Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using staynorthern.com, creating an account, or making a booking, you agree to these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not access or use the Stay Northern platform.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Stay Northern LLC ("Stay Northern," "we," "us," or "our"). Your use of the platform confirms your acceptance of these Terms and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference.

2. Description of Services

Stay Northern is an online marketplace that connects guests with professionally managed vacation rental properties across Wisconsin. Stay Northern operates staynorthern.com and provides booking infrastructure, guest support, and related services.

Stay Northern is not a property owner, landlord, or property manager for third-party listings. Properties listed on the platform are owned and operated by independent property managers. For properties directly managed by Stay Northern, Stay Northern acts as the property manager and accepts full responsibility in that capacity.

Stay Northern facilitates bookings between guests and property managers and charges a service fee for this facilitation. The existence of a listing on the platform does not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of any property's quality, safety, or suitability.

3. User Accounts

To make a booking on Stay Northern, you may be required to create an account. By creating an account, you agree to the following:

• Accurate information. You must provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and keep your account information up to date.
• One account per person. You may maintain only one account. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions or policies is prohibited.
• Account security. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately at legal@staynorthern.com if you suspect unauthorized use.
• Age requirement. You must be at least 18 years old to create an account or make a booking. By creating an account, you represent that you are at least 18 years of age.

Stay Northern reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, engage in fraudulent activity, or otherwise harm the platform or its users.

4. Booking and Reservations

How bookings work. A guest submits a booking request through the platform. The reservation is confirmed upon successful payment processing. For instant-book properties, confirmation occurs immediately upon successful payment. For request-to-book properties, confirmation is subject to property manager acceptance.

Guest responsibility before booking. Guests are responsible for reading the full property listing, including the property description, photos, amenities, house rules, cancellation policy, and any additional terms before completing a booking. Completing a booking constitutes acknowledgment that you have read and agree to the listing terms.

Binding agreement.A confirmed booking is a binding contract between the guest and Stay Northern / the property manager. The guest agrees to pay all applicable fees and to abide by the property's house rules.

Cancellation by Stay Northern. Stay Northern reserves the right to cancel bookings in cases of fraud, system error, pricing errors, or property unavailability. In such cases, the guest will receive a full refund including the service fee.

Minimum age. The guest who completes the booking must be at least 18 years old and must be present for the duration of the stay.

Booking guest must attend.The guest who books must be present at the property during the stay. Bookings made on behalf of another person without that person's knowledge are prohibited.

5. Fees and Payment

Stay Northern service fee. Stay Northern charges a service fee (currently 8% of the rental subtotal) at the time of booking. This fee covers platform operations, booking infrastructure, and guest support.

Two separate charges. Guests will see two separate charges: (1) a charge from Stay Northern for the service fee, and (2) a charge from the property manager for the rental amount (accommodation, cleaning fees, and applicable taxes). These are processed through separate payment accounts.

Currency. All prices displayed on Stay Northern are in US dollars (USD).

Price changes. Prices displayed are subject to change until a booking is confirmed. The price quoted at the time you initiate checkout is the price you will be charged, provided the booking is completed without interruption.

6. Cancellation and Refund Policy

Property-specific policies. Each property has its own cancellation policy set by the property manager. This policy is displayed on the listing page and must be reviewed by the guest before completing a booking.

Stay Northern service fee refund.The Stay Northern service fee is refundable if cancellation occurs before the property's applicable cancellation deadline. The service fee is non-refundable if the stay has occurred or the cancellation deadline has passed.

Default cancellation policy.Where no property-specific cancellation policy is stated, Stay Northern's default policy applies:

• Full refund of the rental amount if cancelled more than 30 days before check-in, minus applicable credit card processing fees
• No refund if cancelled within 30 days of check-in, unless otherwise stated

Refund processing time. Approved refunds are processed within 5–10 business days to the original payment method. Processing times may vary depending on your financial institution.

Property unavailability.In cases where a property becomes unavailable due to Stay Northern's or the property manager's actions, guests will receive a full refund including the service fee.

Force majeure. Cancellations due to force majeure events (natural disasters, government-issued travel restrictions, declared states of emergency) are handled on a case-by-case basis. Contact legal@staynorthern.com for assistance.

7. Guest Responsibilities

By completing a booking, you agree to the following responsibilities:

• House rules compliance. You must comply with all house rules posted on the listing. Violation of house rules may result in removal from the property without refund.
• Maximum occupancy. The number of guests may not exceed the maximum occupancy listed for the property at any time during the stay, including day visitors.
• Property damage. You are responsible for any damage to the property or its contents during your stay beyond normal wear and tear. You may be charged for damages following the stay.
• No illegal activities. No illegal activities are permitted on or at the property at any time.
• Smoking. Smoking is not permitted unless explicitly stated as permitted in the listing. Violations may result in additional charges.
• Pets. Pets are permitted only at properties that explicitly state pet-friendly accommodations. Bringing unauthorized pets may result in additional charges and removal from the property.
• Check-in and check-out times. Guests must observe the check-in and check-out times specified in the listing and booking confirmation.
• Safety. Guests are responsible for their own safety and the safety of their party, including adherence to watercraft safety rules, fire safety, and applicable local ordinances.
• Age. The booking guest must be at least 18 years old and present throughout the stay.

8. Property Manager Responsibilities

Stay Northern works with professional property managers who are independently responsible for the properties they list. Property managers are required to:

• Provide accurate property descriptions, photos, and amenity listings
• Ensure properties are clean and in the condition described at check-in
• Respond promptly to guest communications before, during, and after stays
• Address maintenance issues that affect guest comfort and safety
• Comply with all applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations, including short-term rental licensing requirements
• Carry appropriate property and liability insurance
• Honor confirmed bookings made through the Stay Northern platform

9. Stay Northern's Role and Limitations

Stay Northern operates as a marketplace platform and booking facilitator. Stay Northern does not own, manage, or control the third-party listed properties on the platform.

Directly managed properties. For properties directly managed by Stay Northern, Stay Northern accepts full responsibility as the property manager.

Listing accuracy. Stay Northern makes reasonable efforts to verify property listings but does not independently verify all information provided by property managers. Guests should review listing details carefully and contact Stay Northern with questions before booking.

10. Prohibited Uses

You may not use Stay Northern to:

• Make fraudulent bookings or payment transactions
• Circumvent, manipulate, or abuse the booking or payment system
• Scrape, copy, harvest, or reproduce platform content without written permission
• Harass, threaten, or harm other users, guests, or property managers
• Violate any applicable local, state, federal, or international law or regulation
• Use the platform for any commercial purpose other than booking a personal vacation stay
• Book properties for parties, events, commercial photography, or filming without prior written approval from Stay Northern and the property manager
• Use automated tools, bots, or scripts to access or interact with the platform
• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to Stay Northern systems or other users' accounts

11. Intellectual Property

All content on staynorthern.com — including text, photography, lake data, trail guides, logos, software, and platform design — is owned by or licensed to Stay Northern LLC.

Wisconsin DNR lake and trail data is sourced from public records and attributed accordingly. This data is made available under applicable open data policies.

Property listing photos remain the intellectual property of their respective owners and are licensed to Stay Northern for display purposes on the platform.

You may not reproduce, distribute, publicly display, or create derivative works from Stay Northern content without prior written permission. Limited personal, non-commercial use (such as saving or printing content for your own reference) is permitted.

12. Lake and Outdoor Activity Information

Stay Northern provides lake data, trail information, and outdoor activity guides for informational purposes only. This information is sourced from the Wisconsin DNR and other public sources and may not be current, complete, or accurate.

13. Disclaimer of Warranties

14. Limitation of Liability

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages. In such jurisdictions, the above limitations apply to the maximum extent permitted by law.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Stay Northern, its officers, directors, employees, contractors, and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or relating to: (a) your use of the Stay Northern platform; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any third-party rights, including intellectual property rights; (d) any damage you or your guests cause to a property; (e) any dispute between you and a property manager; or (f) your violation of any applicable law or regulation.

16. Dispute Resolution

Informal resolution. Before filing any legal claim against Stay Northern, you agree to contact us at legal@staynorthern.com and attempt to resolve the dispute informally. You and Stay Northern agree to engage in good-faith negotiations for at least 30 days before initiating formal proceedings.

Binding arbitration.Any dispute not resolved informally shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, which are available at adr.org. The arbitration shall be conducted in English and, unless otherwise agreed, shall be resolved through written submissions or videoconference.

Exceptions. Either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction for intellectual property violations or to prevent irreparable harm pending arbitration.

Small claims. Either party may bring qualifying claims in small claims court rather than arbitration.

17. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Wisconsin, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any legal proceedings not subject to the arbitration clause above shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts of competent jurisdiction located in the State of Wisconsin, and you hereby consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.

18. Changes to Terms

Stay Northern reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material changes — including changes to payment terms, liability provisions, or dispute resolution procedures — will be communicated via email to registered users and/or by a prominent notice on the site at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Non-material changes may take effect immediately. Continued use of the platform after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

19. Termination

Stay Northern may suspend or terminate your access to the platform at any time, with or without notice, for violation of these Terms, fraudulent or abusive activity, or any other reason at Stay Northern's sole discretion.

Upon termination, confirmed upcoming reservations will be honored unless the termination was due to fraudulent activity, in which case Stay Northern reserves the right to cancel affected reservations. You may request account deletion at any time by contacting legal@staynorthern.com. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination — including intellectual property rights, disclaimers, indemnification, and limitation of liability — will survive.

20. Severability and Entire Agreement

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, or severed if modification is not possible. The remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

These Terms, together with the Stay Northern Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Stay Northern LLC regarding your use of the platform and supersede all prior and contemporaneous agreements, representations, and understandings.