PayPal payments:

We will credit the amount that we receive. If you do not select the “send to friends and family” option, or are sending from a country where PayPal charges fees, we are not responsible for these fees. When your security deposit is returned, you will receive the amount that we received one month after your departure date.

For rent / room stay payments, we will cover any PayPal or other money remittance fees.

Room Reservations:

If you are unable to rent a room that you reserve, this is lost income for the owner(s) of the building, who could have rented to someone else during the time you reserved. For this reason, your entire security deposit will be deducted if you cancel less than 48 hours before your planned/scheduled arrival or booking. The only exception would be if we are indeed able to find another tenant during the first month of your reserved stay, resulting in no lost income. In this case, we will refund your security deposit, minus a $20 reservation fee to cover scheduling and correspondence. For early departures half the price of the remaining rent will be deducted.

General Deductions:

  • $10 each instance of leaving messes in community areas, including leaving rotting fruit/veggies, or smelly things/trash – we are an eco village, please respect our environment and take away any trash you bring in.
  • $50 for disrespecting the drug policy – see Diet and lifestyle or leaving earlier than 1 month minimum for volunteering.
  • $20 for arriving in the middle of the night or noise disturbances that bother neighbor properties. As per our arrival policy, if your arrival in the area falls during nighttime hours after dark, please stay in a hotel at Gualaquiza or El Pangui and come to Fruit Haven in the morning after sunrise.
  • $10 for lost key (locker or room)
  • $30 for lost key and lock (some rooms have locks provided)
  • $30 for lost book from the FH1 library
  • $4 for broken or stolen plate, glass or other dishes
  • $5/hour for occupying workers time on personal tasks
  • $5/day for late rent – Rent is due on arrival

Pro-Rating Rent Payments:

Should you decide to leave early, we will not precisely pro-rate monthly room or camping rent because those rates are based on monthly stays and our costs associated increase for shorter stays. We will pro-rate on a sliding scale between our month rate and our day or week rates.

Forfeiture of Security Deposit:

  • If you do not request the return of your security deposit within 1 month after leaving Fruit Haven, it will be forfeited and considered as a donation to the community fund.
  • If we have to file a missing persons report for you, your entire deposit will be forfeited.
  • If you engage in theft or other criminal activity while here, your entire deposit will be forfeited.
  • If you cancel less than 48 hours before your planned/scheduled arrival or booking or reservation.
  • After 10 months of leaving and not utilizing your security deposit on future rentals the deposit is forfeited.
  • If you do not fill out an arrival confirmation after 24 months the deposit is forfeited.

Note: all deposit money forfeiture or deductions (not including remittance fees) are converted to donatation to the community and considered non-recoverable (helps to continue the development and maintenance of our food forest ecovillage community areas).