Terms of Service

Last updated October 21, 2026

Forest Harbour Lake House is our family cottage at 38 Forest Harbour Parkway, Waubaushene, Ontario, owned and run by Sheldon Caines and his wife Nancy ("we", "us"). These terms apply when you use forestharbourlakehouse.com, ask us a question, or book a stay directly with us. By using the site or sending a booking request, you agree to them.

• Booking
• Payment
• Cancellation
• Your stay
• Safety
• Using this website
• Reviews
• Legal

1. Booking

• Sending a booking request through the site does not confirm a booking or charge you. We reply within 24 hours to confirm or decline.
• Once we confirm, we email you the payment details and a link to sign the rental agreement online. Your dates are held once the 30% deposit is paid.
• The person booking must be 25 or older, sign in with a Google account, give accurate details, and stay at the house for the whole visit. They are responsible for everyone in their group and any visitors.
• No more than 7 guests may stay overnight, including children and babies.
• Your signed rental agreement is part of these terms. If the two ever differ, the rental agreement applies to your stay.
• Bookings made on Airbnb, Vrbo, Expedia or Booking.com follow that platform's own terms, payment and cancellation rules.

2. Prices and payment

• Prices are for the whole house, in Canadian dollars. Cleaning is included. HST (13%) is added.
• Optional extras are added to your total when you book: dogs ($100 per dog, per stay), the fishing boat ($150 a day or $500 a week, fuel included) and fresh hot tub water before your stay ($200).
• A 30% deposit is due when we confirm. The balance and a refundable $500 damage deposit are due 30 days before arrival. If you book within 30 days of arrival, the full amount is due when we confirm.
• We accept Interac e-Transfer and card payments through Stripe. Your card details are handled by Stripe and never pass through this website.
• Protect yourself from scams: only pay after we confirm your dates by email from stay@forestharbourlakehouse.com. We will never ask you to pay a different person or account, or to pay by gift card, wire transfer or crypto.
• Discount codes apply to the nights only, before HST, can't be combined, and may have dates, limits or an expiry.
• We may change our prices at any time, but never for a booking we have already confirmed.

3. Cancellation, changes and the damage deposit

• Cancel 60 or more days before arrival: full refund of what you've paid.
• Cancel 30 to 59 days before arrival: 50% refund.
• Cancel less than 30 days before arrival: no refund, unless another guest books your dates.
• Please cancel or ask for date changes in writing, by email. Date changes depend on availability and the new dates' prices.
• Weather, ice, road conditions, illness and travel problems don't change these terms, so we recommend travel insurance.
• If we ever have to cancel, you get a full refund of everything you've paid.
• Leaving early does not earn a refund for unused nights.
• We inspect the cottage after check-out and return the damage deposit within 7 days if there's no damage, missing items, extra cleaning or broken rules. Any deduction is explained in writing. Costs above $500 remain the responsibility of the person booking.

4. Your stay

• Check-in is from 3:00 PM and check-out is by 11:00 AM, unless we agree otherwise in writing.
• Please follow the house rules: no parties or events, quiet after midnight, smoking outside only, and up to 4 vehicles in the driveway plus trailers.
• Dogs are welcome with the dog fee. Other pets need our OK first.
• If there's a serious breach, such as a party, too many guests or unsafe behaviour, we may end the stay without a refund.
• We may enter with notice for repairs, or without notice in an emergency or if there's a safety risk.
• Wi-Fi, power, water, TV and other services can sometimes fail for reasons outside our control. We'll fix problems as quickly as we can, but outages are not grounds for a refund.
• Please report any damage or problems right away by calling or texting Sheldon at (647) 640-2589 or Nancy at (416) 454-7566.

5. Safety and amenities

• You use the dock, beach, water, hot tub, fire pit, kayak, paddleboard, bicycles, trampoline, zip line, fishing boat and the ice at your own risk.
• There's no lifeguard. An adult must supervise children near the water, the hot tub and the play equipment at all times. Wear life jackets on the kayak, paddleboard and boat.
• Anyone driving the fishing boat must hold a Pleasure Craft Operator Card and stay sober. Fishing and hunting licences are your responsibility.
• Going out on the ice is at your own risk. Check the thickness and never go alone. We don't provide ice fishing gear.
• Your own ATVs, side-by-sides, snowmobiles and boats need valid permits and insurance, and are brought at your own risk.
• Black bears and other wildlife live in the area. Keep food and garbage inside or in the locked bins.
• To the extent the law allows, we are not responsible for injury, loss or damage arising from your group's use of the property and its amenities, or for your vehicles, boats or belongings, except where caused by our gross negligence.

6. Using this website

• We work hard to keep the information on this site accurate, including prices, availability, distances and the weather box, but mistakes can happen. Your confirmation email and rental agreement are what count.
• Some activity and background photos are illustrative stock photos, and they are labelled where they appear. Photos of the house and property are real.
• Chippy, our chat helper, answers from the information on this site. His answers are a guide only. For anything important, ask us directly.
• Drive times, maps, boat routes, trail maps and the live weather come from third parties and are a guide only, not for navigation or safety decisions.
• Please don't misuse the site: no fake bookings, spam, automated scraping of the booking system, or attempts to get around the security checks.
• The site's words, photos, videos, logo and our mascot belong to us or are used with permission. Please ask before reusing them.
• Links to other websites are for your convenience. We aren't responsible for their content.

7. Reviews

• Reviews on this site are written by guests who sign in with Google. We show your first name, last initial, rating and words, never your email.
• We read every review before it's published. We don't edit what you write, but we may decline reviews that are abusive, off topic, include personal information, or aren't from a real stay.
• By posting a review, you let us show it on this site.

8. Privacy, changes and law

• We handle your personal information as described on our privacy page.
• We may update these terms from time to time. The date at the top shows the latest version. Confirmed bookings keep the terms that applied when they were confirmed.
• These terms are governed by the laws of Ontario and Canada. Nothing in them limits rights you have under Ontario consumer protection law.

Contact

Sheldon Caines and Nancy, Forest Harbour Lake House
38 Forest Harbour Parkway, Waubaushene, ON L0K 2C0
stay@forestharbourlakehouse.com · (647) 640-2589 (Sheldon) · (416) 454-7566 (Nancy)

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