

 

17. Entertaining at the property 

Parties and other functions involving a large number of invitees are strictly prohibited unless fully approved by the owner in advance. In the event of unauthorized use of the Property in such a way, the owner has the right to ask all guests to vacate the Property immediately and the security deposit will be fully forfeited until all applicable claims are fully assessed.

Guests are strictly prohibited from procuring external services to be performed within the villa that involve personnel not affiliated with Support Sicily or the villa, and therefore not authorized to enter the villa. These services include, but are not limited to, private chef services, massage therapists, yoga instructors, or any other professionals requiring access to the villa. Any breach of this condition will result in the immediate termination of the rental agreement, requiring guests to vacate the property. Furthermore, the security deposit will be fully forfeited until all applicable claims are thoroughly assessed.

 

18. Website and Photo/Video Consistency

Information listed on the Support Sicily website www.wishsicily.com is subject to change at any time without notice. Support Sicily reserves the website information, including price, at any time.
Support Sicily property and location photos/video displayed on the Support Sicily website or anywhere else are designed to provide the customer with a general idea of the property’s basic characteristics. Please bear in mind that details about a property such as furniture, paint colours, garden layout etc. may differ from what is represented in a photo as Support Sicily properties are renovated and refurbished. Additionally, the customer must be aware that the location and the environment, including beaches and mountains, surrounding the rental property may have changed since the time a photograph was taken. Support Sicily cannot be held responsible for these changes and for the reasons listed above, Support Sicily recommends that all customers review the website for the most up to date information.

 

19. Arbitration & Mediation Clause

Every dispute arising under or connected to this contract will first be object of an attempt of mediation procedure under the European Directive 2008/52/EC in accordance with the Mediation Rules of D.Lgs. 28/2010 as adopted by Italy. The seat of the mediation will be the city of Palermo. If the dispute is not resolved within 120 days of the official request for mediation, the dispute shall be settled by arbitration. The arbitrator shall have no connection with the mediator or the mediation proceedings, unless both parties have consented in writing. The Arbitral Tribunal will consist of a sole arbitrator appointed pursuant to those Rules. The arbitration will be formal. The Arbitral Tribunal will decide in accordance with the rules of EU Law adopted by Italy. The seat of the arbitration will be Palermo. The language of the arbitration will be Italian. The decision of the arbitrator will be final and binding on both parties.