OWLPEN MANOR ESTATE: HOLIDAY COTTAGE TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. The Agreement: The conditions of rental are between the guest and Owlpen Manor Estates (the property owner). The contract is deemed to have been made once the guest has paid a deposit and the owner has dispatched a confirmation of booking.  The guest must be over 18 years at the time of booking.
2. Booking: The person who makes a booking (the guest) will be responsible for all persons included in the booking and should ensure that they are aware of these terms & conditions. The property/owner reserves the right to decline any booking or refuse to hand over a key to any person who has not complied with these terms & conditions.
3. Bookings made through our online booking system are provisional until confirmed by the property owner.
4. The guest agrees to pay the balance of the payment four (4) weeks before the holiday is due to start. Email reminders are sent, but delivery cannot be guaranteed. Where a guest fails to pay their balance by the due date the booking may be cancelled and the deposit retained.
5. Payment: For bookings made more than 8 weeks before arrival, a deposit of 30% of the total cost of the holiday, is required. The balance is due 4 weeks before the holiday commences. For bookings made less than 4 weeks before arrival, the total amount is payable in full on booking.
6. Cleaning: Guests are responsible for leaving the accommodation in good order and in a clean condition; otherwise a cleaning charge will be levied. Please note that the convention for UK Holiday cottages differs from hotels and other countries in that guests are expected to leave the property in a similar state to which they find it (reasonable cleaning excepted). Please abide by this convention so we can continue to provide good value for guests.
7. Number of People using Holiday Accommodation: The owners permit the guest and members of the guest’s party (but no one else) to occupy the property for holiday purposes only. No more than the maximum number of persons stated in the website may occupy a property unless by prior written agreement with the owner. Extra charges may be applicable.
8. Arrival/Departure: The properties (unless otherwise stated in the property details) are available for occupation from 4.00 pm on the first day of the holiday and must be vacated by 10.00 am on the last day.
9. Cancellation or Changes by the Guest: 
10. If the owner cancels prior to the scheduled day of arrival, Owlpen Manor Estates’ liability to the Client will be no greater than the amount paid by the client in respect of any booking. Where possible Owlpen Manor Estates may, but is not obliged, nor will it be liable to, find alternative accommodation for the Client in the event that Owlpen Manor Estates is unable to accommodate the Client.
11. Once the holiday is booked the guest has entered into a legally binding contract. If the guest cancels, for whatever reason (including medical and weather related) then no refund of the deposit will be due, and within 4 weeks of your holiday no refund of the full balance is due.
12. We advise you to arrange holiday cancellation insurance to cover the balance due in the event of an unavoidable cancellation. If you have to cancel your booking for any reason, please inform us immediately.
13. All deposit payments are non-refundable.  Any additional payments, less £50 per cottage booked, will be refunded if we receive notification of cancellation not less than 30 days prior to your arrival. Within 30 days we do not normally refund, but we will make every effort to re-book the space and, in the event that we are successful, we may reimburse you minus the deposit, and a £30 booking fee per cottage booked.
14. Once a booking has been accepted by the owner, it can only be changed to another property by treating the original booking as a cancellation. Holiday dates may be changed providing the property is available for the new dates and the owner is agreeable to the change. A £30 re-booking charge will be payable.
15. Cancellation Insurance: We recommend and expect that the guest will have or will take out a holiday insurance policy (which includes cancellation insurance covering sickness and unavoidable reasons for cancellation) prior to their stay.
16. Pets: The guest may only bring such pets as are booked in by the guest at the time of booking. No charge will be made per pet. Not all properties accept pets; if property details on the website stipulate no pets then this is binding within these terms & conditions. Pets must be well-behaved and should not be left unattended in the property. They are not permitted in the bedrooms or on any furniture in the property. If damage or extra cleaning is caused by pets the guest may be billed for that charge. ‘No Pets’ in a description may not guarantee that pets have never occupied the property. No garden is guaranteed as secure for dogs even if described as private or enclosed.
17. Other Conditions: The supervision of children, babies, dogs and any adults requiring care remains the responsibility of the guest at all times. 
18. Guests agree to inform owners of any damage or loss however caused, excluding reasonable wear and tear incurred during occupation. Guests should not remove any item from the property. The owner may ask for reasonable replacement costs. 
19. The owner does not accept responsibility whatsoever for damage to, or theft from, or theft of, vehicles parked on the property.  The owner reserves the right to charge guests the cost of rectifying damage, caused by the deliberate, negligent or reckless act, omission, default or neglect of the Clients, their guests or sub-contractors to the owner’s property or structure. Should this damage come to light after the guest has departed, we reserve the right to make a charge to guest’s credit / debit card, or send an invoice for the amount required to make good or remedy any such damage, to the registered address. We will however make every effort to keep any costs that the guest would incur to a minimum.
20. Guests should not cause nuisance or annoyance to occupants of nearby property.
21. Guests should put all furniture etc back to where it was at the beginning of the rental period.
22. Guests should not leave any items at the property and, if left, the owner has the right to charge for the removal, return or disposal of those items.
23. Guests should allow reasonable access to the property by the owner for maintenance given reasonable notice.
24. Liability is not accepted by the owner for accidents to clients and their guests. The owner nor its employees shall be liable to you for any loss of profit, consequential loss or other indirect losses under the terms of this Agreement.
25. If, in the opinion of the owner, any person is not suitable to continue their occupation of the property because of unreasonable behaviour, damage or nuisance to other parties, the contract may be treated by the owner as discharged and the owner may repossess the property immediately. The guest will remain liable for the whole cost of rental and no refund shall be due.
26. Wildlife: All properties are in beautiful rural areas. Please therefore expect to meet some wildlife, including the odd spider, mouse, ladybird, bird, fly, bee, wasp or other creature, which may make their way into a property unbeknownst to the owner.  Spiders and ladybirds in particular are not considered to be a pest and consume up to 2000 other insects per year. If this is likely to be a problem, it would be best not to book. (If any of these creatures are encountered, do not panic, but contact the owner in a calm and reasonable way – but only if the creatures become a serious menace.  Otherwise, just open a window or a door and let them out, as this is usually what they prefer.) Owners reserve the right to take no action if they do not consider the existence of the wild life to be a serious threat to health. 
27. Property descriptions and all details both written and verbal are given in good faith and believed to be correct, but interpretation thereof can be subjective and as such their accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Property details may vary over time from photographs and descriptions on the websites.
28. Complaints Procedure: Any dispute arising out of the booking will be between the guest and the owner.  If the guest is not entirely satisfied with anything during their stay, the owner asks that guests come and discuss any concerns with an employee in the estate office, or a resident in the manor house itself.
29. Unfortunately, we may not be able to address concerns to your full satisfaction once you have checked out of your cottage.
30. No complaints can be considered unless notified during the guest’s stay in the property. It is the duty of guests to minimize any loss to them and therefore it is their responsibility to inform the owner at the earliest possible opportunity of any problem.
31. Accidents howsoever caused during the holiday are not the liability of the owner. Complaints received after departure cannot be accepted as owners have no opportunity to resolve the complaint at the time.
32. Liability: The owner cannot accept responsibility for any material loss, damage, additional expense or inconvenience directly or indirectly caused by or arising out of the property, its plumbing, gas, electrical services or exceptional weather.
33. No responsibility is accepted for loss or damage of property, (including pets), vehicles or vehicle contents belonging to the guest or any member of the party during their occupancy.
34. The maximum liability accepted by the owner will be the total cost of the holiday as paid by the guest to the owner. No other expenses such as travelling costs or alternative accommodation will be accepted.
35. Cancellation by Owners: The owner reserves the right to refuse any booking and to cancel any bookings already made if the property is unavailable (eg through fire, flood, etc) for any reason whatsoever, subject to a full refund of all monies paid (but no further liability). The owner shall not be under any other liability if such cancellation occurs. Note: in the unlikely event of a cancellation the owner will make every possible effort to secure alternative accommodation if required.
36. No Smoking: The owner has a No Smoking policy within properties.

37. Force Majeure:

    a.     For the purposes of this Contract, Force Majeure Event means an event beyond the reasonable control of Owlpen Manor Estate including but not limited to strikes or other industrial disputes (whether involving the workforce of Owlpen Manor Estate or any other party), failure of a utility service or transport network, act of God, war, riot, civil commotion, malicious damage, compliance with any law or governmental order, rule, regulation or direction, accident, breakdown of plant or machinery, fire, flood, storm or default of suppliers or subcontractors.

    b.     Owlpen Manor Estate shall not be liable to the Customer as a result of any failure to perform its obligations under this Contract as a result of a Force Majeure Event.

    c.     If the Force Majeure Event prevents Owlpen Manor Estate from providing the Venue on the Date, Owlpen Manor Estate shall, without limiting its other rights or remedies and without liability to the Customer, have the right to terminate this Contract immediately by giving written notice to you.

38. Waiver: The failure of the owner to enforce or exercise, at any time or for any period of time, any term of, or any right pursuant to this agreement does not constitute and shall not be construed as a waiver of such term or right.
39. Miscellaneous: The guest agrees that the contract with the owner is made at the owner’s premises and that any proceedings between the parties shall be conducted in the County Court nearest to the owner.
40. The information provided by the Client may be processed by Owlpen Manor Estates for the purposes it has notified to the Information Commissioner. By confirming a booking or enquiry, the Client consents to this processing of the information. Owlpen Manor Estates respects the privacy of every individual who visits our website. The data collected about you will be used to firstly fulfil any service you might request e.g. to request a brochure, make a booking etc and secondly to improve how, as a company, we serve you.
41. We will under no circumstances give your personal data to third parties. However, unless you specifically ask us not to we will use your data to send you further information from Owlpen Manor Estates. Any e-mail sent to you will always provide you with the option to unsubscribe. This is in accordance with UK Data Protection Legislation.
42. When making a booking, your credit card or billing account details are only retained for the purpose of handling that booking transaction, unless you ask us to keep these details for future purchases which you may make through us.
43. For your protection we are registered under the Data Protection Act 1998 and have given all appropriate notifications to the Information Commissioner.
44. These booking conditions supersede all previous issues.
    Owlpen Manor Estates, 4TH AUGUST 2021