Booking Information and Conditions
STAYCOTSWOLD IS A MARKETING AGENCY AND WE DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE COTTAGES LISTED ON OUR WEBSITE. THE COTTAGES WITHIN OUR PORTFOLIO ARE MANAGED BY THIRD PARTY PROPERTY MANAGERS OR THE PROPERTY OWNER – YOUR PRE-ARRIVAL EMAIL WILL CONTAIN INFORMATION ON THE PROPERTY MANAGER AND HOW TO CONTACT THEM. BOOKINGS MADE VIA STAYCOTSWOLD FORM A LEGAL AGREEMENT DIRECTLY BETWEEN THE GUEST AND THE PROPERTY OWNER.
THE BOOKING INFORMATION AND CONDITIONS BELOW SHOULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FINER DETAILS SECTION ON EACH PROPERTY’S LISTING ON THE STAYCOTSWOLD WEBSITE ( WWW.staycotswold.com ) WHICH FORM PART OF THE OVERALL AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU (THE GUEST) AND THE OWNER.
BOOKING INFORMATION
Important information about your holiday
Please read the following information carefully and in conjunction with our booking conditions. The information contained within covers everything from when to arrive, checkout, parking and how to look after the property whilst there. However, if you can’t find what you are looking for, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Arriving, parking and departing
Arrival and departure times along with parking arrangements can be found on the individual property listing on our website. Once you have paid your final balance you will be sent confirmation of these details, including the arrival and departure times, how to find the property, where to park and how to gain access.
Sleeping arrangements and occupancy
Our property descriptions show the “ideal” number of guests that a property will sleep, this is based on a maximum of one or two guests per room. If a property shows an additional capacity (demonstrated by, “4+2”, for example), this denotes that additional guests can be accommodated via additional sleeping arrangements, an extra bed in a bedroom, a sofa bed or trundle bed, for example. Under no circumstances should the maximum number of guests listed be exceeded.Infants who sleep in a cot do not count towards the total occupancy figure, however, due to space restrictions, owners may restrict the extent to which the occupancy limit can be exceeded by infants.
Infants who sleep in a cot do not count towards the total occupancy figure, however, due to space restrictions, owners may restrict the extent to which the occupancy limit can be exceeded by infants.
Bed linen, towels and travel cots
Bed linen and towels are provided at no extra charge at most properties, unless otherwise stated in the property’s Finer Details section on our website. Where a travel cot is provided at a property, this will not include cot linen (or cot pillows, blankets or duvets).
Gardens
Many properties have private gardens or courtyards. If you require an enclosed outdoor space suitable for children or pets, this will normally be stated in the property description, however, this does not guarantee that pets or children cannot find a way out. Some garden walls may be low enough in height that pets or children may be able to jump or climb over them. If you are concerned about this, please check with us before you book. We strongly recommend that children or pets are supervised in the garden at all times.
Cleaning
All properties are thoroughly cleaned between bookings and set up for your arrival. Under normal circumstances the cost of this clean is included in the price you paid. Additional cleaning charges may be levied if significant additional cleaning is required after you leave, or you do not leave the property and its contents as you found them. To assist the housekeeper, we kindly ask that you tidy the property before you leave, ensuring that dishes are washed thoroughly or the dishwasher is loaded and turned on. Please empty all rubbish into bin bags provided.
Unless specifically stated in the property’s Finer Details, there will be no additional cleans, or linen and towel changes during your stay, however, it will usually be possible to arrange these with us prior to your arrival at the property. Washing, drying and ironing facilities should be noted in the online listing for each property.
Travel insurance
We strongly advise that you take out adequate travel insurance to cover your stay. In particular, access and availability can be affected by unforeseen circumstances, such as illness, adverse weather (including snow) or accidents, and events outside the control of the owner, such as failure of public utilities, which can impact upon your stay and are not subject to refund or compensation.
Security deposit
Some of the properties in our portfolio request a security deposit, details of which are stated in the property’s Finer Details. This deposit is taken as a pre-authorisation against your credit card 7 days prior to your arrival date, and providing no damage is reported, the transaction will be released by StayCotswold 7 days after your departure (please note the time it takes for the credit to reach your account depends on your card provider). Should the pre-authorisation be declined, guests will still be liable for any breakages and damage caused during their stay. On report of breakages or damage, the pre-authorised security deposit will be processed and held independently by StayCotswold until an appropriate resolution can be achieved. For the avoidance of doubt, guests are requested to leave the property in a reasonable condition, consistent with the property’s appearance upon arrival. Any other specific conditions will be detailed in the Finer Details section of the property listing.
In the event that the owners, or their appointed housekeepers, have to spend additional time or resource tidying up after your departure, the cost of this extra time may be deducted from your security deposit.
Breakages and damage
We understand that accidents happen and that this can result in breakages or damage to the property, or the equipment contained within. If such an incident occurs, we ask that you report it immediately to ourselves, the Owner, or the housekeeper/property manager. Owners are entitled to charge you for the actual costs of any breakages or damage caused to items within the property, or to the property itself, or the cost of replacing missing items, along with any additional costs that may result. However, Owners will be practical about the application of this rule and consider each incident on a case-by-case basis.
Where towels and bed linen are provided, this is for your convenience and comfort, and we ask that you take special care to look after them. Damage or permanent staining can occur as a result of tanning lotion/fake tan, for example.
Please take care not to remove anything from the property. If you take something away by accident, you must notify us, the Owner or their appointed representative immediately and return the item to the property at your own expense.
Unreasonable behaviour
The property Owner or their property manager can refuse entry to the property if the unreasonable behaviour of anyone in your party is likely to cause offence to other guests, to members of staff or to neighbours, or if they have reasonable cause to believe you or any member of your party will cause damage or loss to the property, its services or facilities. The Owner or property manager can end your stay after check in if the unreasonable behaviour of anyone in your party (including anyone invited into the property by you) is likely to spoil the enjoyment, comfort or health of other guests, residents, neighbours or members of staff or where you or any member of your party (or anyone invited into the property by you) has broken or is likely to break any of your obligations as the Guest contained within the booking conditions or online listing of the property. If this happens, you will have to leave the property immediately and no refund will be given. You may also be responsible for any costs incurred as a result of your behaviour.
Fuel and utilities
In most properties the cost of electricity, gas, heating, water, logs for open fires or other fuels are included withing the price you paid for your stay. Where additional charges are applicable, they will be detailed in the property’s Finer Details.
In the event of a partial, intermittent, or major failure in the supply of a public utility, please report the issue to the Owner or their designated property manager as soon as possible, so that they can report the problem to the utility company and attempt to resolve the issue swiftly. The supply of public utilities is beyond the control of the Owner or ourselves and, even after the issue has been reported to the appropriate utility company, a resolution may not be possible in a timely fashion. These events are classified as Force Majeure in this contract and are not subject to compensation, therefore we strongly recommend that adequate travel insurance is taken out to cover you should an issue of this nature occur.
Electric and hybrid vehicle charging
You agree not to charge an electric or hybrid vehicle at the Property unless it is described as offering an electric vehicle charging point in The Finer Details section of the property listing on our website. You further agree that You shall not use a normal domestic power socket to charge an electric or hybrid vehicle as this may cause a safety risk or damage to the Property. A breach of either of these conditions will result in You being charged £100.
IT and other appliances
Details of TV and WIFI provisions are recorded on each property’s website listing. In addition to local terrestrial channels others may be available where satellite, freeview or cable television is listed in the Finer Details. The provision of any additional channels is a complimentary service and therefore, in the event of failure, owners will not be liable to pay compensation.
Most properties have free wireless internet access, the availability of which is dependent on the supplier and cannot be guaranteed. This is a complimentary service and therefore, in the event of failure, owners will not be liable to make compensation payments.
Some properties contain a landline telephone for guest use, this will be stated in the property’s Finer Details if applicable. Generally, an honesty box will be made available for you to make a reasonable contribution towards the costs of any calls made. The owner has the right to claim reimbursement from you if there is a material difference between the cost of any telephone calls made during your stay and any contribution you make. Please ensure that calls are properly terminated and that phones are kept away from children.
All properties, unless otherwise stated in the Finer Details, have a cooker and a fridge.
Minor incidents
The property Owners and housekeepers work hard to ensure that the property is in good order in time for your stay, however minor incidents may occur during your stay, for example a light bulb failing or a fuse blowing. We ask for your cooperation, understanding and the application of common sense from you in order to help resolve any issues that do occur during your stay, replacing a broken light bulb with one of the spares provided, for example. The Owner or their appointed property manager will attempt to resolve any issues that occur during your stay; however, this may not always be possible and neither we nor the Owner can be held liable for any perceived or actual loss resulting in this failure.
Residential properties and accessibility issues
The majority of the properties in our portfolio are traditional period cottages, please remember that much of their charm results from their age. Many of our properties are well over 100 years old and were built before the days of modern conveniences such as damp-proof courses and cavity wall insulation. Please consider this if you are booking for elderly guests or young children, especially if you are travelling during the cooler months of the year. Steep stairs or low beams can be a problem for younger or older guests, if you are concerned about this, please discuss it with us before you book.
The Cotswolds is a rural area and rural industries often begin their day early and run late into the evening, we ask that you are tolerant of the sounds and scents that come with being in the country. Please bear in mind that holiday cottages are often located in residential areas, from time-to-time work may occur near to the property, such as planned or unplanned road works, utility works, or building work on neighbouring properties. Please accept that this is beyond the control of StayCotswold and the property Owner, it can happen without prior warning and we ask that guests are understanding in such circumstances.
Many Cotswold towns and villages host traditional visitor events each year, which can lead to increased noise and traffic in the local area. As the timing and duration of these events can vary, we recommend checking online notice boards for local events that may impact your stay.
Special requirements
Please contact us prior to booking if any of your party have special requirements, we can suggest properties that are especially suitable for those who require easy walking or wheelchair access, for example.
Many of our properties have cots and high chairs as noted in the Finer Details section in the online listing, however, these properties may not necessarily offer other infant equipment, please check with us if you have a specific requirement.
Pets
Many of our properties welcome pets for a small additional charge, this covers the additional cleaning costs. Pet friendly properties display a pets welcome symbol on the listing, you can also use the online search filter on our website.
If you are taking your pet to a pet friendly property, we ask you to respect these few simple house rules:
- Please keep your pets off the furniture;
- Please exercise your pets outside the garden;
- Please remove pet hairs from carpets before you leave;
- Please don’t leave your pets unattended in the property or garden;
- Please clean up any residual mess, including in the garden;
- Please do not allow pets upstairs or in the bedrooms.
Where pets are not permitted at a property, this is clearly stated in the property description, however, registered guide and support dogs belonging to those with visual and hearing impairments are allowed in all our properties, even where the property description states that pets are not allowed.
Customers with allergies should be aware that we cannot guarantee that a pet or registered guide and/or support dog has not stayed in their chosen property, nor can we accept liability for any suffering which may occur as a result of such animals having been present.
Gas appliances
Gas appliances in UK properties, by law, have to be installed and maintained by Gas Safe registered engineers and a copy of the service certificate is available at each property. If you have any doubts about the efficient operation of any gas appliance in the property, please contact us, the Owner or the property manager immediately.
Please ensure that gas cookers and gas fires are turned off after use and make absolutely sure of this before you go to bed. Children and pets should be supervised at all times when in the presence of a gas fire.
Personal safety
We do our best to ensure that property owners take the safety and wellbeing of their guests very seriously and that their properties are well maintained for your comfort and safety. Nevertheless, please remember that when you staying in an unfamiliar property you should take extra care of yourself and your family. We highly recommend that you:
- Review the layout of your holiday property upon arrival so that you can get out quickly and easily in an emergency;
- Read the property information booklet, if there is one, for relevant health and safety information;
- Check for a fire extinguisher and fire blanket, and read the instructions on their use;
- If the property has open fires or wood burning stoves, keep children and pets under close supervision and ensure that the fire is safely out before you go to bed;
- If you are unsure of how to use any electrical appliances, please ask the owner or property manager;
- If the property is heated using electric or night storage heaters, these must never be covered;
- Take special care when moving around the property at night;
- If cots or highchairs are damaged or deficient in any way, please let us, the Owner or the property manager know;
- Look out for glass patio doors or glazed interior doors;
- Keep young children off balconies;
- If there is a garden pond or other water feature, please ensure that children or anyone at risk are supervised by a responsible adult or cannot access it. Look for any steep drops or steps in the garden and if there are garden sheds or outbuildings, ensure that children or anyone at risk cannot get into them;
- Equipment in children’s playgrounds should be safe and in good condition. The surface of the play area should be soft, ie: sand, soft earth or wood chippings. You should satisfy yourself that the equipment is safe and in good condition before use. Children should be supervised by a responsible adult at all times;
- All activities during your holiday are undertaken at your own risk.
If you have any concerns about the safety of your holiday property, then please tell us, the owner or the property manager immediately.
Customer satisfaction
We are committed to providing high quality holidays to our guests, and feedback is an important tool for us to monitor this. Your comments and suggestions will be used to help us to improve our services, so we are always keen to hear from you.
We work very hard with our property owners to ensure that you will have an enjoyable holiday, however, in the unlikely event that you are dissatisfied with your accommodation, then it is very important that you register this straight away with us, the Owner or the designated property manager. Please do not wait until you return home when the chance of resolving your issue has passed. Even if you believe that nothing can be done to improve your situation, you must report the issue whilst you are on holiday. Please note that we aim to resolve formal complaints within 7 days of the issue being raised. For further information on our complaints procedure, please see our Booking Conditions.
BOOKING CONDITIONS
In these booking conditions, ‘you’ and ‘your’ means all guests in your party. ‘We’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ means StayCotswold Limited of Mascot House, Digbeth Street, Stow-on-the-Wold, Cheltenham, GL54 1BN.
Before placing a booking through us, please read these conditions carefully, along with all the other information relevant to your booking, including any specific conditions or restrictions set out in the website description of your chosen property or properties. In particular, the specific information provided on the website in the Finer Details section of each property forms part of these booking conditions.
We do not own any of the properties in our portfolio and act to arrange bookings as an agent of the owners of the accommodation (the “Owner”). When you book a property with us acting as an agent for the Owner, you are entering into a contract with the Owner.
As we act as agents when taking your booking, we accept no legal responsibility for any contract you enter into for accommodation or for the acts or neglect of any Owner or other person connected with your booking.
When you accept the booking, you are deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions.
Making your booking
All bookings depend on the property being available. You as the person in charge of the party (the party leader) must be at least 18 years old at the time of booking. All other members of the party must authorise you to make the booking on the basis of these conditions. By making the booking, you confirm that you are authorised to make the booking and that all other members of the party agree that the booking will be governed by these conditions. You are responsible for making all payments due to us.
As long as the property is available and we have received any relevant payments, we will aim to provide written confirmation as soon as reasonably possible. Your binding contract with the Owner will begin when we issue the written confirmation. For bookings made within five days of the arrival date, we require specific owner confirmation. Likewise, for bookings greater than, or equal to, 30 days in length, we also need owner clearance before proceeding.
We will give you written confirmation by email. It is your responsibility to check your emails regularly and to let us know about any change to your email address.
We, on behalf of the Owner, have the right to refuse any booking before we send you your written confirmation. If we do this, we will tell you in writing and promptly refund any money that you have paid to us. In this case, neither we nor the Owner will have any legal responsibility to you.
As soon as you receive your confirmation, you must check the details carefully. If anything is not correct, you should tell us immediately.
Payment
When you book, you should pay the deposit amount due by either debit or credit card, or bank transfer. We must then receive the balance of the money owed no less than 8 weeks before your arrival date at the property. If you book less than 8 weeks before your arrival date, we must receive full payment of the total cost when you make the booking. Payments are only accepted in pounds sterling and you must take any relevant bank charges and exchange rates into account if you are making a bank transfer, to ensure that we receive the correct amount in pounds sterling.
If you do not pay any balance payment due in relation to your booking by the appropriate date we will send out a reminder to you explaining that your payment is late and giving you the opportunity to pay us. If we do not receive payment within 1 week of sending out a reminder, we will be entitled to assume, on behalf of the Owner, that you want to cancel your booking. In this case, we will be entitled to keep all deposits paid or due at that date and pay them to the Owner. We will also be entitled to release your booking and re-let the property.
Pricing
We may increase or reduce the prices of unsold products and services or correct mistakes in pricing at any time before we confirm your booking. We will confirm the price of your booking when you make it. As changes and mistakes can happen, you must check all details at the time of booking.
All prices quoted or otherwise given to you include all charges and any UK taxes or government charges which may apply to your booking at the time it is made.
Unless stated otherwise, all prices are for the entire property and are not on a per person basis.
Marketing details
We aim to ensure that marketing material is accurate and representative of the property, however, occasionally the property Owner may make changes and upgrades and errors occasionally occur. You must ensure that you check all property details and arrangements, including the price, with us at the time of booking.
Occasionally, due to Owner upgrades or other circumstances, there may be small differences between the actual property and its description. Occasionally some facilities or services become unavailable or subject to restriction, in this instance we will tell you as soon as reasonably practical after we become aware of the situation.
We cannot accept responsibility for any changes or closures to local services or attractions mentioned on our website, by our team of advisers or advertised elsewhere. We make reasonable efforts to ensure that information supplied to you in relation to the property, its facilities and local facilities or services is accurate, however, we cannot accept responsibility for any inaccurate, incomplete or misleading information about any property or its facilities and services, unless this was caused by our negligence.
Changes or cancellations by you
If you want to make changes to any detail of your confirmed booking, we will do our best to assist, however, StayCotswold cannot guarantee that the property Owner concerned will be able to meet your request. Changes that are able to be made may incur an administration fee, and in some cases additional fees may be payable to the Owner – any fees will be highlighted to you before they are incurred. We may treat changes to your dates or accommodation as a cancellation of the original booking and in such cases cancellation charges may be incurred, as set out below. You will be advised if this is the case at the point that you request the change, you must then inform us as soon as is reasonably practical whether you still wish to go ahead with the change to your booking. If you advise us that you do or you fail to contact us as soon as is reasonably practical, your booking will be treated as having been cancelled by you.
If you have to, or choose to, cancel your booking, you must contact us as soon as possible. The day we receive your notice to cancel is the date on which we will cancel your booking with the Owner. You will then be entitled to a refund of your total booking cost, less a Cancellation Charge based on the number of days before the arrival date at the property from the date we receive notification of your cancellation, details of which are shown in the table below. This means that if you have paid the balance of your total booking cost and then have to, or choose to, cancel, you may receive a refund of part of this cost. If you have not paid your total holiday cost by the time of your cancellation, you may be required to make a further payment to cover the Cancellation Charge.
For the purpose of the table below, booking cost means the total cost of the booking, including booking fees and administration fees (where no costs have been incurred by an owner, optional extras, such as pet fees or extra bed charges, are refundable):
Number of days before arrival date that we receive your notification of cancellation | Cancellation Charge |
More than 56 days | Deposit payment (including any balance of deposit due) |
29-56 days | 50% of booking cost or full deposit (including any balance of deposit due), whichever is the greater |
15-28 days | 75% of booking cost |
1-14 days | 90% of booking cost |
On arrival date or later | Total booking cost |
The conditions for getting a refund referred to above only apply if the cancellation applies to all members of your party. All prices are for the whole property and are not on a per person basis.
For the avoidance of doubt, the cancellation rights under The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 do not apply to holiday accommodation (please see: www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2000/2334/regulation/6/made).
The property
Details of arrival and departure times are set out in each property’s Finer Details section on the website.
If you fail to arrive by 12 noon on the day after the start date of your rental period and you do not let us, the owner or the property manager know that you still plan to arrive, we may treat your booking as having been cancelled by you. In this situation, you will not be entitled to a refund of any money you have paid.
You are responsible for all key sets in your possession for the duration of your booking. If you lose a key set, the owner is entitled to charge you £50 per lost set. You are not permitted to make a copy of the set of keys provided by the Home Owner or StayCotswold or change any of the locks on the Property.
If a security deposit is required by the Owner of your chosen property, you will be notified of the amount and method of payment at the time of booking. The Owner will refund the security deposit at the end of your rental period (less any costs for breakages, damages, etc, if applicable).
You and all members of your party agree to keep the property clean and tidy, to leave the property in a similar condition as you found it when you arrived and to behave in a way at all times whilst at the property that does not break any law. You and all members of your party also agree not to use the property for any illegal or commercial purpose, including subletting it or otherwise allowing anyone to stay in it who we have not previously accepted on behalf of the Owner. Under no circumstances are photo shoots, location videos or filming permitted at any of our properties for any purpose which may include, among others: advertising, promotion, marketing and packaging for any product, service or arts project. You are responsible to the Owner for the actual costs of any missing items, breakage or damage in or to the property, along with any extra costs that may result, which are caused by you or any members of your party. The Owner can ask for an extra payment from you to cover any related costs.
The owner can refuse to allow you into the property or ask you to leave if they reasonably believe that you or any member of your party is behaving illegally, or is in breach of any condition of these Booking Conditions (including any Property specific terms shown in the Finer Details section of the Property listing on the website), or that any damage is likely to be caused, has been caused or is being caused by the behaviour of you or any members of your party. We will treat these circumstances as a cancellation by you and you will not be entitled to a full or partial refund.
You must not allow more people to stay in the property than the maximum occupancy stated on the property listing on our website. If you do, the Owner or their representative is entitled to refuse to allow you access to the property, or can repossess it. If the Owner does this, we will treat this as a cancellation by you. In these situations, you will not receive a refund of any money you have paid for your booking and neither StayCotswold nor the Owner will be legally responsible to you (including, for example, any costs or expenses you have to pay for replacement accommodation or travel, due to not being able to stay in the property). Neither we nor the Owner are under any obligation to find any alternative accommodation for you or reimburse you for any expenses incurred.
You must allow us, the Home Owner, or their representatives access to the property during reasonable hours, except where an emergency problem needs to be remedied immediately and you are out of contact, in which case, they may enter the property without your prior agreement.
If you make a formal request for the Owner to call out a trade person to investigate or rectify a perceived problem and it transpires that there was no actual problem or that the problem was caused by you, then you will be liable for the cost of the trade person’s visit.
Pets are not allowed unless stated on the website. If you take a pet with you, it must not be allowed upstairs, on beds or on furniture. Pets must not be left unattended in the property. You are responsible for the safety of your pets and for ensuring that your pets do not cause damage to any furniture, fixtures, fittings or structures within the boundaries of the property. The Owner is entitled to recover the actual costs of any breakage or damage in or to the property, along with any extra costs that may result, which are caused by your pets. Registered guide and support dogs belonging to guests with disabilities are allowed in all properties even if the property description says that pets are not allowed. If you or any member of the party has an allergy, we cannot guarantee that a registered guide or support dog has not stayed in your chosen property nor can we accept any legal responsibility for any suffering as a result of animals having been there.
Where the property contains a telephone for guest use, the Owner has the right to claim reimbursement from you if there is a material difference between the cost of any telephone calls made during your stay and any contribution you make towards these calls, via an honesty box, for example.
Hot tubs and swimming pools
Please note that outdoor swimming pools are open from 1st May until 15th September, unless stated otherwise. Please note that some swimming pools are not fenced in and it is your responsibility to keep all guests safe. Swimming pools may not be used between the hours of 23:00 and 9:00 unless otherwise stated. Day guests are not permitted to use pool facilities without prior consent from the Owner. The use of accommodation and amenities, where offered, such as swimming pools, hot tubs, tennis courts or fishing lakes etc. is entirely at the user’s risk, and no responsibility can be accepted for injury, or loss or damage to user’s or visitor’s belongings.
All of our property owners are asked to confirm to us that their hot tubs are maintained to strict industry standards and HSE guidelines. This includes changing the water between guest stays and checking the water condition on a regular basis. Whilst every effort is made to have a hot tub ready for immediate use by the arrival time stated, this may not always be possible. In such cases the hot tub will usually be ready to use later that day unless otherwise advised. In such cases no compensation or refund is payable unless the hot tub is faulty.
Information about using a hot tub safely is provided in the guest information pack at the property. All hot tub users should wear an appropriate bathing suit.
Disabilities, accessibility and medical problems
If you have any accessibility requirements or medical problems, such as reduced mobility, please let us know at the time of booking so we can advise you on suitable properties. If the Owner, or StayCotswold reasonably feels unable to properly meet your particular needs we can refuse or cancel the reservation.
Special requests
If you have any special requests, these must be made to us at the time of booking and confirmed in writing. Your request will be passed to the Owner of the property, however, StayCotswold cannot guarantee that the request will be met. Confirmation that we have noted a special request or passed it to the Owner, or of the fact it is shown on any written confirmation or any other document, is not confirmation that the request will be met. If we or the Owner fail to meet any special request, it will not mean we or they have broken your contract.
Circumstances beyond the control of the Owner (Force Majeure)
Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Booking Conditions, neither the Home Owner nor StayCotswold shall be in breach of this Agreement nor liable for delay in performing, or failure to perform, any of its obligations under this Agreement if such delay or failure results from events, circumstances or causes beyond their reasonable control or a Force Majeure event. Force Majeure means an act of God and includes, but is not limited to, the failure of public utilities (including both intermittent and total failure) such as water, gas and electricity; flood, drought, earthquake or other natural disaster; epidemic or global pandemic; terrorist attack, civil war, civil commotion or riots, war, threat of or preparation for war, armed conflict, imposition of sanctions; nuclear, chemical or biological contamination or sonic boom; collapse of buildings, fire, explosion or accident.
In such circumstances no refund, compensation, expenses, costs or other sums of any description (including without limitation the cost of securing an alternative property/accommodation) will be payable by us.
We strongly recommend that you take out adequate travel insurance to mitigate this risk to you and to protect your holiday investment.
Major changes or cancellations by us or the Owner
Neither we nor the Owners expect to have to make any changes to your booking, however, sometimes problems happen and bookings have to be changed or cancelled or mistakes in brochures or other details corrected. The Owner has the right to do this. If they do, we, on their behalf, will contact you (by phone if reasonably possible in the case of a significant change or cancellation – we will let you know about minor changes by e-mail or post) as soon as is reasonably practical. We will explain what has happened and let you know about the cancellation or change. You should tell us as soon as is reasonably practical whether you wish to accept any change or wish to cancel the booking. In the unlikely event that you fail to tell us that you wish to accept any change, we are entitled to assume that you wish to cancel your booking. In the event of a cancellation or a significant change that is not acceptable to you, we will immediately refund all monies paid to us.
If we have to cancel your booking, neither we nor the Owner shall be liable, jointly or individually, for any other changes, cancellations, costs, expenses, effect on your holiday, loss or damage suffered by you or for any failure by us to perform or properly or promptly perform any of our obligations to you.
Owner’s terms and conditions
In some cases, Owners may provide services in line with their own terms and conditions. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude what they are legally responsible to you for. We may send any relevant terms to you on their behalf.
General liability
As we act only as agent for the Owner, we cannot accept any liability for any act or neglect on their part or of anyone representing or employed by them. We cannot accept any liability for any problems or faults with or in any property as all properties are controlled by the Owners.
If you have any complaints about any services that we provide (as opposed to any provided by the Owner), you must let us know immediately in writing and in any event within seven days of the end of any holiday booked through us. We regret we cannot accept any legal responsibility if you do not let us know about the problem within this timeframe.
We will not pay more than the booking price paid by you, if we are found to be at fault in relation to any service we provide (as opposed to any service provided by the Owner, for whom we are not responsible). Similarly, the Owner will not pay more than the booking price paid by you, if they are found to be at fault in relation to any service they provide.
Neither we nor the Owner can be held responsible for noise or disturbance which comes from beyond the boundaries of the property or which is beyond the Owner’s control. We cannot be held responsible for the breakdown of mechanical equipment such as pumps, boilers or swimming pool filtration systems, nor for the failure of public utilities such as water, gas and electricity.
Neither we nor the Owner shall be liable to you for any loss of profit, consequential loss or other indirect losses under the terms of this Agreement. Neither we nor the Owner exclude or limit what we will be legally responsible for if death or personal injury is caused as a result of our negligence or that of our employees, or for any criminal act we may commit.
Complaints
Property Owners will aim to do everything reasonably possible to ensure that you have an enjoyable stay at their property. Unfortunately, on very rare occasions things can go wrong and as the contract for your booking is between you and the Owner, any problems should be reported to them, or their property manager immediately, and during the course of your stay. Giving the Owner or their appointed housekeeper the opportunity to rectify an issue as quickly as possible is essential. Please note that any complaints raised after your stay at the property has ended will not result in any form of compensation.
Holiday cottages are domestic properties, which is one of the main attractions of this type of accommodation. This means that immediate access to maintenance services is not always available, therefore, on behalf of the Owners, we ask that you employ a reasonable degree of patience and agree to work in a practical manner with the Owner or appointed property manager to resolve any issues.
If you have a problem and are unable to contact the Owner or their appointed property manager, StayCotswold can be contacted during normal office hours, we will attempt to contact them on your behalf. As we act only as an agent for the Owner, we cannot accept any legal responsibility for your accommodation or personal property. Any assistance provided by us in resolving a complaint in relation to your booking is provided on a goodwill basis only and in our capacity as an agent. For the avoidance of doubt, unless specifically stated otherwise, we do not have the authorisation to appoint tradesmen, purchase supplies, or approve any expenditure on behalf of an Owner and they must be contacted to authorise any remedial work.
Privacy and your information
In order to process your booking we will need to collect and process personal information. For more detailed information about how we use personal information please see our Privacy Notice which can be found on our website.
Governing law
This Agreement and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales. Any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with this agreement will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
The prices and booking conditions on the website supersede all those previously published and they may be updated, changed or varied subsequently.
StayCotswold Limited
Registered office: Mascot House, Digbeth Street, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, GL54 1BN (Please use this address for all correspondence).
Registered in England and Wales. Company registration number: 13237709
Platform Fee
Included in your total booking value is a Platform Fee which includes VAT and is payable to StayCotswold Limited. The Platform Fee is separate to the accommodation cost, which is the value of your booking contract with the property Owner, and is governed by the Accommodation Booking Information and Conditions above. For the avoidance of doubt, the payment of the Platform Fee does not make StayCotswold Limited a party to the booking contract between you and the property Owner.
The Platform Fee is payable to StayCotswold Limited at the same time as your accommodation payments, and is included in the value of any deposit, balance or total payments that are notified to you in your Booking Confirmation.