Full Booking Terms and Conditions

CONTRACT OF HIRE – The contract of hire will be between the owners of Bengate Barn, referred to as ‘us’ or ‘we’ or ‘our’ and the person making the booking and all members of the booking/holiday party, referred to as ‘you’ or ‘your’ in the following booking conditions.

PAYMENT – A deposit of 25% of the full rental amount is payable to secure your booking. You are required to provide the name, address, age and nationality of each guest over the age of 16 in the booking party at the time of booking. Once the deposit has been received and cleared, the booking will then be confirmed. The balance will be due 8 weeks prior to your commencement date. For bookings made 8 weeks or less of the arrival date, full payment will be due. Payment can be made by bank transfer (provisional booking held for 48 hours) or cheque (provisional booking held for 5 days). The contract of hire is not effective until we have received your deposit or full payment and you have received written confirmation that the payment has been accepted (by post or email). You are then responsible for the full cost of hire, even if you subsequently cancel.

SECURITY/DAMAGE DEPOSIT – A refundable security/damage deposit of £100 is required at the time of booking per cottage booked. This will be paid back to you within 7 days of departure once the cottage has been cleaned and inspected for stains, loss, breakages or damage, with the key returned to the key safe and the property left in a clean, tidy condition, free of rubbish, with no signs of smoking or pets.

THE RENTAL PROPERTY – Is only to be used for the purpose of the holiday during the period booked and not for any other purpose or period of time. There is no relationship created of Landlord and Tenant between the parties. You shall not be entitled to a new tenancy, or to any assured short hold or assured tenancy or any statutory protection under the Housing Act 1988 or other statutory security of tenure now or at the end of the rental Period.

NUMBER IN PARTY AND COTTAGE – Under no circumstances may more people occupy the property than the number of beds. Little Bengate Barn Cottage - 2 GUESTS, The Old Dairy Barn -2 GUESTS, The Cart Lodge - 4 GUESTS. All guests in the property must be those named on the booking registration. We reserve the right to refuse admittance if this condition is not observed, or you may be asked to leave the property immediately.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE TIMES – To ensure there is sufficient time to clean and prepare your accommodation, your cottage will be available from 4pm on the day of your arrival. On the day of departure, please vacate your cottage by 10am. Should you wish to arrive earlier or leave slightly later than these times, you must please request this at the time of booking as we may be able to accommodate this, depending on other bookings, but it is not guaranteed.

CANCELLATION BY YOU – Cancellations by you must be notified to us immediately by phone and in writing, either by post or email. All booking deposits paid are non-refundable. Cancellations will be dealt with as follows:

Cancellations notified to us more than 8 weeks before the start of the holiday – you will forfeit the deposit only
Cancellations notified to us with less than 8 weeks before the start of the holiday – you will be liable for the full cost of the holiday. If we are able to re-let your booking you may receive a refund at our discretion, which may be less than you paid, plus an administration cost of £30.
If we are unable to re-let the cottage(s) that you have booked, there will be no refund under any circumstance and you will still be responsible for the full rental cost.
Bookings cancelled within 14 days of arrival are non-refundable.
No Show - Non-refundable

HOLIDAY and/or CANCELLATION INSURANCE – We strongly recommend that you arrange holiday insurance for your stay that includes cover for cancellation and your personal property. Your use of the property is entirely at yours and your holiday party members risk and no responsibility can be accepted for injury, loss or damage to user’s or visitor’s belongings.

CANCELLATION BY US / NON -AVAILABILITY OF PROPERTY – In the event that the property is not available through events arising outside of our control, such as fire, flood, breakdown of domestic appliances, plumbing, wiring, temporary invasion of pests or damage resulting from exceptional weather conditions, then we may be forced to cancel your booking. If this is the case, you will be informed as early as possible and a full refund of all monies paid will be given. You shall have no further claim against us. If we have to terminate your holiday early, you will be refunded part of the rental fee based on the time you have remaining of your booking. No additional compensation will be payable.

SMOKING – Smoking, as well as the use of e-cigarettes, vaporisers is STRICTLY NOT PERMITTED within any of the cottages, or within the grounds. This is due to the fire risk that smoking poses to the thatched roof on the main residence, as well as that of our close and only neighbouring property and this is inline with our insurance conditions. If it is found that a property has been smoked in, we reserve the right to charge £250 for the excess cleaning and maintenance required to restore back to a non-smoking property.

BBQS/NAKED FLAMES – BBQs are not permitted and this also extends to the use of any naked flame anywhere near our thatched barn – candles, matches, as well as the use of fireworks and Chinese lanterns, due to the thatch roof on our barn and that of next door’s property.

ELECTRICITY/HEATING – Electricity and heating are included in the rental of the cottage, unless otherwise stated. We want to do our part for the environment, and we encourage guests to do likewise, so we do ask that lights/appliances are switched off when not in use or required.

LINEN – Bed linen, duvets and pillows are included in the price of the cottage rental. Towels (1 hand/1 bath) are included per person, but we do ask you to bring your own beach towels. A clothes airer is provided for drying purposes. A laundry service is available for a small extra charge of £5 per load – the washing machine is within our home (main house), and our insurance does not cover guests accessing our main residence. Should you wish to hand wash your items in the cottage, liquid detergent must be used, as powders can cause a blockage to our private drainage system.

UNDER- OCCUPANCY in THE CART LODGE – If only 2 guests are occupying The Cart Lodge using the Double Bedroom, a 5% discount on the stated nightly rate, or 10% on the weekly stated rate will apply. If 2 guests wish to use both bedrooms (as they require separate bedrooms/to not share a bed), then the full rate will apply.

WI-FI– Wi-Fi is provided free of charge in all cottages. At present we receive a rural Broadband connection. It may not be at the speeds you are used to and mobile signals may also vary. Whilst every effort is made to ensure continuity of the Wifi service, we cannot, and are not held responsible for the speed, service or connection you may receive during your stay, and are not held responsible for disconnection due to Talk Talk or Openreach planned maintenance or MBORC (Matters Beyond Our Reasonable Control.)

You are requested that your usage of the Wifi is for general surfing, as the WiFi is shared between the owners of Bengate Barn and the three holiday cottages onsite. Some websites/applications can use a lot of bandwidth, therefore slowing down the service. Please be respectful with your usage and do not use high resolution streaming. You must use the service responsibly and must not download any illegal content, or anything that can harm our network.

DOGS – Small-medium sized well-behaved dogs are allowed in all of our cottages - up to two dogs in The Cart Lodge and up to one dog in each of the Old Dairy and Little Bengate Barn cottages. We do ask that you inform us of the breed of dog when booking. The property and grounds are not suitable for dogs that are reactive to either noise or people. Please read our 'House Rules for Dogs'. You (the dog’s owner) must not let your dog go on the furniture, and not in the bedroom and not on the bed for hygiene reasons. They must not be left in the cottage unattended under any circumstances. Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times whilst outside of the paddock and it is your responsibility to clean up after them appropriately and dispose of waste, bagged and binned. Your dog is entirely your responsibility and must be kept under control at all times. These terms are for the comfort and safety of all guests and residents. A charge of £15 per dog per week or part of, is made, payable at the time of booking. If an excessive amount of cleaning is found to be required, or it is found that the dog(s) have been on/in the bed, a further cleaning charge will be made from the security deposit of £12.00 per hour. Please refer to our dog policy which can be found on the website.

VISITORS – If you are planning to have day visitors, permission must be sought in advance before you confirm any arrangements. This is both for insurance purposes, as well as security, due to the cottages being on the site of our home. 2 visitors MAX at any time. Visitors are not permitted to stay overnight and do not form part of your booking contract.

KEYS – The key to the property will be left in the Key Safe Box situated outside your cottage. A code will be sent to you, with directions to the cottage on receipt of receiving the final balance payment. You will be asked to confirm that you have received these. Access can be gained by turning the dials on the key pad and pulling down the black switch. On departure, we ask that you leave the key in the Key Lock Box.

CARE OF PROPERTY – You are responsible for taking all reasonable care of the property and leaving it in a clean and tidy condition at the end of your hire agreement. Guests are also asked to give consideration in respect of noise to the owners in the main residence and to other guests in the cottages within the site, as well as our one neighbouring property. You must not use the property for any parties, or dangerous, offensive, noxious, immoral activities or carry on there any act that may be a nuisance or annoyance to the owner or other neighbouring properties. If this happens, you will be asked to leave with immediate effect and you will forgo any refund in relation to the rest of you booking. Please enjoy the cottages and make yourselves at home, but please remember that the facilities and what we have provided are for all of our guests present and future to enjoy.

WATER AND PRIVATE SEWERAGE SYSTEM – Little Bengate Barn, Courtyard Barn and The Cart Lodge sewerage systems run on a private drainage system. The system is very effective; however, it will clog up/block if improper material is flushed. PLEASE DO NOT FLUSH anything other than toilet paper. No feminine products should be flushed at anytime, no baby or toilet wipes, cotton wool, cotton buds etc. Please use the bins provided in the bathroom, kitchen and outside of the property. If a blockage is caused and you are found to be responsible, a charge may be issued. This may be above the amount of the security deposit and you will be invoiced accordingly.

DAMAGES – You are legally responsible for any loss or damage to the property (reasonable wear and tear excluded) and all damages and breakages must be notified to us during and before the end of your rental period. We understand that the odd plate or glass can break and these types of minor damage or breakage will not be charged for, but we do reserve the right to charge for extra/specialist cleaning, replacement or repair cost. Keys not returned on departure will also be charged for via the security/damage deposit.

RIGHT OF ENTRY – You must allow the owners and/or their agents reasonable access to the property at all reasonable times for the purpose of maintenance and repairs that are deemed necessary to the property, or equipment, such as plumbing, gardening, electrical works.

LIABILITY – The use of the accommodation and its associated facilities are entirely at the users risk and no liability can be accepted for death, injury, and loss or damage to users or their belongings including vehicles, bicycles, motor cycles, boats etc. The owners shall not be liable to you or any other member of your booking party for any loss or damage to you or your property however caused. Vehicles of any kind are left in the parking area at your own risk, as are any valuables left at your own risk in the vehicle or in the property.

LOST PROPERTY – Should you leave something behind, please let us know as soon as possible and we will do what we can to find the item, however should it not be found, or if it is found damaged, we are not liable. Should you wish for the item to be returned, we can arrange this. Return postage costs have to be covered by you.

COMPLAINTS – We make every effort to make sure that you have an enjoyable stay. However, if there are any problems that arise during your stay, you must notify us as soon as possible so that we can endeavour to put the matter right and take any remedial action if required. If you are not satisfied with the resolution to you complaint, please notify us in writing, or by email as soon as possible during your stay. Complaints will not be accepted once your hire agreement has ended and no correspondence will be entered into as we are unable to investigate your complaint effectively.

DATA PROTECTION – We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose we collected it for, in relation to your booking or enquiry, marketing activities, and satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. We are required to keep basic information about our customers (including contact, identity, financial and transaction data) for six years after the end of the tax year in which they cease being customers or clients, for tax purposes. We may anonymise your personal data (so that it can no longer be associated with you) for research or statistical purposes, to help improve our service and what we offer. Anonymised data may be used indefinitely without further notice to you (it cannot be linked back to you). We will process your financial data, such as a bank account number, sort code, credit or debit card details for the sole purpose of processing payment.

Your details will not be sold to any third party. Your details will not be passed onto any third party, apart from the time that the property of Bengate Barn is sold and you have a future cottage booking with us.

PRICING – We reserve the right to change the pricing of any cottage, at any time.

Full Booking Terms and Conditions

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