Midsomer Cottage

Booking Terms & Conditions

To make it easier to read these terms and conditions there are a number of further definitions which we use:

“Deposit” means a deposit of part of the total holiday accommodation cost (which includes any “extras” selected at the time of booking);

“Holidaymaker” means you and each person going on holiday with you on your booking;

“Owner” means the owner of the Property you book .

“Property” means the holiday property you book through us; and

“You” means the lead person making a booking through us.

When you make a booking through us you are confirming that you and every Holidaymaker understands, agrees and accepts these terms and conditions. Please read them carefully, particularly section 13 headed “Limitation of Liabilities and Legal”.

1. Contract and Booking

Bookings cannot be accepted from persons under 18 years of age.

The Properties are meant to be used for the purposes of a holiday, and certain group bookings, including for stag and hen dos, may not be allowed unless special arrangements (including the possible requirement for a safety deposit) are made with the Owner.

No bookings are valid until confirmed by us in writing (including by email).

Once a booking is confirmed it cannot be changed by you, unless agreed by the Owner, or by us on the Owner’s behalf. If we or the Owner agree to make requested changes to your booking (for example, changing the lead booker and/or the dates of your holiday) you will be required to pay £75 per change.

2. Booking Fees, Deposits, Balance Payments and Holiday Insurance

The pwner reserves the right to cancel your holiday and re-let any holiday where any payment due is late. In these circumstances you will not be entitled to any refund.

The Deposit is non-refundable unless we are unable to accept the booking on behalf of the Owner or the Property is unavailable at the time of the holiday .

3. Owner unable to make the Property available

4. Guest Cancellations

If you cancel prior to the holiday arrival date you may be due a partial refund from the Owner.

The refund will depend on the amount of notice you give us  before the holiday start date.

21 or less days’ notice – No refund due

22-35 days’ notice – 10% of the total accommodation cost

36-49 days’ notice – 20% of the total accommodation cost

50-63 days’ notice – 40% of the total accommodation cost

For the avoidance of doubt  the booking is non-refundable in all circumstances when you cancel a holiday. The Deposit is non-refundable in all circumstances when you cancel a holiday, unless otherwise agreed by the owners.

5. Holidaymakers’ responsibilities

You will ensure that you and all Holidaymakers will:

act responsibly and carefully whilst at the Property, abiding by any property specific house rules and leave the Property, and all things in or at it, in the same state of repair and cleanliness as at the start of the holiday;

report to the Owner any damage or breakages made during the holiday occupancy and pay for damage (wear and tear accepted);

not smoke at the Property nor allow anyone else to smoke at the Property;

not light candles inside the property, for fire risk purposes.

not allow more than the maximum number of people or pets to stay at the Property as stated on the Website;

at all times comply with any applicable laws and local or Government guidance, and ensure that no Holidaymaker or their guests (if allowed at the Property) or pets (if allowed at the Property) do anything which is illegal, or may cause unreasonable damage, noise, behaviour or disturbance;

not enter the Property before the stated arrival date and time and will leave the Property before the stated departure date and time;

treat people with respect and not act in a way which is abusive, violent, destructive, menacing, or harassing towards an Owner, any member of their team, any member of the community in which the Property is situated, or any of our employees, directors, consultants or other party acting on our behalf;

secure the Property (including all windows and doors) whenever leaving the Property. The Owner will be entitled to make a reasonable charge where Holidaymakers have failed to comply with these responsibilities. In serious cases, Holidaymakers may have to leave the Property early without any compensation or refund.

at all times comply with any owner notes that are displayed around the cottage or in the manual for cottage use , kept in the property.

6. Owner’s responsibilities

The Owner will ensure that:

the Property is cleaned and ready for the Holidaymakers by the stated arrival date and time;

suitable arrangements are made for you to access the Property;

they treat all Holidaymakers with respect and not act in a way which is abusive, violent, destructive, menacing, or harassing towards any Holidaymaker at their Property;

they can be easily contacted (at reasonable times) or will provide you with an alternative first point of contact should you have any concerns or queries during your stay;

they, and the Property, comply with all applicable laws and regulations (including health and safety regulations);

adequate liability insurance is in place in respect of the Holidaymakers’ stay; and

all Holidaymakers will have exclusive access to the Property for the duration of the holiday (although all Holidaymakers will allow the Owner or any representative, including us, access to the Property if reasonably required).

However, the Owner and we will not be responsible, nor liable to you (or any Holidaymakers) for any events outside the Owner’s or our reasonable control, such as the breakdown of domestic appliances, plumbing, wiring, temporary invasion of pests, building works at adjacent properties, damage resulting from exceptional weather conditions or other unforeseeable circumstances.

Outside space, garden , no fires, bbqs or bonfires are permitted nor are frieworks or candles or floating airborn open lights.

7. Pets

Dogs are only allowed at Properties (at an additional charge which will be identified at the time of booking) where this is specifically stated in the Property description; additional dog restrictions may be contained in the “Need to Know”/Property information section – please read this section carefully.

Registered assistance dogs are allowed in all Properties.

You must notify us of the intended presence of any assistance dogs, with evidence of registration, prior to making a booking.

If any Holidaymaker has an allergy to dogs, please be aware that neither our Owners nor we can guarantee that a dog has not stayed in a particular Property. Neither we nor our Owners can accept responsibility for any suffering which may occur as a result of such animals having been present in a Property.

The following dog terms apply:

Dogs must be under strict control at all times while in or at the Property;

Any fouling must be cleared up without delay;

The dog owner must bring the dog’s bed or basket for sleeping in;

Dogs must not be left alone in or at the Property or elsewhere at any time;

Dogs must not lie on beds or furnishings, and hair must be cleared up before departing;

Dog owners must ensure that their pets are free from parasites and fleas before they occupy the Property. Failure to do so may incur subsequent charges;

Young dogs (e.g. puppies less than 6 months’ old) must be declared to us at the time of booking and authorised by the Owner;

You will be liable for any damage caused by any Holidaymakers’ dogs. Any damage is to be reported to the Owner (or their representative) immediately. Any additional cleaning required, that may incur an additional charge, will be at the Owner’s discretion.

Pets other than dogs may be allowed at the Owner’s discretion. This must be approved prior to making a booking and can be arranged by telephoning the Reservations department.

If you break these terms, the Owner (including their representative) or we may notify you that you have broken these terms and may cancel the booking and ask that the Holidaymakers leave the Property before the end of the holiday period without compensation, or that they pay an additional reasonable charge.

8. Outside space, garden: no fires, bbqs or bonfires are permitted nor are fireworks or candles or floating airborn open lights. Nor are bonfires

9. We accept no responsibility for personal injury to, or death of, any Holidaymakers, or loss of or consequential loss or damage to their property, or for other matters over which we have no control, except to the extent such personal injury or death is caused by our negligence or wilful default.

10. Literature and descriptions/amenities .

Facilities may be altered or withdrawn for reasons outside our control, in which case we cannot accept responsibility.

We make every effort to ensure that the Property details supplied to us by the Owners are accurately reproduced and that the pricing and availability of the Property is correct. Mistakes may occur from time to time, and we reserve the right to rectify errors (including any pricing errors) within 5 business days of you making your booking.

Where Wi-Fi is an advertised facility, please note that its provision is subject to availability and network conditions. It may not be available 24 hours a day and is provided for leisure, not business, purposes.

If you choose to holiday in an older property, remember that much of its character and charm is due to its age. Some of our Properties are well over 100 years old and were built long before the days of damp proof courses and cavity walls so some may show signs of damp, particularly in long spells of wet weather. If you have any concerns, please talk to us at the time of making your booking. Also, please remember that should traditional property features (steep stairs or low beams, for example) be a problem for any member of your party, you must consider and mention this prior to booking.

Please remember that properties in the country do attract spiders and therefore cobwebs. It does not mean that the Property is dirty or has not been cleaned as cobwebs can be spun almost as quickly as they have been cleaned away. Some of our properties, particularly in remote areas, may have a private water supply from a spring or well water, which is regularly tested. In rural areas please be tolerant of the sounds and scents that you may encounter, they are all a part of the countryside experience.

Confirmation should be requested prior to booking if there is any particular detail or facility that is important to you. When you make a booking the Holidaymakers accept that minor differences between text/photographs/illustrations in the brochure and on the Website and the actual Property may arise. We cannot accept responsibility should the Property not conform to a Holidaymaker’s standards.

11. Complaints procedure

If you have any complaint concerning a Property first. The Owner should do their best to resolve your complaint, where possible. It is important to raise any complaint while you are still at the Property.

13. Limitation of Liabilities and Legal – Please pay particular attention to this section

The contract to occupy the Property is made on the basis that the Property is to be occupied by the Holidaymakers for a holiday (as mentioned in the Housing Act 1988 Schedule 1 paragraph 9 or similar legislation in other jurisdictions).

When making a booking, you acknowledge on behalf of all Holidaymakers that the tenancy granted by these terms and conditions is not an assured tenancy and that no statutory periodic tenancy will arise when it ends.

Once you have made a booking there is no “cooling off” period as the contract you have made is for accommodation services for a specific period of performance. You can see further details in the section “When you don’t get 14 days to cancel” on the citizen’s advice bureau website here.

We accept no responsibility for personal injury to, or death of, Holidaymakers or anyone they invite to the Property, or loss of or consequential loss or damage to their property, or for other matters over which we have no control.

If either you or an Owner fails to comply with these terms and conditions you or the Owner will be liable (only) for losses which are a foreseeable consequence of the failure to comply with the applicable terms. Losses are foreseeable where they were contemplated by you and the Owner at the time you made the booking.

Any dispute, claim or other matter which may arise in relation to your booking will be governed by English law and you agree that any dispute will be dealt with exclusively by the courts of England and Wales.