Booking Conditions

1. The company, West Country Cottages Ltd ('the Company') act as letting agents on behalf of the owners.
2. Reservations on properties are accepted subject to availability and are normally held for 24 hours. Payment must be made within this time to confirm the Booking. If payment is not received within the time stated, the Reservation will be cancelled without notice to the Client.
3. Bookings can be confirmed by payment of a Booking Deposit of one-third of the total Rent plus the Booking Fee, if the Booking is made more than 60 days before the start of the holiday. If the Booking is made less than 60 days before commencement of the holiday, the full Rent, Booking Fee and any additional charges, are due at the time of booking. A Booking Form from the Company's brochure or website should be sent/submitted either with the payment cheque or immediately after payment has been made for the Booking.
4. The Company reserves the right to refuse to accept a Booking and, in this event, all fees paid will be immediately refunded. Bookings are normally accepted for family groups only, not groups of young people or all male or female parties. Where non-family Bookings are accepted, a Security Deposit of £20 per person per week must be paid with the Balance of the Rent, refundable after a satisfactory inspection.
5. Once the Booking is received and accepted by the Company, the Clients are liable for payment of the Balance of the Rent plus any additional charges 60 days before the start of the holiday. Non-payment by the due date will be treated as a cancellation and the Company may re-let the property without reference to the Client who remains liable for payment of the full amount. Credit will be given for any rents received as a result of re-letting, less the Company's expenses.
6. Once a Booking has been accepted by the Company, it can only be changed to another property by treating the Booking as a cancellation – see paragraph 7 below. A change of holiday dates on the same property may be arranged if it is available and the owner is agreeable. In this event a second Booking Fee is payable. Once a Booking has been processed, any amendment which involves reprocessing the Booking may incur an additional Administration Fee.
7. The Company operate a Cancellation Plan whereby FULL payment, less a £20 administration charge, is refunded in the event of cancellation due to death, injury, illness (excluding pre-existing conditions), or a summons for Jury Service of any member of the party named on the Booking Form, or any close relative of the Clients. Close relatives include husband, wife, father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, mother-in-law and father-in-law. Cancellations under the Plan must be notified to the Company in writing within ten days of the event causing cancellation, and providing an appropriate certificate is sent to the company, no further payment is due and all previous payments, less the £20 administration charge, will be refunded in full. The Cancellation Plan terminates at mid-day on the first day of your holiday or on your departure from home whichever is the earliest, by which time the Company must have been verbally notified of the cancellation. Should the cancellation be for reasons not covered by the Plan the Booking Deposit is forfeit and the balance is still payable on the due date. The Company will endeavour to re-let the property and, if successful, will normally refund the Balance of Rent less any expenses incurred in re-letting within 21 days of the end of the holiday. Any expenses charged for re-letting will be at the discretion of the Company. The Cancellation Plan is obligatory and the premium is included in the Rent.
8. A Security Deposit is payable directly to the owner/caretaker of some properties. This deposit is held by the owner/caretaker to cover any losses, damage and additional cleaning charges, if the property is left in an unsatisfactory condition. The cost of fuel or extra electricity, not previously paid for, may be deducted from this deposit. The Security Deposit is paid by cheque to the owner/caretaker of the property two weeks before the start of the holiday. Your cheque will normally be cashed and a personal cheque for the refund sent within two weeks of the end of your holiday. Any dispute about deductions from the Security Deposit made by the owner/caretaker must be taken up directly with them.
9. Acceptance of a Booking by the company confers upon the Clients the right to occupy the property for a holiday within the meaning of Section 9 of the Rent Act 1977.
10. Under no circumstances may people or pets other than those specified on the Booking Form occupy the property. The Client agrees to take good care of the property and to pay for all gas, electricity and fuel charges incurred during the holiday. The Client will be responsible for the full cost of any damages or breakages and any exceptional cleaning and this liability is not limited to the amount of any Security Deposit held by the owner/caretaker. The Client will leave the property and its contents in a clean and tidy condition prior to vacating the property. The Client will not cause any annoyance or become a nuisance to tenants or occupants of adjoining premises.
11. Where pets are accepted in a property it is under the condition that they are kept under strict control at all times, not allowed in bedrooms or on furnishings, nor left unattended in the property. Clients will be liable for any damage caused by pets. Where a property does not accept pets, the company cannot guarantee that pets have not previously been allowed in the property.
12. Lettings are for a minimum of one week during the high season and a maximum of four weeks. Lettings commence at 3.00pm on the first day of tenancy and end at 10.00am on the day of departure unless notified otherwise. The period cannot be exceeded unless the Company gives approval in writing and the Clients will be liable for any extra cost of whatsoever nature incurred because of an unauthorised extension.
13. If, for any reason, beyond the company's and/or owner's control, the property is not available on the date booked, all rent and charges paid in advance by the Clients will be refunded in full. Any further claim against the owners or the Company shall be limited to expenses actually incurred by client prior to the date of cancellation of the holiday.
14. The Company reserves the right to reasonable access to the property by the owners or their staff.
15. In the event of any complaint, the Client must immediately, in the first instance, notify the caretaker or owner. If satisfaction is still not obtained, the matter should be reported to our offices so that an on-the-spot investigation can be made during the tenancy. In no circumstances will compensation be made or correspondence be entered into in connection with complaints raised after the property has been vacated.
16. The Company reserves the right to amend prices quoted on the website, due to errors and/or omissions, or changes in the VAT rate.
17. If there shall be a breach of any of these conditions the owners or the Company's staff may re-enter the property and terminate the tenancy without prejudice to the other rights and remedies of the Landlord. The Contract is deemed to have been made at West Country Cottages Ltd, Dainton Manor Estate, Dainton, Devon, and the proper law of the Contract is English.
18. The person who signs the Booking Form or, in the case of a Booking Form submitted via the Company's website, the person named as the Client certifies that he or she is authorised to agree to the Conditions of Booking on behalf of all persons included on the booking form, including those substituted or added at a later date. The signatory and/or the Client must be a member of the party occupying the property.
19. In case of any discrepancies between these Booking Conditions and the other contents of this website, these conditions shall prevail.
20. All Prices Quoted are in GB Pounds.
21. Where Wireless Broadband is available in the property, the Company and the Owner cannot be held responsible for connectivity problems, loss of Internet service or any other problems resulting from the use of the Broadband service.
22. Google maps on the property pages show the approximate locations of the properties. They do not indicate the precise latitudes and longitudes of the properties.