Reservations for Blooms Gorse Cottage, whether made by telephone, email, in person, in writing or from the internet, are accepted by Hill Farm Estate Holdings Ltd (the “Owner”), the owner of Blooms Gorse Cottage, hereinafter referred to as THE COTTAGE, on the following conditions.
1. CONTRACT OF HIRE The Contract of Hire is governed by English law and jurisdiction and is not effective until we dispatch to you (the “Hirer”) written confirmation of the holiday booking. The contract is for the hire of the property for holiday purposes only. We do not accept bookings from Hirers under 21 years of age. We do not accept any stag or hen parties. The Owners reserve the right to refuse admittance if they have reason to believe these conditions are not being observed. No refunds will be given if admittance has been refused for this reason.
The Hirer certifies that he or she is authorised to agree to the Booking Conditions on behalf of all members of the party, including any changes. The Hirer must be over 21 years and a member of the party occupying the property. The Hirer will assume responsibility as party leader for all guests who make up the holiday party and compliance with these rules by all holiday party members.
Sub-letting or selling the booking to any other party is not permitted. In the event of this no monies will be refunded.
2. INITIAL PAYMENT Bookings will be reserved upon receipt by us of the required deposit payment (the “Deposit”) of 50% of the total holiday cost, comprising cottage rental, booking fee and any additional charges. If the booking is made within eight weeks of the holiday commencement date, the full accommodation rental will be required at the time of booking. Deposits can be paid through our secure payment system. Please note that reservation requests taken via our website are not confirmed bookings until we have contacted you with your booking confirmation.
3. BALANCE PAYMENT The Balance of the Hire will be due for payment eight weeks before the holiday commencement date together with an additional £150 (the “Refundable Damage Deposit”). On receipt of the Balance Payment, advice on key collection arrangements and directions to the property will be sent to the Hirer. We reserve the right to cancel a holiday where full payment has not been received less than 28 days before the holiday commencement date. The deposit paid on the booking is non-¬returnable.
4. METHOD OF PAYMENT Balance payments can be made by BACS to the bank details given in your balance of payments invoice.
5. CONFIRMATION OF BOOKING Once the owners have issued a Confirmation of Booking, the Hirer is responsible for the total published price of the holiday let and any extras as shown on the confirmation. The Owner has the right to refuse any proposed booking prior to the issue of the Confirmation. The Owner reserves the right to refuse or revoke any bookings from parties that may in their opinion (and at their sole discretion) be unsuitable for the property. When the Confirmation is received, the Hirer must check the details carefully. If anything is not correct you should tell The Owner immediately. The Owner will amend the Confirmation and send the Hirer an updated Confirmation.
6. BOOKING CANCELLATION In the event your booking has to be cancelled by Hill Farm Estate Holdings Ltd through Force Majeure, meaning any of the following circumstances which may hinder or prevent the performance by us of the Contract, including but not limited to: (a) acts of God, flood, drought, earthquake or other natural disaster; (b) epidemic or pandemic; (c) terrorist attack, civil war, civil commotion or riots, war, threat of or preparation for war, armed conflict, imposition of sanctions, embargo, or breaking off of diplomatic relations; (d) nuclear, chemical or biological contamination or sonic boom; (e) any law or any action taken by a government or public authority, including without limitation imposing a restriction, prohibition, or failing to grant a necessary license or consent; (f) collapse of buildings, fire, explosion or accident; (g) non-performance by our suppliers or contractors; and (i) failure of utility service, and the period of closure covers your booking, you will be refunded in full.
If the Hirer cancels the booking due to inability (or the inability of any, some or all of your intended party) or disinclination to travel to and stay at Blooms Gorse Cottage for any reason, including but not limited to – illness (including COVID), a requirement or recommendation to self-isolate or quarantine, shielding, a call to jury duty, military service, incarceration, change in personal or work circumstances, family emergencies, travel delays, vehicle breakdown, and delays with public transport – these remain at the Hirer’s risk and do not give rise to a right to cancel or to receive a refund unless we re-let the property, other than according to the sliding scale below. You are strongly recommended to take out UK travel insurance to cover these eventualities. If you choose not to take out UK travel insurance, then you accept responsibility for any loss that you may incur due to your cancellation.
Cancellations must be notified to us in writing to Hill Farm Estate Holdings Ltd by way of reply to our booking confirmation email and we will confirm the cancellation request.
Hill Farm Estate Holdings Ltd will apply the scale shown in the table below to determine the amount of the charge, which shall be a percentage of the total cost of the holiday.
Number of days before start of holiday that notification of cancellation is received, the percentage of total booking value payable by the Hirer:
- More than 90 days 5% of the booking cost
- 56 to 89 days 33% of the booking cost
- 40 – 55 days 50% of the booking cost
- 26 – 39 days 75% of the booking cost
- 3 – 25 days 90% of the booking cost
- 0 – 2 days 100% of the booking cost
The effective date of cancellation is when written notification is received by Hill Farm Estate Holdings Ltd. Any amounts due for refunding will be made within 14 Days.
On receipt of the cancellation, the above table states the amount that the Hirer remains liable for at that point in time. Hill Farm Estate Holdings Ltd will then use reasonable endeavours to obtain a replacement booking. In the event a replacement booking is found, the total amount paid by the Hirer for the booking less any booking fee and less the difference in price between the Hirer’s booking and the replacement booking will be refunded.
It is the responsibility of the Customer to acquire suitable travel insurance for themselves and their party to cover the booking. We strongly recommend that the Customer acquires suitable insurance to cover circumstances beyond the Customers’ control such as, but not limited to, jury duty, incarceration, change in personal or work circumstances, military service, illness, family emergencies and travel delays.
7. OCCUPANTS The maximum number of occupants is 12 plus two infants under 2 years old for family groups and a maximum of 10 for all adult groups.
8. PETS Dogs are welcome at Blooms Gorse Cottage. We ask that dog’s muddy/wet feet be dried before coming into the cottage and that shedding dogs are not to be allowed in bedrooms. Any dog mess should be cleaned up.
9. LIABILITY The use of Blooms Gorse Cottage and gardens is entirely at the risk of all members of the holiday party and no responsibility can be accepted for injury, loss or damage to such party or their belongings. Holiday party members are asked to take care at all times while at Blooms Gorse Cottage and parents are asked to ensure that children are kept safe, accompanied by a responsible adult, and not left unattended either in the house or gardens.
10. ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE Blooms Gorse Cottage will be available to you after 4 pm on the start date of your holiday and you must leave by 10 am on the last day (unless earlier or later check-in/check-out times have been arranged with the Owner prior to your arrival).
11. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES For the whole of the period included within your booking, you will be responsible for the property and will be expected to take good care of it. It is also the responsibility of the Hirer to ensure that the property is left secure at all times when it is unoccupied during the period of the let.
Prior to arrival you will be sent a digital welcome book with some information about Blooms Gorse Cottage and the area which includes the fire policy and procedures. You are responsible for ensuring all guests and their family members are familiar with the fire policy and procedures.
Should there be any specific health or mobility difficulties which affect a party member, this must be pointed out at the initial booking stage so that the suitability of the property can be assessed.
The property and all furniture, equipment and utensils must be left clean, tidy and in their original position at the end of your holiday booking.
12. SMOKING Blooms Gorse Cottage is a non-smoking property. The Owner reserves the right to seek compensation (including consequential loss) for any damage and additional costs of cleaning (such as dry cleaning of curtains and furnishings) caused by a guest smoking within the cottage.
13. NOISE Although Blooms Gorse Cottage is in an isolated forest location, there is a farm a couple of hundred yards away and there may be other forest users nearby. We ask that guests act with consideration for the farmer and other forest users at all times. PA, sound systems and amplified music are not permitted.
14. FIRES & FIREWORKS Under no circumstances should open fires and BBQs be lit anywhere in the grounds or surroundings of the cottage other than in the firepit and BBQ facilities provided. We reserve the right to withdraw the firepit from use during periods of drought when the forest is particularly dry and there is a heightened fire risk. Fireworks are not permitted at any time.
15. BED LINEN, TOWELS & CLEANING Bed linen and bath/kitchen towels are provided and included in the price of the hire. We can supply a cot and a highchair free of charge. However, we do not supply cot bed linen.
The cost of cleaning, when the house is left in a tidy and reasonable state, is included in the price.
Any extra cleaning time required due to the property being left in an excessively dirty condition will be calculated by our cleaning team and be payable by the Hirer.
16. DAMAGES & BREAKAGES For the benefit of the next guests staying in the property, all breakages and damage that occurs during your stay should be notified to the Owner. Accidents do happen and we do not charge for minor breakages or damage which occur as a result of normal use but reserve the right to charge reasonable payment for excessive breakages or damage which occur as a result of reckless or deliberate misuse. Such damage and breakages (including any additional cleaning costs incurred due to the property being left in an excessively dirty condition at the end of your stay) are the legal responsibility of the Hirer and shall be payable on demand.
These costs of damage and breakages will be deducted from your Refundable Damage Deposit, but are not limited to that amount. You may be invoiced for the difference between the Refundable Damage Deposit and the actual cost of the repairs/cleaning.
Please let the Owner (or the Owner’s agent) know about any problem with any appliance or fixture or fitting as soon as possible and within a reasonable time, the item in question will be either repaired or alternative arrangements made.
The balance of the Refundable Damage Deposit (less any deductions as set out above) will be refunded within 10 working days of the end of your booking. The Owner reserves the right to repossess Blooms Gorse Cottage at any time where you or any member of your party has caused damage or behaves in an unreasonable way. The Owner shall not be liable to make a refund of any remaining portion of sums paid under this Contract.
17. COMPLAINTS Every effort has been made to ensure that you have an enjoyable and memorable stay. If however, you have any problem or cause for complaint it is essential that you contact the Owner’s agent immediately so that an investigation can be carried out and any necessary action taken. In no circumstances can compensation be paid for any complaints that are made after the hire has ended or where the Owner or any representative has been denied the opportunity to try and put matters right during your stay.