Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of stayinlakeland.com (the “Site”), operated by OKO Labs Inc. d/b/a Stay in Lakeland (“Stay in Lakeland,” “we,” or “us”). By using the Site you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Site.

1. What Stay in Lakeland Is

Stay in Lakeland is an independent local travel guide and guest concierge service for Lakeland, Florida. We showcase curated short-term rentals, publish tourism content, and offer optional marketing and guest-support services to property owners. Some owners also ask us to send their quote and their rental agreement to a guest by email. We are not a lodging provider and we are not a party to any rental agreement between a guest and an owner. Every booking, payment, and stay obligation runs between the guest and the property owner, or the platform the owner listed on (such as Airbnb or VRBO). Section 2 sets out what that means in practice.

2. Direct Bookings Through This Site

Some owners send their quote and rental agreement through us, and take payment by card or bank transfer into their own Stripe account. Others collect by check, Zelle, or cash. Either way, this is who does what:

• The agreement is with the owner. You accept the owner’s terms. Stay in Lakeland is not a party to that agreement, is not the landlord, and is not acting as anyone’s agent or broker. We pass the owner’s terms along without changing them.
• We never hold your money. Card and bank payments go straight to the property owner’s own payment account. Stay in Lakeland does not collect rent, does not take deposits, and does not hold guest funds at any point.
• The owner sets the price and the tax. Any tax shown on a quote was entered by the owner. We do not calculate it, collect it, or remit it to the State of Florida or Polk County. Tax questions go to the owner.
• No commission or booking fee on the stay. There is no guest service fee and no owner commission on a booking. Nothing you pay for a stay reaches us. Stay in Lakeland is funded by local businesses that advertise with us, not by your booking.
• We do not guarantee any stay. We do not inspect properties, confirm availability, or stand behind the price, the condition of the home, or the cancellation policy. The property owner is solely responsible for the stay, what it costs, the taxes on it, and the terms under which it can be cancelled or refunded. A dispute about a stay is between you and the owner.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract to use the Site. Property owners represent that they have legal authority to list each property they submit and that their listings comply with local zoning, licensing, tax, and HOA rules in Lakeland and Polk County, Florida.

4. Guest Use of the Site

• You may browse listings, destination guides, and travel content for personal, non-commercial use.
• You may contact property owners through our forms, understanding that responses come from owners, not Stay in Lakeland.
• You may not scrape, copy, or republish Site content without written permission.
• You are responsible for any booking, payment, or stay arrangement you make with a property owner or third-party platform.

5. Property Owner Listings

Property owners who list through Stay in Lakeland agree to the following:

• Accurate information. Listings must accurately describe the property, amenities, pricing, rules, occupancy limits, and any known safety considerations. Photos must depict the actual property.
• Legal compliance. Owners are solely responsible for obtaining required Polk County and City of Lakeland business licenses, state vacation-rental licenses, DBPR registration, sales and tourist development tax collection and remittance, HOA approvals, and insurance. Stay in Lakeland does not provide legal or tax advice.
• Content license. By submitting text, photos, or other materials, owners grant Stay in Lakeland a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to display, adapt, and promote that content on the Site, in marketing, and on partner channels while the listing is active.
• Listing removal. We may remove or decline any listing that violates these Terms, law, or our quality standards. Owners may request removal at any time; reasonable processing time applies.

6. Concierge and Marketing Services

Stay in Lakeland offers optional guest concierge, marketing, and listing-management services under separate service agreements. Pricing, scope, and cancellation terms for those services are described on our pricing page and in each signed engagement. Nothing in these Terms creates an exclusive agency relationship or obligates us to list, promote, or continue service for any property.

7. Refunds and Cancellations

The directory listing on Stay in Lakeland is provided free of charge and is not a paid service. The following terms apply only to optional paid services we offer (such as concierge engagements, premium placement, marketing packages, or sponsored guides) and to advertising purchased on the Site:

• One-time fees and setup work. Setup, onboarding, photography, copywriting, and similar project-based fees are non-refundable once work has begun. If you cancel before any work is performed, you receive a full refund.
• Recurring monthly services. You may cancel at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current paid month. We do not pro-rate partial months. Already-paid months are non-refundable except where required by law.
• Annual prepaid services and advertising. Cancellations within 14 days of the initial purchase are eligible for a full refund minus any work already delivered. After 14 days, remaining months are non-refundable but service continues through the paid term.
• Service failure refunds. If we fail to deliver an agreed-upon deliverable and cannot remedy the issue within 30 days of written notice, you may request a refund of the fees paid for that specific deliverable.
• Disputed charges. Contact billing@stayinlakeland.com before initiating a chargeback. We aim to resolve billing disputes within 10 business days.

Stay in Lakeland does not collect, hold, or refund nightly rental payments. Refunds for stays are governed by the booking platform (Airbnb, VRBO, etc.) or the property owner’s direct booking terms.

8. Third-Party Platforms and Links

The Site links to third-party booking platforms, maps, reviews, and attractions. We do not control and are not responsible for the content, policies, availability, or pricing of those third parties. Transactions conducted on third-party platforms are governed by those platforms’ terms.

9. Intellectual Property

Site design, logos, written guides, curated lists, and aggregate property data are the intellectual property of Stay in Lakeland or our licensors. You may share short quotations and links with attribution. Any other reproduction, modification, or distribution requires written permission.

10. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the Site for unlawful, harmful, deceptive, or fraudulent activity.
• Submit false listings, fake inquiries, spam, or content that infringes others’ rights.
• Attempt to bypass authentication, scrape data at scale, or interfere with Site operation.
• Post content that is defamatory, harassing, discriminatory, or violates privacy.

11. Disclaimers

The Site, content, and services are provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, availability, and accuracy. We do not warrant that listings, availability, pricing, or third-party content are current or error-free. Travel inherently carries risk; you are responsible for evaluating properties, reviews, and local conditions before booking.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Stay in Lakeland and its officers, employees, and contractors will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages arising from or related to your use of the Site, any listing, any stay, or any third-party platform — even if advised of the possibility. Our total aggregate liability for any claim will not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid Stay in Lakeland directly in the twelve months before the claim, or (b) US $100.

13. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Stay in Lakeland from any claim, damage, loss, or expense (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of your use of the Site, any content you submit, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.

14. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Site or any service at any time, with or without notice, for conduct that we believe violates these Terms or is otherwise harmful. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including IP, disclaimers, liability limits, and indemnification) will survive.

15. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, USA, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Site will be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Polk County, Florida, and you consent to their jurisdiction. You and Stay in Lakeland each waive any right to a jury trial and to participate in class actions to the extent permitted by law.

16. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Effective” date above. For material changes, we will provide notice on the Site or by email to account holders. Continued use of the Site after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

Business directory profiles and optional sponsored placement are also governed by our Business Listing and Sponsored Placement Terms. Basic business profiles are free; optional sponsored positioning is separately purchased and clearly labeled.

17. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email legal@stayinlakeland.com or write to OKO Labs Inc. d/b/a Stay in Lakeland, 200 S. Andrews Ave, Suite 504, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301, USA.