Milligan & Milligan

FAQ

Home > FAQ

FAQ

On how to book your apartment in Florence

 

Frequently Asked Questions

PROPERTY STANDARDS
We have selected our properties for their LOCATION, furnishing and amenities as well as for for their price. Those properties indicated as “only adults ” or “ not for students” are usually of a higher standard and/or in quiet building where the owner prefers to rent to more mature guests. Some owners have a “no children” policy this is usually for safety reason, such as low balconies, or stairwells with low railing, or due to the costly and delicate antique furniture.
The majority of our properties are centrally located so you can walk everywhere. Slightly less expensive properties may be in the more residential areas of Florence where you can easily take a bus or the “tramvia” to the center.
Florence is a safe city compared to most cities of its size.
For most of our country and hillside properties it is advisable to have a car as rural transportation is less frequent and in any case shopping is difficult by bus.
Each property has an accurate description of what is provided in the apartment, most have washing machine, many have air conditioning, irons, hairdryers and have internet already installed, very few have dryers.
All of our properties have electric, heating and plumbing systems that are declared legally certified at European Union standard.
All properties are furnished with kitchen ware, linens.

PRICING
Pricing in based on the period of stay. Usually the longer the lease the lower the price per day is applied.
The prices indicated include:
• Rent for the period indicated in a fully furnished apartment
• Agency fees and vat tax
• Contract Registration tax where applicable
• Final cleaning (see below*)
• Issuing a Codice Fiscale (your Italian tax number) necessary for rentals over 29 days.
• Assistance during your stay for problems with the property
• Suggestions and help during your stay for, travel, baggage medical needs etc.
• A refundable damage deposit is required before moving in and will vary according to the length of stay and the apartment furnishing. It will be stated in your booking and on the contract. To facilitate deposit return we request that this fee be paid by credit card on line so we can reverse charges directly to your card once the apartment has been checked and utility calculations made .

Not included  are Utility fees  (electricity water and gas) these will be calculated  through meter readings and paid monthly for rentals over 2 months or at the end of your stay for rentals under 2 months.
There are many variables that influence utility consumption: weather, number of guests, length of showers, number of loads of laundry done, temperature maintained in the house. 

Not included is City or Sojourn tax where applicable : for all rentals under 30 days a city imposed sojourn tax  is required  of 3 Euros per person over 12 years of age for the first 7 days of stay.

 *Final cleaning fees are included and are considered for a property. Extra may be charged if the property is left in a bad state.

Once we have received the booking fee, we will send you receipt for the payment, a contract for your stay in the apartment and any additional information you will need to meet us in Florence!
Balance is either due one month before arrival via credit card or bank transfer or by credit card only at check in. For rentals over 3 months it is possible to pay first and last month’s rent and the rest in installments.

It is possible to book weely cleaning and linen change at an extra cost based on apartment size and number of  guests. You can reserve this service once  in Florence.

APARTMENT VIEWING
We would be happy show you a couple of apartments previous to booking for rentals over 30 days. Please contact us in advance as most of our properties are occupied so we must contract the guest and set up a time with minimum 48 hours notice. We have done our utmost to write accurate descriptions and put as many photographs as possible for each property so you can feel confident about renting “without seeing”.

RESERVATION TERMS
The duration of contract is indicated with check in and check out dates. Changes to arrival and departure dates are accepted if the property is still available and the communication of changed dates occurs 60 days prior to the initial reservation date. 
In the case of cancellation of the reservation prior to the beginning of the lease owners will retain the following fees:
 No deposit refunded and all fees must be paid if the cancellation is 0-30 days prior to first day of lease or once it has started.
50% of deposit withheld if cancellation is 30 – 60 days prior to beginning of contract
25% of deposit is withheld I cancellation is more than 60 days prior to beginning of contract
For full details go to: TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Once your reservation is confirmed, we will send you the rental confirmation contract which can be used to apply for your visa.

DAMAGES AND BREAKAGE
If anything in your rental apartment is damaged or broken upon arrival please report this immediately. You could be responsible for replacements and/or repairs otherwise – and fees could be deducted from your security deposit.
If something breaks during your stay please inform us as soon as possible so we can have it repaired. Italian rental laws state that the tenant is responsible for repairs, cost of repairs and maintenance but as is reasonable in short term rentals this cannot be applied totally. In the case of negligence or damage to more expensive objects, furniture etc will you be charged. It is best do not try to repair things yourself as the owner has the right to refuse repairs done incorrectly, without warrantee, or by non licensed professional.

ARRIVAL AND CHECK IN 
We ask that you send us your itinerary at least 10 days prior to arrival so as to organize you check in with our staff or the owner of the apartment. Based on your anticipated arrival time we will have someone ready to meet you at the apartment as soon as you call to say that are on your way to the apartment. As schedules can change we will provide you with the contact number to call upon your arrival in Florence or to update us if your plans have changed.
We will always request you to call this number when you arrive in Florence. We will meet you outside the building and show you around the property as well as take the utility meter readings. Another suggestion is to have whatsapp installed on your cell phone as it is free and you can instant message or call us.
Check in time is  14:00-19:00,  arrivals after 19:00 may have a surcharge of 30 Euros.   Due to condominium regulations in most buildings it is not possible to check in after 22:00, please respect this as  our rental apartmenst are provate homes.

LOST BAGGAGE
If you baggage is lost we suggest you leave our  office address for delivery so you do not have waste precious vacation time sitting at home waiting for it to be delivered (AS THE NEVER CALL TO INFORM YOU OF THE DELIVERY TIME!)

PETS
In general our owners will not allow pets. We do have some apartments that are animal friendly but most will ask for an extra pet deposit in case of damage or extra cleaning.

CARS
If you will be staying in Florence we suggest that you rent a car only for the period you will be travelling outside the city. The most central part of the city is a pedestrian zone, surrounding this is a central area where only permanent residents with permits can drive in or park. It is therefore only possible to drive into the center with a temporary permit (max 24 hours) that you must request from the police or some evenings. If you will have a car we have an agreement with FIR PARKING They have several garages that are centrally located where they offer daily, weekly and monthly parking rates. If you are parking in their garages you will be able to enter the permit zone, paying 1 euro per entrance they will send your license plate to the local authorities so you are not fined (white list or lista bianca).

WHAT TO BRING
Baggage allowance on most flights is limited and overweight baggage costs are usually quite high so we suggest you pack as lightly as possible.
The important things are: medication for the full period of your stay as it is very hard to get medicines though postal customs. If this is not possible it may be possible to fill your prescription through an Italian doctor.
If you will be relying on a credit card for cash and payments do make sure you have informed your bank you will be travelling. There is a daily, weekly and month limit on most card for international withdrawal (regardless of what you may have in your account). It is a good idea to have a back up card in case you go over your limit.
Heating in Italian homes  is kept, by law, at a much lower temperature and for fewer hours than in  many other countries. Most properties have timer thermostat so you can set for the times you wish . We do suggest you bring warm sleepwear , slippers, heavy socks and sweaters if you will be staying in the winter months.
We suggest that you bring as few electrical appliances as possible,  Italy has a 220V system . Cameras, laptops and cell phones have internal adapters but other  devices need  an external adapter and often do not function well.

MAIL
We will be glad to hold you mail and packages here at our office and write you an email when you have received something. We suggest this, as not all apartments have separate tenant mailboxes and often mail that arrives after your departure is lost.
If you will be receiving a package make sure the sender has checked out customs costs, declaring that the sender is paying all costs. Often declaring high value on a package means you will be paying high duty taxes. It is a good idea to indicate that you are receiving used personal items or a gift  with a list so it is clear that the contents of the package has little or no commercial value.
If a package arrives with more than  duty tax to be paid we will refuse it until we can contact you to authorize us to pay the fees. You will need to reimburse us when you collect the package. In any case customs duty must be reimbursed in cash to our office when you collect your mail.

Always indicate:
YOUR NAME
c/o MILLIGAN & MILLIGAN
Via Degli Alfani 64R
50121 FIRENZE, ITALY