Terms & Conditions of Wisteria Holiday Cottage Watlington Oxfordshire

Booking Terms for Wisteria Cottage Watlington in the Chilterns AONB

These Terms and Conditions form an integral part of the Booking Confirmation.

Payments

Payments for the cost of the property rental can be made by credit card via our online booking system, bank transfer (BACS) or cheque. 

Payment may occur in 2 stages if the booking is made more than 6 weeks before the date of arrival in which case an initial Reservation Deposit is taken at time of booking then Full Payment is due no later than 6 weeks before the date of arrival. We STRONGLY advise all guests to take out travel insurance at the time of booking.

Cancellation Policy

If the Management cancel a booking for any reason then all monies paid so far will be refunded in full.
If a guest cancels in the period between paying the Reservation fee and paying the Balance of Payment 6 weeks before arrival then the Management will retain the non refundable Reservation Deposit
Once full payment has been received 6 weeks before arrival then any subsequent cancellation by the guest will allow all monies paid to be retained by the Management. However in the unlikely event of a new booking being taken then a refund equivalent to the monies received by the new rental payment minus a £50 administrative/marketing fee may apply.

Reservation Deposit

A 30% deposit of the rental rate should be received within 24 hours of making a reservation. The reservation deposit is non refundable. 

A £200 damage/loss payment may be paid either at the same time or at the time of full payment 6 weeks before arrival.

The rate agreed for Full Payment will be displayed on the Booking Form. It will be paid at least 6 weeks before arrival and no reminder will be sent by the Management. If the remaining balance + damage/loss payment is not received by the Management by the date 6 weeks before arrival, then the Management has the right to cancel the reservation and no monies already paid by the Client will be returned. 

The damage/loss payment will be refunded by the Management to the Client within 14 days of departure to the account provided by the Client providing the following provisions are met. 

There has been no loss or damage to the property or its contents from humans and dogs.

These are below. 

Smoking

Smoking or vaping inside the property is STRICTLY prohibited.

The Management reserves the right to withhold the damage/loss payment and if necessary invoice the Client an additional sum of up to £500 if there is evidence of smoking or vaping by the Client or any members of their party. This additional charge covers loss of income whilst the property is being deep cleaned and the additional intensive cleaning costs incurred in order to re-present the property as a non-smoking property to future guests. 

Pets

One well behaved, house trained dog may be welcome but NOT on the beds. In exceptional circumstances, after discussion before booking, the Management may allow 2 small dogs, or one inside cat, within the property. No other animal or bird is allowed. An additional cost of £25 per week per animal or stay if less than a week. will apply. Please enquire before booking. Pet owners are expected to clean up the property inside and outside to ensure no trace of pet remains. This applies to the lawns too. Fields are available just across the road.

The Management reserves the right to withhold the security deposit and, if necessary, invoice the Client an additional sum up to £500 if there is evidence of pet remaining after the Client has departed. This applies to pet mess inside or out or damage to furniture, fittings, linen and towels.

Dogs must NEVER be left unattended in the property or garden. A list of pet sitters is available on request. See our dog policy.

Occupancy

Occupancy is only permitted to the number and names of guests specified on the booking confirmation form. Occupancy must not exceed 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children under 10 years which can include a baby under 2 years of age.

The Client who makes the booking should be present throughout the rental period. The Client who makes the booking should be over 25 years of age.

Any over occupancy is considered to be a serious infringement of the booking terms and conditions and the Management reserves the right to refuse entry to the entire party if these conditions are not observed with no refund of rental fees. The Management also reserves the right to make an immediate requirement to vacate the premises with no refund of rental fees if over occupancy is discovered during the stay. 

The Client acknowledges that the rental is a holiday let specifically for the rental period booked on the Booking Confirmation form. It is NOT an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. The Client must give vacant possession of the property back to the Management on the check out date agreed in the state of cleanliness and repair and condition in which it was found at check in.

Period Of Hire

Book Direct Rentals commence at 15.30 on the day of arrival and terminate at 10.30 on the day of departure. 

Utilities

The reasonable usage cost of water, gas and electricity is included in the rate agreed for the rental period. If the usage is deemed higher than expected, then additional  payment will be deducted from the £200 security/damage deposit taken. It is expected that conservation of energy will be taken seriously and jumpers worn. The pre programmed settings should not be changed.  Wifi is NOT provided.

Drains

The drainage system is old and sensitive. There are notices in the property requesting that the Client and party do not put anything other than toilet paper into the WC.

A bin is provided in the bathroom for small items such as baby wipes, ear buds and face pads. Sanitary products and nappies must be placed in an appropriate bag supplied by the Client and must be disposed of directly into the black dustbin. A deduction will be taken from the security deposit for breach of this condition as these items are of a personal nature and present a Health and Safety handling risk to the Management and their employees.

If the drains are found to be blocked at the end of the rental period, the Management will take the cost of unblocking them from the security deposit paid. If this sum is inadequate then the Management has the right to invoice the Client an addition charge up to £500 to cover this. 

It is forbidden to connect an electric vehicle to our electricity supply except through the EV charging point we have provided. This is available at an additional fee based on the usage recorded on the app per charge by prior arrangement with the management. If it is noticed that any other form of charging is occurring/has occurred then a fine of £100 will be deducted from the damage/loss deposit.

Loss Of Amenity

The Management will not be liable for any loss of amenity deemed to have been suffered by the Client or guests during the rental period as a result of noise associated with road traffic, aeroplanes, insects, birds, animals or as a result of activities being carried out in neighbouring properties and gardens. 

Noise

Any excessive noise, nuisance or abusive behaviour towards the owner, employees or neighbours or illegal activity before or during the period of occupation will cause the owner to terminate the agreement immediately without compensation or refund.

The Management requests that no noise is made inside or outside the property after 22.30 which could disturb the peace of the neighbours. 

Liability

The Management shall not be liable to the Client or third parties for any accident, loss, injury or inconvenience which may be suffered, incurred or arise before, during or after the rental. 

We STRONGLY suggest that the Client takes out adequate holiday insurance at the time of making the booking to cover any cancellation eventuality as monies paid are not refundable. 

In the unlikely event that the accommodation is rendered uninhabitable by fire, flood, earthquake or other event outside our control before commencement of booking, the Client will be entitled to a refund of all rental monies paid.

Safety & Security

The Client and his party must keep the property secure at all times. Appliances within the property should be used in accordance with the instructions provided in the User Manual within the property. The gas central heating boiler should not be touched and if there is a problem with it, the Management should be contacted immediately.  

The User Manual contains information about the location of the rising water main tap, the electricity meter and the gas meter and these services should be turned off in case of emergency then the Management should be contacted immediately by telephone. 

Right Of Entry

The Management and their employees and contractors shall be allowed the right of entry to the property at all reasonable times for purposes of inspection or to carry out necessary repairs or maintenance. 

Complaints

Any complaints regarding the accommodation must be brought to the attention of the owner as soon as noticed during the time of your stay. This will enable investigations to take place and any necessary action to be taken.

The hirer must allow access to the owner or keyholder so that there is an opportunity to try to rectify matters as soon as possible. However, there may be instances where external agencies are involved, such as power, water or broadband providers, which make this impossible and the hirer will not have grounds for any form of recompense.

Events Beyond Our Control

We will not be legally responsible or have any liability to you if we are delayed from carrying out our responsibilities to you as a result of events beyond our control and the inability or delay in carrying out our responsibility will not be treated as a breach of the booking conditions. This means that an event that we could not, even with all due care, expect or avoid, including but not limited to the following:

• strike, lockout or labour dispute
• natural disaster
• acts of terrorism, war, riot or civil commotion
• malicious damage
• keeping to any law or government or local authority order, rule, regulation or direction for example advice from the FCO or other health or governmental body to avoid or leave a country or regional area within a country.
• significant risk to human health such as the outbreak of a serious disease, epidemic, pandemic etc at the travel destination.
• accident
• breakdown of equipment or machinery
• insolvency or bankruptcy of a service provider
• fire, flood, snow or storm
• difficulty or increased cost of getting workers, goods or transport
• other circumstances affecting the supply of goods or services

Updated: August 2024