Terms And Conditions
Below are our terms and conditions - it is important you read and understand these prior to making a reservation
Along with the specific term & conditions you also need to understand and agree to -
Cancellation Insurance Information - Reservation Information
Specific Terms And Conditions
1) The Lakeland Cottage Company, (The Agent) acts only as a booking Agent. It arranges bookings and reservations of the holiday accommodation between the Holidaymakers (The Holidaymaker) and the Property Owners.
2) Formation Of Contract. A binding contract between the holidaymaker and the owner of the holiday accommodation (The Property Owner) shall be entered into on the Agent issuing the holiday confirmation form as the Agent for the Holidaymaker and the property owner. All monies paid as rent or third party services are passed to the owner of the reserved property or service provider, less any charges we may make against the owners account. In the event of rental or service refund being due for what ever reason this is normally done via The Lakeland Cottage Company, however the final responsibility for this lies with the owner or service provider. For guests who book last minute over the telephone and do not complete a booking form it will be assumed they have had sight of and agree to all terms and conditions.
3) The Signatory on the booking form is authorised to sign on behalf of all parties (as named on the booking form) to the contract.
4) The Booking Form must be fully completed, including number in the party.
5) Payment.
a) Bookings and reservations shall only be negotiated by the Agent on receipt of the completed booking form, together with a deposit of one third of the property rental cost and the insurance premium. This must be received within three days of the initial telephone confirmation of property availability.
b) The balance of the full cost of the holiday, including the GHD and any other fees or charges for services and items as agreed in writing shall be payable six weeks before the commencement of the holiday.
c) If a holidaymaker books the holiday less than six weeks before its commencement, the full charge of the holiday, including insurance premium if required, the GHD, and any other agreed charges shall be payable on sending the booking form to the Agent.
d) On receipt of the booking form the holidaymaker will be sent written confirmation of the booking and the holidaymaker is then responsible for the balance of the full cost of the holiday. (Hence for your greater protection insurance is advised). If an error is made on the confirmation against published prices we reserve the right to alter and recover any undercharges at any time
e) Failure to make a final payment of the balance of rental, GHD, and any other agreed costs or fees within the specified time will be treated as a cancelled booking. No reminder will be sent as to the balance of payment due and in the event of not receiving the required balance the holiday will be deemed to be cancelled and all payments made forfeit and the property made available for re-letting.
f) All payments, unless otherwise specified, are to be made payable to The Lakeland Cottage Company and sent to the address on your booking form.
6) Good Housekeeping Deposit (GHD). A Good Housekeeping Deposit is payable and should be sent in the form of a separate cheque when sending the balance of the holiday cost, or the full cost as outlined in condition 5c. This deposit is held by ourselves on behalf of the owner and is intended for and may be used to offset the cost in full or in part, of remedying any damages, breakages or losses sustained to the property, or any unbudgeted cost incurred for restoring the property to a truly clean and tidy state. To cover any unpaid bills such as fuel etc. Where Holidamakers pay by credit or debit card and do not send a GHD cheque, it will be understood we may charge the card for any of the above causes up to the amount of the required Good Housekeeping Deposit. Should an owner have cause to call upon the GHD they must notify us in writing at which point as Agent we will cash the cheque, or in the case of credit or debit card bond draw upon the holidaymakers account, paying this over to the owner on the holiday makers behalf. The holiday maker will then be notified in writing along with a copy of the owners request and reasons. Any dispute will have to be taken up directly with the owner of the property.
7) Arrival and Departure. Properties are available from 16.00 hrs on the day of your arrival and must be vacated by 10.00hrs on the day of the departure. (Some properties may vary slightly in start and departure time, this will be advised on
your booking confirmation)
8) Keys. On departure you must ensure the property is secured and the keys posted back through the letter box, or any other specified depository.
9) Care of the property. A condition of acceptance of any booking is that the holidaymaker will take good care of the property and its contents, and that it is left in a truly clean and tidy state as you will have found it. The care is to include all furnishings, utensils, crockery linen and a general state of cleanliness on departure, and though you might not be charged for minor breakages, you are responsible for all damage or breakages and their cost shall be payable on demand.
10) Pets. In all cases you must inform the Agent of any pets you wish to bring, and only do so after written confirmation. Any agreement is on the understanding that on departure there shall be no evidence of the pet either inside the property or gardens and that no nuisance or annoyance is caused to the neighbours.A pet must never be left alone inside a property or its grounds. Where a property states no pets are allowed it should be noted that this does not exclude the owner or the owner’s personal friends or family from bringing their pets to the property.
11) Number of persons occupying the property - party make up. The number of persons using the property (except for babies under 2 years) shall not exceed the maximum number as stated in the individual property descriptions, unless otherwise arranged with the Agent in writing. The owner or owner’s Agent is entitled to refuse admission to any persons, or pets not declared on the booking form, or agreed in writing at a later date. The owners or Agent reserves the right to refuse, curtail or terminate any booking occupancy which in our opinion by reason of number of composition of the party may be unsuitable for the property, and all monies will become forfeit.
Single sex parties must notify us prior to booking as some owners decline this makeup. Under no circumstances do we allow stag nights or hen parties.
12) Alternative Accommodation. Should the confirmed and booked property become unavailable, the Agent will endeavour to offer suitable alternative accommodation of a similar type, standard, rental and location. If the offered alternative is not acceptable to the holidaymaker, or the Agent is unable to offer a suitable alternative, the owner will refund all monies made and liability shall be limited to the extent of monies paid by the holidaymaker.
13) Description. We believe the information contained in the brochure to be correct, and the descriptions have been passed by the tourist council as fair, informative and accurate and the star rating of quality assessed and awarded by them. It is the responsibility of the guest to ask for clarification prior to booking of any points, items or matters that may not be covered in the description are are of importance to their stay.
14)Alterations. We reserve the right to alter the details at any time. Where a free service is included such as leisure club, welcome packs etc and these become unavailable or modified the Owner or The Lakeland Cottage Company will not be liable to refund or compensation to the guest.
15) Use of amenities and facilities. The use of any amenities or facilities of the property, by the holidaymaker, any member of the party or invited guest is entirely at their own risk.
16) Access. The property owner or his/her representative shall be allowed access to the property at any reasonable time during the holiday occupancy.
17) Insurance. Due to FSA rules as of January 2009 The Lakeland Cottage Company is no longer able to provide or sell cancellation insurance. We do advise guests seek some form of cancellation and or travel cover as cancelation of the holiday will mean loss of either deposit or the the full amount, if paid. Further, depending on the time a cancellation is made the holiday maker may well be liable for any balance due - please see 18 Cancellations. You should be sure that any cover taken covers all eventualities including travel and road conditions, this as owners are not liable for circumstances that may prevent you accessing the property.
18) Cancellation.
a) If a holidaymaker has to cancel the holiday for any reason then the deposit is automatically forfeit. Provided written notice is given to the Agent not less than ten weeks before the holiday commencement date holidaymakers will not be liable for the full balance of hire.
b) If cancellation is notified less than ten weeks before the holiday, the holidaymaker will be liable for the full balance of rental unless the Agent is able to re-let the property for the weeks concerned. If the Agent is able to do so then the balance if already paid will be refunded. (The deposit is non-returnable).
c) Non payment of the rent due as outlined in Condition 5 of the Terms and Booking Conditions will be treated as a cancellation and the Agent will treat the property as available for re-letting. If the holidaymaker fails to pay the rent due and the Agent is unable to re-let the property the holidaymaker is still liable for the balance of the rent due if this has not already been paid, and the payment of such balance shall be required within seven days on demand.
19) Complaints.
a) Whilst we endeavour to take care to ensure your satisfaction with owners maintaining their property to its star rating, should you have cause for complaint this must be reported to the Agent immediately so that the matter can be investigated fully, allowing for the opportunity to try to correct and make good the problem.With respect, a complaint not reported at the time cannot be subsequently entertained after you return home, as you will appreciate it would be difficult to investigate and/or have the opportunity to rectify.
b) Should an item fail or the property and furnishings suffer some wear and tear as much as is reasonably possible will be done to effect a speedy repair, but it must be understood that this is not always possible as we and owners are subject to third party availability and that replacement items or spare parts may need to be ordered. Should an item remain unrepaired this will not automatically warrant a refund or compensation as the item/items form only a part of the overall accommodation, except where the problem renders the property as unsuitable accommodation. Should a failure be deemed by us to render the property unsuitable for occupation then the guest must terminate occupation in order to seek any refund which will be limited to only the rental paid.
c) Force Majeure - In the event of failure of services or facilities outside of the owner’s control, ie electricity, gas, water etc. also attractions and facilities outside of those of the property and any leisure activities promoted in this brochure, also weather conditions that affect travel, then the agent or owner will not be held responsible or liable in full or part for refund or compensation, this save where a property is deemed unsuitable for use, eg fire or flood when the liability will be only to a maximum of the rental paid
d) In the event of a complaint not being resolved to the satisfaction of both the Agent and the holidaymaker, as registered members of Visit Britain the English Tourist Authority, the Agent reserves the right to refer the matter to the VB for advice and inspection as does the holidaymaker. Should the matter continue to be unresolved by the actions of either the holidaymaker or the owner, the holidaymaker must then take issue, legal or otherwise, directly with the owner of the property (The owner’s name & address will be issued at this stage)
20) Limitation of Liability.
a) Non of our term & conditions deny the holidaymaker, the homeowner or the Agent their statutory rights.
b) Where loss or damage arises from breach of contract, negligence, misrepresentation or otherwise the Agent shall not be under any liability to the holidaymaker or to third parties for any loss or damage howsoever arising.
c) No liability shall be accepted by the Agent for oral representations made by employees of the Agent.
d) The Agent makes no warranties or representations as to the state of the property beyond condition at the time the annual VB inspection.