Cottages Terms and Conditions

Cottages terms and conditions

In these booking conditions, ‘you’ and ‘your’ means all people named on the booking form (including anyone who is added or replaced at a later date). ‘We’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ means the owner. 

Before booking through us, please read these booking conditions carefully and all the other information relevant to your booking, including:

• the property rental conditions (which means all information in any specific conditions or restrictions set out in the brochure or website description of your chosen properties); and
• the Important information section of the brochure, the website or other publication we tell you about.

 

1 Making your booking
All bookings depend on the property being available. You as the person in charge of the party (the party leader) must be at least 18 years old at the time of booking. All other members of the party must authorise you to make the booking on the basis of these conditions. By making the booking, you confirm that you are authorised to make the booking and that all other members of the party agree that the booking will be governed by these conditions. You are responsible for making all payments due to us.
As long as the property is available and we have received all the relevant payments, we will give you written confirmation (see below) as soon as reasonably possible. This confirmation will show your booking details and the amount you still owe for the booking. Your binding contract with the owner will begin when we issue the written confirmation. For bookings made within 14 days of the departure date, you will have a binding contract with the owner when we give spoken or email confirmation of your booking to you or your travel agent and you have made the appropriate payments to us or your travel agent. If we pay the deposit into our bank account, it will not mean we have accepted a booking.
We will give you your written confirmation either by post or by email. If you book with us online, we will acknowledge that we have received your booking and then send you confirmation electronically or by email. If you book by post or phone, we will send your confirmation to you by post unless you tell us at the time of booking that you would prefer it to be provided electronically or by email. It is your responsibility to check your emails regularly and to let us know about any change to your email address.
We have the right to refuse any booking before we send you your written confirmation. If we do this, we will tell you in writing and promptly refund any money you have paid to us. In this case, we will not have any legal responsibility to you.
As soon as you receive your confirmation, you must check the details carefully. If anything is not correct, you should tell us immediately. If you book through a travel agent, we will send your confirmation and all other documents to your travel agent.

2 Payment
When you book, you should pay the deposit amount then due by debit or credit card, or by sending us a cheque. (We only accept payment in pounds sterling.) We must then receive the rest of the money owed no less than 10 weeks before the start of your trip. However, if you book less than 10 weeks before the start of your trip, we must receive full payment of the total cost when you make the booking. For any accommodation booked less than two weeks before your intended stay, you must pay for the booking in full by direct debit or credit card, or by bank transfer, at the time of booking.  
If you do not pay any payment due in relation to your booking by the appropriate date we are entitled to assume that you want to cancel your booking. In this case, we will be entitled to keep all deposits paid or due at that date.
3 Pricing
We may increase or reduce the prices of unsold products and services or correct mistakes in pricing at any time before we confirm your trip. We will confirm the price of your booking when you make it. As changes and mistakes can happen, you must check all details at the time of booking.

All prices quoted or otherwise given to you include all charges and any taxes or government charges which may apply to your booking at the time it is made.
We can pass on to you, in full, after we have confirmed your booking, all costs or charges the owner or service provider makes to us which are connected with your accommodation, including any price increases due to changes in the rates of currency.
All prices are for the property and are not on a per person basis.
4 Offers with a low deposit
Occasionally, we make offers giving you the chance to book properties with either no deposit, or a deposit which is lower than usual. We will give you details of any extra terms that may apply to the offer before, or when, you make your booking. You should read these with these booking conditions. If you book a property with either no deposit or one which is lower than usual, you also agree to pay the difference between the amount paid and the usual deposit, either at the time the balance of your booking is due or, if you cancel, at the time you cancel the booking. If you cancel, you must also pay all other cancellation charges which may apply. Please see section 7 for details on cancellations. You will still have to pay any travel insurance premiums at the time of booking if this is something you have chosen. We can also decide to extend any offer.

5 Brochure and website details
We aim to make sure that the information provided is presented accurately on our website, in brochures and other promotional literature or material we produce and provide. There may be small differences between the actual property and its description. This is usually because we are always aiming to improve services and facilities. Occasionally, problems mean that some facilities or services are not available or may be restricted. If this happens, we will tell you as soon as reasonably practical after we become aware of the situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any changes or closures to local services or attractions mentioned in the brochure or on our website, by our advisers or advertised elsewhere. We make reasonable efforts to make sure that information we give you about your property and its facilities or services, as well as advertised travel and other services, is accurate and complete on the date given. We cannot accept responsibility for any inaccurate, incomplete or misleading information about any property or its facilities and services, unless this was caused by our negligence.

7 If you change or cancel your booking
a Changes
If you want to change any detail of your confirmed booking, we will do our best to make the changes. However, we must receive your notice in writing by post or email.. Also, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet your request.  We may treat changes to your dates or accommodation as a cancellation of the original booking and so you will have to pay cancellation charges. Individual party members may be able to transfer their place to someone else introduced by you if they pay the charges shown above and as long as we are told at least two weeks before your departure date.

b Full cancellations

If you have to, or want to, cancel your booking, you must phone us on the number shown on your booking confirmation as soon as possible. The day we receive your notice by phone to cancel is the date on which we will cancel your booking with the owner.

Depending on your reason for cancellation and how many days before the holiday was due to begin, you may receive a credit note (authorised by the owner) of all money you have paid to us. You will not be eligible for a return of the deposit unless you cancel 70 days before the holiday was due to begin. We will also keep a cancellation administration fee of £36 for each week or part of a week per booking.

All prices are for the whole property and not on a per person basis.

For the purpose of the table below, total cost means the total cost of the accommodation booking, including any extra items.

If you have already paid insurance premiums, booking fees, credit-card charges and administration fees, we will not refund these if you cancel.

Cancellation charges

c Part cancellations
If only one person in your party needs to cancel, this will not normally affect the total cost of your booking unless you cancel any travel arrangements or extra services which are charged on a ‘per person’ basis. In

8 Cancellations or changes by the owner or service providers
The owners and service providers do not expect to have to make any changes to your booking. However, sometimes problems happen and bookings have to be changed or cancelled or mistakes in brochures or other details corrected. The owner and service provider has the right to do so. If they do, we, on their behalf, will contact you (by phone if reasonably possible in the case of a significant change or cancellation – we will let you know about minor changes by post) as soon as is reasonably practical. We will explain what has happened and let you know about the cancellation or change.
9 Events beyond our control
Unless we say otherwise in these booking conditions, unfortunately we or the owner or service provider will not be legally responsible either jointly or individually for any compensation if we or they are prevented from carrying out our responsibilities under this contract as a result of events beyond our control. This means an event we or the owner or service provider could not, even with all due care, expect or avoid, including:

• strike, lock-out or labour dispute;
• natural disaster;
• acts of terrorism, war, riot or civil commotion;
• malicious damage;
• keeping to any law or governmental order, rule, regulation or direction;
• accident;
• breakdown of equipment or machinery;
• insolvency or bankruptcy of an owner or service provider;
• fire, flood, snow or storm;
• difficulty or increased cost in getting workers, goods or transport; and
• other circumstances affecting the supply of goods or services.

10 Our legal responsibilities to you
Neither we nor the owner can be held responsible for noise or disturbance which comes from beyond the boundaries of the property or which is beyond the owner’s control. If we know about a problem before you arrive, we will contact you to let you know.
We cannot be held responsible for the breakdown of mechanical equipment such as pumps, boilers, nor for the failure of public utilities such as water, gas and electricity.

11 Your property
Arrival and departure- You can arrive at your property at any time after 3pm (unless we tell you otherwise, for example on your confirmation) on the start date of your rental period. You must leave by 10am on the last day. If your arrival will be delayed beyond 8pm on the start date of your rental period, you must contact the person whose details are given in the location guide. If you fail to do so, you may not be able to get into the property. If you fail to arrive by 12 noon on the day after the start date of your rental period and you do not let the person whose details are given on the location guide know you are arriving late, we on behalf of the owner may treat your booking as having been cancelled by you. In this situation, we will not refund any money you have paid.
Security deposits- We require payment of a security deposit. This is a direct arrangement between you and the owner. The amount and details of how the payment should be made and how and when it will be returned (less any costs for breakages, damages etc. if applicable) will be provided at the time of booking.
You and all members of your party agree to keep the property clean and tidy, to leave the property in a similar condition as you found it when you arrived, and to behave in a way at all times while at the property which does not break any law. You and all members of your party also agree not to use the property for any illegal or commercial purpose, including subletting it or otherwise allowing anyone to stay in it who we have not previously accepted on behalf of the owner. You are responsible to the owner for the actual costs of any breakage or damage in or to the property – along with any extra costs that may result – which are caused by you or any members of your party. The owner can ask for an extra payment from you to cover any related costs.
The owner can refuse to allow you into the property or ask you to leave if they reasonably believe you or any member of your party (or any other person you have invited to the property) are behaving illegally or antisocially or that any damage is likely to be caused, has been caused or is being caused by the behaviour of you or any members of your party or any person you have invited to the property. We will treat these circumstances as a cancellation by you.
Maximum occupancy – You also must not allow more people than the brochure states to stay overnight in the property. You cannot arrange for visitors to the property – without the advance consent of the Owner.  You cannot significantly change the number of adults or children during your stay. (For example, if you book for two adults and two children, you cannot arrive with four adults and no children.) You must not hold events (such as parties, celebrations or meetings) at the property without the advance consent of the owner. If you do any of these things, the owner can refuse to hand over the property to you, or can repossess it. If the owner does this, we will treat this as you cancelling the booking. In these situations you will not receive a refund of any money you have paid for your booking. And the owner will not be legally responsible to you as a result of this situation. (This will include, for example, any costs or expenses you have to pay due to not being able to stay in the property, such as the cost of finding other accommodation.) The owner is not under any obligation to find any alternative accommodation for you.
You must allow the owner or their representative (including workmen) access to the property at any reasonable time during your stay (except in an emergency or if a problem needs sorting out quickly and you cannot be contacted in time. In these situations, the owner can enter the property at any time without giving you prior notice).
Pets – Pets are allowed. If you take a pet with you, it is not allowed on beds or furniture. You must not leave any pets unattended in the property, including any garden, and you must keep dogs on a lead within the boundaries of a property (including the garden). Registered assistance dogs belonging to those with sight or hearing difficulties are allowed in all properties featured in this brochure even if the property description says that pets are not allowed. If you or any member of the party has a pet allergy, we cannot guarantee that dogs, or other pets, have not stayed in your chosen property, even if the owner does not allow pets, nor can we accept any responsibility for any subsequent health reaction. It is your responsibility to make specific enquiries before booking as some property owners may take their own pets to a property. You should also read the information on taking pets on holiday included in our brochure or on our website.
15 Damage / Minor Accidental Damage Charge
A non returnable Minor Accidental Damage Charge applies to some properties. There are more details about this charge in our brochure and on our website. We will tell you about this charge when you book. We will tell you the amount and will make the charge on behalf of the owner, and it will appear on your confirmation invoice.
The Minor Accidental Damage Charge covers all minor accidental damage (including breakages, marking and snagging) that you and/or (whichever applies) genuine members of your party may cause to the property or its contents during your stay up to a total value of £500.
This does not cover:-

1. deliberate, unlawful, highly negligent, reckless or malicious damage to the property or to its contents;
2. major or structural damage caused to the property or its contents;
3. damage that is not caused entirely by accident by you and/or (whichever applies) genuine members of your party;
4. the cost from additional cleaning of the property that may be needed because it is left in a dirty condition;
5. damage that is not immediately reported to the owner or to us; and
6. all damage which totals £500 or more.

You will be responsible to the owner for all damage or breakages caused by you and/or (whichever applies) genuine members of your party to the property or its contents (including the cost of any work needed to put this right) which is not covered by the Minor Accidental Damage Charge. This may include responsibility for paying for this damage. You may need to check and sign an inventory of the property and its contents on arrival at the property. If you discover that anything is missing or damaged on arrival please notify the owner/key holder immediately.
You will be responsible to the owner for the costs of any breakages or damage in the property or to it which are caused by you and/or (whichever applies) genuine members of your party. This may include any additional costs from breakages or damage that the owner has to pay for. The owner can ask for payment from you to cover these costs.
16 Special requests
If you have any special requests, you must let us know when you make a booking and confirm them in writing. Although we will try to pass any reasonable requests on to the owner and/or service provider (whichever applies), we cannot guarantee that any request will be met. Confirmation that we have noted a special request or passed it on to the owner or service provider, or of the fact it is shown on your written confirmation or any other document, is not confirmation that the request will be met. If we or the owner fail to meet any special request, it will not mean we or they have broken your contract.
17 Complaints
If you want to complain, the owner, will want to take action to sort your complaint out as soon as possible. Because the contract for your accommodation is between you and the owner, you should put any queries or concerns to them. It is essential that you contact the owner or their representative immediately if any problem arises so that it can be sorted out as quickly as possible. It is often extremely difficult (and sometimes impossible) to sort out difficulties properly unless the owner is told promptly. If you discuss the problem with the owner or their representative during your stay at the property, it can usually be sorted out straightaway. In particular, complaints which would only be temporary (for example, complaints on how the property is prepared or the heating not working) cannot possibly be investigated unless registered during your stay.19 Governing law
Any dispute, claim or other matter which may arise in relation to your booking will be governed by English law and you must agree that any dispute will be dealt with by the courts of England and Wales.

18 Communicating with you
To process your booking we will need to collect and process personal information.

Cancellations or changes made by us

 It is unlikely that we will have to make changes to your booking arrangements but occasionally, as we make the arrangements for your bookings many months ahead, we may occasionally have to make changes both before and after bookings have been confirmed. Or, we may have to cancel confirmed bookings. While we always try to avoid changes and cancellations, we can make cancellations or changes at any time. Occasionally we have to make a ‘significant change’ such as a change of property to that of a lower standard, changing the departure time by more than 12 hours or a change of area. If we need to do this, we will let you know as soon as possible before you leave. We treat all other changes as minor. As a result, we will decide whether to let you know about them. If we have to make a significant change or cancel your booking, and as long as there is time to do so before the departure date, we will offer you three options.

• You can accept the other booking arrangements we offer you.
• You can transfer to another booking (the price may be different from your original booking).