Booking Conditions

Please note that Cumbrian Cottages is a brand name of Cumbrian Cottages Limited (the company) and arrange bookings of holiday accommodation as agents only on behalf of the owner so you enter into a contract with the owner of the property when we post/email a written holiday confirmation form.

1. TO MAKE A BOOKING

Please telephone our office on 01228 599960 to check your chosen property is available on the dates you require. We can then hold this provisionally for 3 days giving you time to complete the booking form and send in your cheque, alternatively you may pay over the telephone by credit/debit card. If however your holiday is to take place within two weeks of booking, we will require you to pay by credit/debit card at the time of booking over the telephone.

2. CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

A deposit of £60 per bedroom per week is required to confirm your booking. If however you are booking within 8 weeks of your holiday, payment must be made in full when confirming your holiday. Please note your holiday is not confirmed until you have received either an email or written confirmation from Cumbrian Cottages and we reserve the right to refuse any booking before we have issued the holiday confirmation form.

Your booking is made as a consumer and you agree neither the company or owner will accept liability for expenses, costs, losses, claims or other sums that relate to any business however so suffered or incurred by you. You must be over 18 years of age at the time of making your booking.

As soon as you receive the holiday confirmation form, you must check it carefully. Any errors must be reported to us immediately.

3. BALANCE PAYMENT

The balance of your holiday is due at least 8 weeks prior to holiday commencement. This can be paid online or by forwarding a cheque or telephoning your credit/debit card details to our Carlisle office on 01228 599960. Non Payment of the final balance when it becomes due by more than 14 days will constitute cancellation of the holiday and forfeiture of the deposit payment.

4. CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS

To recover the credit card company charges levied on the company, we levy a 3% surcharge and this will be added to any credit card payment. There is no charge for switch or debit card.

5. HOLIDAY COST

The prices quoted are for 7 nights accommodation from the changeover date which is shown against the property. Where the property has the facility to sleep extra eg, if the ‘sleeps’ box against the property description shows ‘4/6’ there will be an additional charge of £25 for each additional person after 4. Included in the price is gas electric, fuel, (unless otherwise stated against the individual property details) and bed linen (please note bed linen is not provided for extra beds ie. sofa bed, ‘Z’ bed etc). The published prices are valid until production of the next brochure or owner advises. Prices quoted are in £ sterling and are all inclusive. Should these rates change or other taxes or levies become due, you may be required to pay the extra amount.

6. BREAKAGE DEPOSIT

Several of our properties require a breakage deposit and this is noted against the property description. For properties sleeping 8 plus, a breakage deposit may be required for Christmas and New Year bookings, this rule may also apply for parties aged under 21. The deposit must be paid 1 week prior to your holiday commencement (please note all payments made will be cashed) and will be refunded within 3 weeks of your return provided there is no damage. Any cost of repair or replacement items will be accounted for and deducted from your deposit prior to being refunded.

7. BROCHURE AND WEBSITE DETAILS

The company endeavours to ensure the information in the brochure and on our website provided by owners is correct. However the information may have changed by the time you book so you must ensure you check all details of your chosen property including prices when you book.

The owners and company always try to maintain the very best facilities and services to our holidaymakers and changes may have occurred since brochure production. Occasionally, problems mean some facility or service is either not available or restricted. The company will endeavour, as soon as practically possible, to inform the person who booked the holiday.

The company cannot accept any responsibility for any inaccurate, incomplete or misleading information about any property, its facilities and or services except in case of negligence by the company.

The company nor owner will accept responsibility for inaccessibility to any attractions or area amenities mentioned in the brochure. This brochure superseded all previous editions. Prices and booking conditions may be superseded by subsequent editions or owner advises at anytime.

8. SHORT BREAKS

These can be arranged out of season and at short notice during the high season, please telephone our reservations department to discuss your requirement. Please see price page 338 for rules.

9. OCCUPANCY

Your holiday group must not exceed the maximum number of people the property will sleep as detailed in the brochure description. If it does the owner/caretaker can refuse to allow you to take possession of the property or make you leave before the end of the holiday. If this happens we will treat your holiday as cancelled by you and you will not be entitled to a refund of monies of compensation.

10. PETS

Pets are accepted only at properties which are pet friendly, this is clearly stated against the individual brochure description, and are charged at £15 per pet per week/part week. Pets are accepted on the understanding that no sign of the pet is evident, in the house or garden at the time of departure. Pets are not allowed in the bedrooms or to be left alone in the property. We will inform you of any damages made by the pet and any additional charges incurred within 14 days of your return from holiday. If you book a cottage that is not pet friendly and are asked to leave no compensation/refund will be offered.

11. TRAVEL COTS

Most of our properties have a cot available to hire, please check the individual property description. A charge of £10 per week/part week is made for the hire of the cot. Please note unless otherwise stated the cots provided are travel cots and there is only 1 cot available per property.

We do NOT provide linen for the cots. Additional cots can be hired from our offices at the above costs, these must be booked in advance and collected and returned to our office. There will be a refundable deposit of £10 for the hire of our cot payable in cash on collection and refunded when returned.

12. HIGHCHAIRS

Some of our properties have a highchair available to hire, please check the individual brochure description. A charge of £5 per week/part week is made for the hire of a highchair. Highchairs can be hired from our offices, these must be booked in advance and collected and returned to our office. There will be a refundable deposit of £10 for the hire of our highchair payable in cash on collection and refunded when returned.

13. TOWELS

Some of our properties provide towels (the majority of our cottages DO NOT), please check the individual brochure description. Towels can be hired from our offices at the cost of £4 per set (1 bath and 1 hand towel in a set). These must be booked in advance and collected and returned to our office. There will be a refundable deposit of £10 for the hire of towels payable in cash on collection and refunded when returned.

14. KEY COLLECTION

Your property is available from 3.00pm on day of arrival and must be vacated by 10.00am on day of departure, unless otherwise stated on your holiday confirmation. Keys can be collected prior to the stated time however your property will not be guaranteed to be ready before this. In some instances we may be able to bring forward the entry time or extend the departure time, however we do require advance notice and we will only be able to confirm we are able to change the times 3 days before holiday commencement. Keys must be returned to the collection point.

15. CAR PARKING PERMITS

Some properties offer a parking permit (please note there is only 1 permit per property), please check individual brochure descriptions. There is a refundable deposit of £10 payable in cash when collecting the permit and refunded when returned.

16. CARE OF COTTAGES

Our cottages are lovingly cared for and we ask that you treat the cottage with respect and leave it clean and tidy. Please report any damages/breakages to the cottage owner or the local office on or before departure in order for us to fix/replace these prior to the next guests coming in. Damage/breakages caused through neglect may be charged for, in this case we will contact you within 1 week of departure.

17. COMPLAINTS

We work very hard to ensure you have an enjoyable holiday, we provide you with a quality assurance questionnaire and hope you will complete it and return it to our quality control department.

Any difficulties you have on holiday must be reported to the owner/caretaker straight away so that your reasonable holiday expectations may be met. This is the quickest way of resolving problems that might occur. Problems of a transient nature should be raised straight away as they cannot be rectified after your holiday.

In certain circumstances you may not wish to complain directly to the owner/caretaker or cannot contact them, so you must contact us during your stay so we can help. Please call our customer care line on 01228 406777.

If still dissatisfied then you must write to us within 28 days of your return, we do not have to look at complaints received after this limit. If you return home before telling anyone of your difficulties and your claim doesn’t involve personal injury/death then we cannot accept any liability.

18. ACCESS TO THE PROPERTY

There will be occasions when we will require access to the property to carry out repairs, photography, VisitBritain inspections etc. Wherever possible we will advise you as soon as we are aware of the date and time the access is required. A member of staff will try to accompany people on their visits.

19. ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION

In the unlikely event that we are unable to arrange the holiday accommodation requested, or if we have to move you from accommodation you already occupy, we will endeavour to offer alternative accommodation of a similar type as that originally requested. If the alternative accommodation is not acceptable to the holidaymaker, Cumbrian Cottages will either refund all monies paid or a pro rata amount depending on the length of stay prior to departure.

20. IF YOU CHANGE YOUR HOLIDAY

You must first telephone our Head Office in Carlisle on 01228 599960. Within 8 weeks of holiday commencement we will be unable to change either the accommodation or date of your holiday. Any changes made to your booking must be authorised with Head Office, can only be made once and are subject to an administration fee of £25 plus VAT. If we are unable to make the change requested a new holiday may be booked and we will try and relet the original accommodation on your behalf (see point 23 for details) otherwise the monies paid will be non-refundable.

21. CHANGES TO YOUR BOOKIGN BY THE OWNER OF THE COMPANY

We do not expect to make any changes to your booking but occasionally changes do occur during and after bookings have been confirmed and occasionally confirmed bookings have to be cancelled.

Most changes are minor but can be significant by which for the purposes of these conditions we mean a change of accommodation to that of a lower standard or a change of area. We will offer you either: cancelling and receiving a full refund of all monies paid to us or: acceptance of the significant change or: purchasing alternative arrangements from us of a similar type and standard in a similar location at a similar time of year if available.

If the alternative is less expensive than the original we will refund the price difference, if more expensive, we will ask you to pay the price difference.You must tell us as quickly as possible which option you wish to take. The options are not available in respect of minor changes.

Our liability is limited to the above options and if the cancellation occurs due to unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control the consequences of which we could not have avoided even with all due care.

Compensation will not be paid for minor changes or significant changes or cancellations prior to departure.

22. HOLIDAY CANCELLATION INSURANCE

We recommend that you purchase Holiday Cancellation insurance and we can provide this as part of the Holiday package if the option to purchase the cover is taken.The insurance is provided by P J Hayman Ltd and covers loss of deposit, cancellation and curtailment of a journey up to the value of the holiday in the following circumstances.

• Death, serious injury or illness of you or a travelling companion or someone whom you are staying with. Includes death of a relative or business associate of the any of the above.
• You or a travelling companion being required for Jury service or court attendance
• Damage to your home or that of a travelling companion due to the following causes.
  • Burglary
  • Damage by fire, storm, flood, explosion, subsidence, vandalism, fallen trees, impact by aircraft or vehicles at their home or usual place of business in the UK
• You or your travelling companion being told not to travel on doctors’ advice.
• Redundancy (not applicable to Curtailment)
• Armed forces or government service which could not be reasonably anticipated beforehand.

Principal Exclusions

• £60 excess
• Bankruptcy or liquidation of your transport or accommodation company
• Vehicle Breakdown
• Disinclination to Travel
• Riot, civil commotion, strike or lock out
• Piloting any aircraft and travel in non-chartered aircraft
• Suicide or intentional self injury
• Influence of Drugs or alcohol
• Death of Pets or animals

The cover is subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy wording 22b) If you choose to cancel your holiday and you are not covered by the above cover the full holiday cost will remain liable and must be paid by the balance due date unless we are able to relet the property on your behalf (see point 23 for details).

23. RELETTING ON YOUR BEHALF

If you have to cancel your holiday due to reasons not covered by the holiday cancellation insurance (see point 22 for details), we can, if requested in writing, attempt to relet your accommodation on your behalf. If successful we will refund any monies paid by the new hirer (please note this may not be brochure price, especially if it is a late booking), less the administration fee of £50 plus VAT.

If unsuccessful all monies paid will be forfeited. If at any time of cancellation, the final balance payment remains overdue by more than 14 days, then no monies will be refunded.

24. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

You are responsible for the property, this means you must keep all furnishings and fittings inside and outside the property in a comparable state of repair and condition as at the beginning of the holiday. The property cleanliness must be left in the same state as you found it. Breach of these conditions may result in the owner/caretaker making an additional cleaning charge and/or making a claim against you as a result of any damage or loss.

You are responsible to the owner for the actual costs of any breakage or damage along with additional costs that may occur caused by you or any member of your party.

You are expected to show due consideration for other people, not to abuse the property or display rude, dangerous or offensive behaviour towards the owner or caretaker or other third party. Possession of the property can be refused or you can be asked to leave before the end of the holiday. If this happens we will treat your holiday as having been cancelled by you and you will not be entitled to a refund of your holiday cost or compensation.

It is your responsibility to check the holiday property meets your needs and we cannot be responsible for ensuring the property is entirely suitable for your needs.We cannot accept any bookings that are specified to be conditional upon fulfilment of a particular request.

It is your responsibility to notify us of any information regarding a medical problem or disability that may affect your holiday at the time of booking.

25. LIABILITY

The owner and the company shall have no liability for any death or personal injury unless, in the case of the company, this results from the negligence of the company or its employees (providing they were at the time acting in the course of their employment) or, in case of the owner, it results from the owner’s negligence or that of any employee of the owner (providing they were at the time acting in the course of their employment). You must take all necessary steps to safeguard your personal property. No liability is accepted by the owner or the company in respect of damage to, or loss of, such personal property except, in the case of the owner, where the damage or loss is caused by the negligence of the owner or that of any employee of the owner (providing they were at the time acting in the course of their employment) or, in the case of the company, where the damage or loss is caused by the negligence of the company or its employees (providing they were at the time acting in the course of their employment).

As the company acts only as an agent for the owner, the company cannot accept any liability for any act(s) or omission(s) of the owner or anyone representing, or employed by, the owner. Further, the company cannot accept any liability for any shortcomings or defects with or in any property as all properties are within the sole control of the owner.

26. DATA PROTECTION

For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998, Cumbrian Cottages are the sole data controller of all personal data provided to us from customers and prospective customers

The company will collect certain personal details from you including your name and address and credit/debit card details compliant with secure procedures. For your holiday to be provided, the company needs to pass on your personal details to owners/caretakers and organisations who provide an element of the holiday including, where applicable, the insurance company, your credit/debit card company or bank.

Except where expressly permitted by the Data Protection Act 1998, the company will only deal with the personal details you give as set out above. The company has appropriate security measures in place to protect this information.

27. FORCE MAJEURE

Compensation payments will not apply where we cannot fulfil our obligations to our owners due to circumstances beyond our control. This would mean any event we or the owner cannot foresee with all due care, eg riots, war or threat of war, terrorist activity, civil strife, natural or nuclear disaster, industrial dispute, adverse weather conditions, fire epidemic or health risk and similar factors beyond our control. In valid cases (for example where your booking has to be cancelled before departure due to force majeure making the property inaccessible) the company will on behalf of the owner refund to you all monies paid to you by the company.

28. ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES

In the event an appliance breaks down, it will be repaired as soon as possible. We will not pay compensation in such circumstances.