The Guest Agreement.

The agreement

By booking, you confirm you have read and agree to these policies for your stay (Farmhouse, Barnhouse, or both). Checking the box and typing your full legal name on the booking page is your electronic signature.

Check-in & check-out

Check-in is at 4:00pm. Check-out is at 10:00am. Early check-in or late check-out is not guaranteed; message the host if you need to ask.

Occupancy

Maximum occupancy is strict and non-negotiable. Overnight guests may never exceed the listed limit for the stay you booked: Farmhouse five (5) people, Barnhouse two (2) people, or both stays together seven (7) people. The Farmhouse is family-friendly. Children and infants count toward the Farmhouse limit of five. Overnight guests in the Barnhouse must be 18 or older. No children and no infants may stay overnight in the Barnhouse. On a both-stays booking, the two Barnhouse guests must be adults 18 or older, and children and infants stay in the Farmhouse only, counting toward the Farmhouse five. Day visitors count toward the limit for the stay you booked. We do not approve exceptions for any reason. Exceeding occupancy, or bringing a child or infant to stay overnight in the Barnhouse, is a material breach of this agreement. If it occurs, the host may require immediate removal of extra persons, terminate the stay without refund, and charge for additional cleaning, wear, or other damages caused by the overstay.

House rules

Parties, events, and gatherings of any kind are not allowed. This includes celebrations, group hangouts beyond your booked overnight guests, and any use of the property as a venue. If you or your guests violate this rule, you will be asked to leave immediately and you will not receive a refund. Quiet hours begin at 9:00pm. No loud music after 9:00pm. Keep voices and outdoor sound considerate for neighbors and other guests.

Pets

We have a strict no-pets policy. Animals of any kind are not allowed on the property or in either home. If you travel with a service animal, contact the host before booking at bossofgary@littleriverfarmhouse.com. Bringing a pet without prior arrangement is grounds for immediate termination of the stay with no refund, plus any cleaning or remediation costs.

Smoking & vaping

Smoking and vaping are not allowed inside either home (including bathrooms, bedrooms, and enclosed living areas). Smoking is allowed on the porches only. Guests must fully extinguish cigarettes and collect all cigarette butts and related litter. Do not throw butts in the yard, landscaping, fire pits, gravel, or anywhere else on the grounds. Butts or smoking trash left behind will result in an additional charge for cleanup. If indoor smoking or vaping odor or residue is found after your stay, you also agree to pay the full professional remediation cost equal to whatever fee our cleaning contractor invoices to remove smoke or vapor smell and related residue (plus any required materials or extra visits). The host will provide documentation of contractor charges.

Changes & cancellations

Changes and cancellations are based on the local check-in date of your reservation:

• 30 or more days before check-in: cancel for a refund of everything paid except the 3% card processing fee. That cancellation is processed automatically. Or request a date or guest-count change at no fee.
• 15 to 29 days before check-in: you may request a change for a fee of 25% of the current stay total. Earlier change fees are not part of that total. Cancellations in this window are processed automatically and receive a 50% refund of the stay total, excluding the 3% card processing fee.
• Fewer than 15 days before check-in: reservations cannot be canceled or changed, and no refund is given.

Once a reservation has been changed, it is non-refundable. You can still request another change under the fees above. Cancelling a changed reservation releases the dates and no refund is issued. Change fees are non-refundable.

The 3% card processing fee covers payment processing costs and is non-refundable.

All change requests need host approval and open dates. The host may accept the request or propose a different version, which you can accept or decline. The change is confirmed only after any amount owed is paid within 48 hours. You pay any increase in price, and price decreases are not refunded. Change fees are non-refundable. To change or cancel, use the “Change or cancel your reservation” link in your confirmation email. If you don’t have that link, email the host at Host@littleriverfarmhouse.com.

Cleaning fees and taxes are refunded in the same proportion as the stay, unless a different treatment is required by law. That proportion does not apply after a reservation has been changed, because a changed reservation is non-refundable. No-shows are treated as a cancellation inside the no-refund window. Stays ended early by the guest are non-refundable for unused nights. If we cancel your reservation for a host-side reason (other than a guest policy violation), you will receive a full refund of amounts paid for the canceled stay.

Reservations booked through our property manager (paid by check, Venmo, or Zelle) can't be changed online. Please work directly with the property manager for any changes or edits. All cancellation policies still apply.

Damage & condition / payment authorization

There is no separate security deposit collected at booking. You agree to leave the property in good condition, normal wear excepted. You are responsible for damage, missing items, stains, and extra cleaning beyond ordinary use caused by you or your guests during the stay (including smoking remediation and cigarette-butt cleanup as described above). There is no dollar cap: you agree to pay the documented actual cost.

By completing checkout, you authorize Little River Farmhouse to save the payment method used for this booking and to charge that payment method for documented damage, missing-item, and extra-cleaning amounts related to your stay. The host will document charges with photos, receipts, and/or contractor invoices and will notify you of the amount before or when the charge is made. You agree those charges may be run after check-out, including when you are not present on the booking site. If a charge fails, you still owe the amount and agree to pay promptly by another method when invoiced.

Assumption of risk, release & indemnity

You acknowledge that Little River Farmhouse and Little River Barnhouse are private rural properties with outdoor and recreational features that involve inherent risks. Those risks may include, without limitation: hot tubs and water features; river access and moving water (where available); fire pits and outdoor fireplaces; uneven, wet, or slippery ground; wildlife; farm areas, plants, and tools; stairs, decks, and porches; and the acts of other people.

You and every member of your party voluntarily assume all risk of injury, illness, death, property damage, and loss arising from use of the property and amenities, whether caused by ordinary negligence of the host or otherwise, to the fullest extent allowed by Tennessee law. You agree the host, property owner, and their agents are not liable for such injury, illness, death, damage, or loss, except to the extent caused by the host’s gross negligence or willful misconduct, or as otherwise required by law that cannot be waived.

You are solely responsible for supervising all children and guests in your party at all times. You agree to follow posted and verbal safety guidance, use amenities only as intended, and not use the hot tub or outdoor fire features while impaired.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the host and property owner from claims, damages, costs, and attorney’s fees arising out of your stay or your party’s acts or omissions, including injury to third parties and damage to neighboring property, except to the extent caused by the host’s gross negligence or willful misconduct.

This section survives check-out and applies to the Farmhouse, Barnhouse, shared grounds, and any combined booking.

Who may book

The primary guest who completes booking must be at least 25 years old and must stay on-site for the full reservation. By signing, you confirm you meet that age requirement and will be present for the stay. This booker rule applies to the Farmhouse, the Barnhouse, and both stays. Overnight guests in the Barnhouse must be 18 or older, as stated under Occupancy. The Farmhouse remains open to families.

No assignment or re-renting

You may not assign, transfer, sublet, or re-rent this reservation, or list the stay on another platform, without prior written approval from the host. The booking is only for you and the overnight guests you declared.

Host right of entry

The host (or a designated contractor) may enter the property during the stay when reasonably necessary for emergencies, urgent repairs, safety issues, or suspected policy violations. We will give notice when practical. In a true emergency, entry may occur without advance notice.

Security cameras

The Farmhouse has three exterior cameras: one on the house corner toward the driveway, one on the carport toward the driveway, and one on the back of the carport toward the barn. There are no other cameras on the Farmhouse, and none inside. The Barnhouse has cameras on the shared drive and building only. There are no cameras inside the Barnhouse and none on the private decks. By booking, you acknowledge outdoor monitoring.

Hot tub rules

Hot tubs are for registered guests only, within posted or stated capacity. No glass in or around the hot tub. No children in the hot tub without constant adult supervision. Do not use the hot tub while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Replace the cover when finished. Follow any posted chemical or safety guidance. Misuse may result in loss of hot tub privileges, early termination of the stay without refund for a serious violation, and charges for damage or extra cleaning.

Travel insurance

Because this cancellation policy is strict, we strongly encourage you to buy travel insurance that covers illness, travel delays, and trip interruption.

Force majeure

If weather, road closures, utility outages, government action, or other events beyond the host’s reasonable control affect your travel or stay, the schedule above still applies, and a change request can be submitted under the change rules. No guarantee of refund is made solely because of weather or access issues.

Governing law

This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee. Disputes will be handled in the state or federal courts serving Blount County, Tennessee, unless applicable law requires otherwise.

Electronic signature

By checking the agreement box and typing your full legal name before payment, you adopt that typed name as your electronic signature, confirm you have read this Guest Agreement, and accept it on behalf of everyone in your party.

Email list

When you join the email list from the website, or check the box while booking, we send two kinds of notes: what's happening in Townsend, and last-minute deals on open nights. We email at most a couple of times a month. We never sell or share your email address. Every email has an unsubscribe link.

Trip planner

Gary, the trip planner, stores this chat and your first name on your device so he can remember you on a later visit. Those messages are sent to an AI provider (xAI) so he can answer. We do not keep a server profile of your name. Questions he can't answer are saved and emailed to the host with emails and phone numbers stripped, so the host can improve the answers. Use Start over / forget me in the chat to clear it. The memory expires after about 90 days without a visit. Tap Shh, Gary in the chat to hide his peeks and page notes on this device for a week. More is in Get to know Gary.

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