Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of the ivyoak.house website and direct-booking platform (the “Site”), operated by Jacob Owens, Corey Owens, and William Owens (collectively, “Ivy & Oak,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). By accessing or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

Important: These Terms govern your use of the website and booking platform only. Your actual stay at the Property is governed separately by the Short-Term Rental Agreement & Liability Waiver (“Rental Agreement”) that you execute at checkout. In any conflict between these Terms and the Rental Agreement, the Rental Agreement controls for all matters relating to your stay. The two-document structure is intentional: these Terms handle the digital relationship; the Rental Agreement handles everything that happens at the door.

1. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years of age to use this Site or make a booking. By using the Site, you represent and warrant that:

• You are at least 18 years of age;
• You are making a reservation under your own full legal name, and that name matches the identity you will verify if Host requests government-issued identification;
• You have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract under applicable law;
• You are not barred from using the Site or receiving services under any applicable law.

Ivy & Oak reserves the right to cancel any reservation and issue a refund if, upon identity verification, the booking name does not match the verified identity.

2. Booking Process & Reservation Confirmation

Submitting a booking request through the Site does not constitute a confirmed reservation. A reservation is confirmed only when both of the following conditions are satisfied:

1. Payment successfully processed— your credit or debit card is charged in full by Stripe for the total booking amount (rental fee + $500 security deposit + applicable taxes); and
2. Rental Agreement accepted— you have checked the acknowledgment checkbox, confirming electronic execution of the Short-Term Rental Agreement & Liability Waiver.

Both conditions must occur in the same checkout session. If payment processes but the Rental Agreement is not accepted (or vice versa), no reservation is created and any charges will be refunded within 5–10 business days.

Upon confirmation, you will receive a booking confirmation via the email address associated with your account, containing your confirmation number, check-in details, and a copy of the executed Rental Agreement for your records.

3. Payments & Authorized Charges

Charge at booking:Your payment method is charged at the time of booking for: (a) the total rental fee for your stay, (b) the $500 refundable security deposit, and (c) any applicable Mississippi state sales tax (7%), Lafayette County tourism tax, and City of Oxford occupancy tax. Tax collection is handled by Ivy & Oak as required by Mississippi law and applicable local ordinances. A Stripe payment receipt itemizing all charges will be sent to your email address.

Off-session recharges:By completing a booking, you authorize Ivy & Oak to charge your stored payment method after checkout for documented damages or rule violations as described in the Rental Agreement, up to a maximum of $5,000.00 beyond the security deposit. Claims exceeding $5,000.00 will be pursued through the dispute resolution process in Section 10. You will receive documentation (photographs, invoices, or official notices) within 30 days of any post-checkout charge.

Security deposit return: The $500 security deposit will be returned to your original payment method within 14 days of checkout, less any documented deductions.

All payment processing is handled by Stripe. Ivy & Oak does not store card numbers, CVVs, or full payment details. See our Privacy Policy for details.

4. Cancellation & Refund Policy

The following refund schedule governs Guest-initiated cancellations. All cancellations must be submitted in writing through the Site's booking portal or via email to contact@ivyoak.houseand are effective upon written confirmation from Ivy & Oak.

Refunds, where applicable, are processed to the original payment method within 10 business days of confirmed cancellation.

Force majeure cancellations are governed by Section 9 of the Rental Agreement.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Site only for lawful purposes and in a manner consistent with these Terms. You agree not to:

• Make a booking under a false name or on behalf of a third party without disclosure;
• Use the Site to facilitate any illegal activity;
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Site, its servers, or its database;
• Scrape, crawl, or data-mine any content from the Site without written permission;
• Transmit malware, viruses, or other harmful code through the Site;
• Overload or otherwise interfere with the Site's infrastructure;
• Circumvent any access controls, rate limits, or security measures;
• Engage in any conduct that could expose Ivy & Oak to legal liability.

Ivy & Oak reserves the right to terminate any booking and cancel any reservation, with a full refund, if a violation of this Section is detected prior to check-in.

6. Intellectual Property

All content on the Site — including photographs, copy, branding, logos, code, and design — is owned by or licensed to Ivy & Oak and is protected by applicable United States copyright, trademark, and intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, publicly display, modify, or commercially exploit any Site content without our prior written permission. Personal, non-commercial use of the Site for booking purposes is expressly permitted.

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. IVY & OAK EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.

Availability and pricing information on the Site is subject to change without notice. Ivy & Oak is not responsible for errors or omissions in Site content.

8. Limitation of Liability — Website Only

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY MISSISSIPPI LAW, IVY & OAK'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE OR BOOKING PLATFORM IS CAPPED AT ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100.00). THIS CAP APPLIES TO ALL THEORIES OF LIABILITY, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, BREACH OF CONTRACT, AND TORT, AND REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IVY & OAK HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

IVY & OAK SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR SPECIAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE.

This Section 8 applies to website and platform liability only. Liability arising from your actual stay at the Property — including personal injury, property damage, or losses occurring at the premises — is governed exclusively by the Rental Agreement. The $100 cap in this Section does not limit or affect any remedy available under the Rental Agreement.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Ivy & Oak and its owners, agents, and representatives from and against any claims, damages, losses, fines, penalties, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from: (a) your misuse of the Site; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) any false or fraudulent information you provide in connection with a booking; or (d) any violation of applicable law by you in connection with your use of the Site. This indemnification obligation is separate from and in addition to the indemnification obligations in the Rental Agreement.

10. Dispute Resolution & Governing Law

10.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Mississippi, without regard to conflict of laws principles.

10.2 Venue

Any dispute arising from these Terms that is not resolved through the process below shall be filed exclusively in the state or federal courts of Lafayette County, Mississippi. You irrevocably consent to personal jurisdiction and venue in Lafayette County.

10.3 Informal Resolution

Before initiating any formal proceeding, both parties agree to attempt good-faith informal resolution by contacting contact@ivyoak.house and allowing 30 days to resolve the dispute informally.

10.4 Binding Arbitration

If informal resolution fails, any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of the Site (excluding emergency injunctive relief) shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, conducted by a single arbitrator in Oxford, Mississippi (or by video conference if mutually agreed). The arbitrator's decision shall be final and binding, and judgment may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Class action waiver: TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, YOU WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO BRING OR PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION, COLLECTIVE ACTION, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING IN CONNECTION WITH ANY DISPUTE COVERED BY THIS ARBITRATION CLAUSE. ALL DISPUTES MUST BE ARBITRATED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS.

10.5 Attorneys' Fees

In any arbitration or litigation where a party prevails, the prevailing party is entitled to recover reasonable attorneys' fees and costs to the extent permitted by Mississippi law.

11. Tax Disclosure

Ivy & Oak collects and remits applicable taxes on all short-term rental transactions, which currently include Mississippi State Sales Tax (7%), Lafayette County tourism tax, and City of Oxford occupancy tax, as required by applicable law and Ivy & Oak's registration with the Mississippi Department of Revenue. All applicable taxes are itemized on your Stripe payment receipt. Ivy & Oak is solely responsible for tax collection and remittance; Guest has no independent tax obligation to state or local authorities with respect to the rental transaction.

12. Modifications to These Terms

Ivy & Oak reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will post updated Terms on this page with a revised “Last Updated” date. For material changes, we will provide notice on the Site for at least 30 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Site after the effective date of any modification constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. Changes will not apply retroactively to confirmed reservations made before the effective date of the change.

13. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect. The invalid provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and if no modification is possible, it will be severed.

14. Contact

For questions about these Terms:

Ivy & Oak
ivyoak.house
contact@ivyoak.house
Oxford, Mississippi 38655