Can’t find your answer? Write to us through the contact page.
For owners
Who counts as a founding owner?
Every owner who signs up before our public launch day is a founding owner. Founding owners get Dock & Loon Pro free until their first booking through Dock & Loon.
Is listing really free?
Yes. Listing is free for every owner, with no yearly fee and no card needed to start. No commission on your rent; the only deduction from your rent is standard card processing, paid to Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30 on each card payment for Canadian cards, charged on the full amount the renter pays, including our service fee and taxes. Cards from outside Canada cost more. Renters pay a Dock & Loon service fee of 6%, or 3% for your returning guests, inside the all-in price.
What does Pro add, and when do founding owners start paying for it?
Dock & Loon Pro, $399 a year, is optional. It adds advanced exports in the D&L Ledger: every entry for all your properties in one CSV file, and one printable summary for all your properties. Founding owners have Pro free until their first booking through Dock & Loon. After that, Pro starts only if you choose it. There is no automatic charge.
Do I need a permit to list?
It depends on your township. Some townships require a short-term rental licence; some, such as Collingwood, allow short-term rentals only in the owner’s principal residence; others have no licence by-law. Use the free Township Rules Check to see what your township’s rules say, with the source and the date checked. You can create a listing at any time. Booking opens once your cottage is D&L Checked, which includes your township status, and your township’s accommodation-tax status is on record.
What does D&L Checked check, and what doesn’t it?
Three things, each with a date: your identity through Stripe Identity; an ownership document (tax bill, MPAC notice or title), which our staff look at and then delete; and your township status, either a licence confirmed with the township or, where no licence by-law was found, your signed declaration. It does not cover building safety, septic, insurance, zoning or the owner’s conduct. Read more.
How do payouts work?
Renters pay through your own Stripe account: 50% when you accept and the balance 30 days before arrival (the full amount if arrival is less than 30 days away). Stripe takes its processing fee on each payment and pays out to your bank on Stripe’s schedule. Your payout is your rent, your required fees, the extras the renter chose, the municipal accommodation tax, and the HST on your stay if you are HST-registered, minus Stripe’s fees. If you are not HST-registered, Dock & Loon collects and remits the GST/HST on stays under one month. Your dashboard shows the breakdown before you accept.
Can I keep my listings on Airbnb and Vrbo?
Yes. Paste the calendar link (iCal) from Airbnb, Vrbo or another site, and booked dates show as not available on Dock & Loon. You can also share your Dock & Loon calendar link with those sites. Calendars update about every 15 minutes, so check both sites before you accept a request. Check each site’s own rules.
Can I cancel?
Yes. You can remove your listing at any time through the contact page, and Pro never renews or charges without your choice. If you must cancel a confirmed booking, the renter gets back everything they paid, including the service fee, and repeated owner cancellations can lead to removal. See the Owner terms.
For renters
Is the price I see the price I pay?
Yes. The all-in price includes the rent, the owner’s fees, the Dock & Loon service fee and taxes. Optional extras are added only if you pick them. The security deposit is not part of the price.
When am I charged?
Nothing is charged when you send a request; your card is saved. If the owner accepts, the first payment (50%) is charged. You pay 50% when the owner accepts and the balance 30 days before arrival. If arrival is less than 30 days away, you pay the full amount when the owner accepts.
Why is my card saved?
For the balance payment and for documented damage claims under the rental agreement.
When do I get the address?
After the owner confirms your booking. Arrival instructions follow from 48 hours before check-in.
How do cancellations work?
Each owner picks a policy. You see it before you pay. Cancellations and deposits.
Someone asked me to pay by e-Transfer. What do I do?
Do not pay. Tell us through the contact page. Scam safety.