Booking Terms and Conditions

When you book a property through Quince Investments, you enter into a contract with us. These conditions set out the basis of your contract with us.

Before placing a booking through us, please read this document 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.

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 21 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 us will begin when we issue the written email confirmation. It is your responsibility to check the details on the email and let us know about any change to your email address. 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. The balance of the money is then due no less than 8 weeks before your arrival date at the house. If you book less than 8 weeks before your arrival date, full payment of the total cost is due 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 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 this is not received in full within 1 week of sending out a reminder, we will be entitled to assume, that you want to cancel your booking. In this case, we will be entitled to keep all deposits paid or due at that date. 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 errors occur. You must ensure that you check all property details and arrangements, including the price, with us at the time of booking. Due to 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.

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.

Arrival, parking and departing

Arrival time at our houses is 4pm on the check in day and departure time is 10am. Sometimes it is possible for us to agree changes to this time, please get in touch close to your holiday and we will help with your request if we are able. Detailed information on access codes for the house and the exact postcode will be forwarded to you once your final balance has been paid.
If for any reason you fail to arrive by 12 noon on the day after the start date of your rental period and we haven’t heard from you, we may treat your booking as having been cancelled by you unfortunately in this situation, you will not be entitled to a refund of any money you have paid.

Sleeping arrangements, occupancy and bed linen

Our property descriptions show the number of guests that each of our houses can sleep. Under no circumstances should the maximum number of guests listed be exceeded. We provide a cot per property but bed linen and bedding is not provided for the cots. Please see the individual house for number of infants permitted over and above the number of guests, this is usually decided by space in bedrooms. Bed linen and towels are provided for all beds. Please bring your own swimming towels as these are not provided.

Gardens

Each property has a private garden. 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.

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

We request a security deposit on all of our properties. This is taken as a pre-authorisation against your credit card, the amount is pre-authorised 1 day prior to your arrival date, and providing no damage is reported the transaction will be released 5 days after your departure. For the avoidance of doubt, guests are requested to leave the property in a reasonable condition, consistent with the property’s appearance upon arrival. In the event that we, or our 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.

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.

The property

You are responsible for all key sets in your possession for the duration of your booking. If you lose a key set, we are entitled to charge you £50 per lost set. You are not permitted to make a copy of the set of keys provided by us or change any of the locks on the Property.

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. 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 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. We can ask for an extra payment from you to cover any related costs.

We 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 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, we are entitled to refuse to allow you access to the property, or can repossess it. If we do this, we will treat this as a cancellation by you. We are under no obligation to find any alternative accommodation for you or reimburse you for any expenses incurred. You must allow us access to the property during reasonable hours, except in an emergency problem and you are out of contact, in which case, we may enter the property without your prior agreement.

If you make a formal request for us 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.

Cleaning

All properties are thoroughly cleaned and sanitised 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 strip the beds, wash all dishes and the dishwasher is loaded and turned on. Please empty all rubbish into bin bags provided and place in the external dustbins provided.

Breakages and damage

We understand that accidents happen, occasionally this can result in breakages or damage to the property or its equipment contained within. If such an incident occurs, we ask that you report it immediately to ourselves, as soon as possible. We are entitled to charge you for the actual costs of any breakage or damage 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, we 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 immediately and return the item to the property at your own expense.

Unreasonable behaviour

We 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 stated in our 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, starter packs of logs for open fires or other fuels are included within the price you paid for your stay.

In the event of a partial, intermittent, or major failure in the supply of a public utility, please report the issue to us as soon as possible, so that we can report the problem to the utility company and attempt to resolve the issue swiftly. The supply of public utilities is beyond our control 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.

IT and other appliances

Details of TV and WIFI provisions are recorded on each property’s guest Information, sent to you before your stay. The provision of any additional channels is a complimentary service and therefore, in the event of failure, we will not be liable to pay compensation.

All 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, we will not be liable to make compensation payments.

Minor incidents

We 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. We will attempt to resolve any issues that occur during your stay; however, this may not always be possible we cannot be held liable for any perceived or actual loss resulting in this failure.

Pets

All our properties welcome pets for a small additional charge, this covers the additional cleaning costs.

If you are taking your pet one of our properties, 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;

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, and although a full clean will have been done that it will be completely free of pet hair or dander, nor can we accept liability for any suffering which may occur as a result of such animals having been present.

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. We are 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.

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 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.

Personal safety

We do our best to ensure that we take the safety and wellbeing of our guests very seriously and that our 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, for relevant health, fire 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 us;
• Take special care when moving around the property at night;
• If cots or highchairs are damaged or deficient in any way, please let us 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 play areas should be safe and in good condition. The surface of the play area should be soft, i.e.: 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 immediately.

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, Quince Investments cannot guarantee that we 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 us – we will highlight this to you before you incur any fees. 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, so you can decide if you still wish to go ahead with the change. 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 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. 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 we receive notification of your cancellation, please see details below. This means that if you have paid the balance of your total booking cost and then cancel, you may receive a refund of part of this cost. However, 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 any extra items, booking fees and administration fees paid for making any change:

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).

Customer satisfaction and complaints

We are committed to providing high quality holidays to our guests, feedback is an important part of monitoring this and we are always keen to hear from you. Your comments and suggestions will be used to help us to improve our services.

We work very hard 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, even if you believe that nothing can be done to improve your situation, you must report the issue whilst you are on holiday. This gives us 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 however it does mean that immediate access to maintenance services is not always available. Please be assured that we will work hard to resolve the issue and ask that you employ a reasonable degree of patience and agree to work in a practical manner with us to resolve any issues.

Circumstances beyond our control (force majeure)

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Booking Conditions, Quince Investments shall not 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

We do not 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. Quince Investments have the right to do this. If we do, we 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) 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, we shall not be liable 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.

General liability

We cannot be held responsible for noise or disturbance which comes from beyond the boundaries of the property or which is beyond our 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.

We shall not be liable to you for any loss of profit, consequential loss or other indirect losses under the terms of this Agreement. We do not 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.

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.

Quince Investments company registration number 11838734