Booking policy

1.1 Once we have received your deposit and confirmed your reservation a binding contract between you and the Owner has been formed as set out in this agreement. The balance of your booking fee is payable to us not less than 8 weeks before the start of your holiday and any failure to do so may result in the cancellation of your booking and the forfeit of your deposit.

1.2 If for any reason beyond the Owner’s reasonable control the property is not available for some or all of the rental period, so that your booking has to be cancelled, all rent and related charges paid will be refunded to you, this will be the extent of our and the Owners liability to you, and you will have no further claim against us or the Owner arising from such a cancellation.

2.1 Only the number of persons confirmed to us at the time of your booking may occupy the property and you must not sub-let or share the property with anybody else.

2.2 The number of people at the property must never exceed the number stated above and we or the Owner reserve the right to terminate your booking if the number of people in the accommodation is exceeded without notice and without a refund.

2.3 At no time may the property be occupied by a group of single people under the age of 18.

3.1 During the time that you occupy the property for your holiday you will:

• Keep the property clean and tidy and not damage the property or its contents
• Report any damage or any breakage as soon as possible and in any event on the next available working day
• Leave the property in the same condition as you found it when you arrived
• Not undertake any illegal or commercial activity at the property
• Not sub-let the property or any part thereof or allow anybody to stay in it that has not previously been accepted as a member of your party
• Not behave in an anti-social manner, breach the peace or otherwise act in a way which may disrupt or affect the enjoyment of others including the occupiers of neighbouring properties.
• Observe our strict "No Smoking" policy and refrain from using candles, lanterns or naked flames of any kind. In addition, young children and vulnerable adults will be supervised at all times as we advise Guests to observe the instructions in the property with regard to Fire Safety. Either the Owner will have advised you to leave a key in the lock at all times to allow a speedy departure from the building, or they will have fitted thumb locks.

3.2 When you vacate the property not leave any of your personal property or rubbish therein – if we have to collect or return any of your property then a charge will arise and any personal property left at the property which is not claimed within 48 hours of your departure will be disposed of without any liability.

3.3 If we or the Owner become aware of any material breach of these stipulations the Owner may immediately terminate your booking and require you to vacate the property without affording you any compensation.

3.4 The Owner also reserves the right to make a charge to you for the cost of repairing any damage occasioned to the property or its contents or replacing any of the contents that are missing or damaged, to include keys, key fobs and the like.

3.5 On departure all keys should be replaced in the key safe – if applicable - but please note that neither we nor the Owner are liable for any misuse or malfunction of the key safe box.

Certain properties are advertised with Broadband, Wi-fi and/or satellite television but such is subject to availability and network conditions – connectivity may not be available for reasons beyond our or the Owners control and no warranty is offered that any such will be operating at any particular time and no loss is accepted for any failure thereof. SMART televisions allow you to access subscription channels that you already have an account for yourselves but there is no liability on the part of the Owner for not being able to access the same.

Rubbish and recycling should be disposed of in accordance with the instructions at the property.

6.1 At certain properties pets may be permitted in which case you will:

• Ensure that the garden and grounds at the property are kept clear of fouling at all times and at the end of your holiday
• Ensure that the animal is kept under control and does not cause noise or nuisance
• Provide your own animal bedding
• Prevent the animal from going upstairs or going onto any furniture or beds
• At no time leave the animal unattended in the property or in the garden.

6.2 If any member of your party has an allergy we give no warranty that dogs or other animals have not stayed at the property before even if pets are not normally allowed and we are not liable for any subsequent health reaction.

NO pets are allowed at Dunstan Hall, Hemmel House or Stable Cottage

7.1 These items can be inherently dangerous and it is your responsibility to check their state and condition so that they may be safely used and to ensure that nobody will use such unless they are competent and capable of doing so.

7.2 Such are used entirely at your own risk and for example no one will dive into any pool or lake, the depth of the water will be checked before entering and all children and other vulnerable persons will be supervised at all times.

8.1 You will when reasonably required permit us the Owner or their representative or contractors to access the property at any reasonable time for the purpose of inspection or undertaking works.

8.2 We will endeavour to ensure that you enjoy your holiday at the property uninterrupted but you accept that there may be occasions when it is necessary to inspect the property and/or arrange essential repairs. We will give you as much notice of any such visit as we can, save in emergency or if we cannot contact you.

Should you encounter any issue during the period of your holiday you will contact the Owner, or their representative – whose contact details will have been provided to you direct, - to discuss and rectify matters. You must contact the Owner as soon as such an issue becomes known so that where appropriate, such can be immediately rectified so as not to detract from your holiday.

10.1 Once your deposit has been paid and we have confirmed your booking you are liable for the whole cost of the holiday as a binding contract. If you wish to cancel you must notify us in writing, preferably by email, you must receive confirmation of receipt of your cancellation notice from us. You will have to pay a cancellation charge based on the number of days before arrival at the property that we receive your notice as shown in the table below. This means that if you have paid the balance of your total holiday cost and then have to or want to cancel you may receive a refund of part of that cost. However if you have not paid your total booking cost, including any booking fee, you may have to make further payment to cover the cancellation charge. For the purposes of the table below total cost means the total cost of the accommodation booking including any extra items. The cancellation charges have been calculated as a genuine pre-estimate of losses we would incur in the event you cancelled your holiday within the stipulated time period. We will not refund booking fees, administration fees and credit card charges and any refund will be net of the same.

No. of days before the start of your trip Cancellation charge

More than 70 days Full deposit
57-70 days 50% of total cost
43-56 days 60% of total cost
29-42 days 75% of total cost
8-28 days 90% of total cost
7 days or less 95% of total cost

10.2 In the circumstances we strongly recommend that you arrange full travel insurance to include cancellation cover.

Neither we nor the Owner will be liable for any cancellation, loss, damage, injury, disappointment or inconvenience for matters outside our or the Owner’s control and cannot reasonably have foreseen arising from and including but not limited to:

• Pandemic (see 10.2 related to Covid 19)
• Industrial action
• Natural disaster
• Strike, lock out or labour dispute
• Terrorism, war or threat thereof
• Any law or government order
• Malicious damage
• Disease
• Accident
• Breakdown of equipment or interruption thereof
• Insolvency or bankruptcy of the Owner or of a service provider
• Snow, storm, flood or fire
• All other circumstances beyond the reasonable control of us or the Owner which affects our ability to obtain goods or services.

Neither we nor the Owner will be liable in any way for:

• Anything outside our or the Owner’s reasonable control including failure of equipment or domestic appliances or a disconnection of utilities such as water, gas or electricity
• Disturbance or inconvenience arising from any work that takes place outside the boundary of the property
• Loss or damage to your belongings, car its contents or any injury to any party except in the case of death or personal injury resulting from our or the Owner’s gross negligence
• Any disappointment arising from the property or its location or its amenity not being to your expectation – in which respect any marketing material or representations regarding the property are given in good faith but neither we nor the Owner are liable for any inaccurate, incomplete or misleading information given about a property, its facilities or its environment nor for any change in any local services or attractions.