1. Introduction

1.1 Proceeding with a booking to Blackdown Cottage signifies your agreement to these terms and conditions and constitute a contract between you and us governing such use. Your statutory rights are not affected by this agreement.

2. Disclaimers

2.1 Links to other sites are provided which we hope will be of interest. We have no control over these third party sites and do not endorse them. You agree that you use these websites at your own risk.

3. Liability

3.1 We may enforce any breach of this agreement under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 Nothing in this agreement in any way limits or excludes our liability for negligence causing death or personal injury or for fraudulent misrepresentation or for anything which may not legally be excluded or limited.

3.2 We exclude all liability of any kind (including negligence) or otherwise with respect to your stay at Blackdown Cottage together with any time or expenses incurred in relation to your stay.This includes, but is not limited to, any implied warranty that the information on this Website is accurate or up-to-date or is suitable for any particular purpose. The owners of Blackdown Cottage shall not be liable for any loss or damage incurred as the result of using this Website.

4. General

4.1 These terms and conditions constitute the entire agreement between you and us in connection with your stay with and its associated journey. Any failure by us to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these terms and conditions shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any part of this agreement is deemed ineffective for any reason, the remainder shall continue in full force. A person who is not a party to this agreement shall have no right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 except insofar as expressly stated otherwise in this agreement.

4.2 This contract shall be governed by English law and any disputes will be decided only by the English courts.

5. Duration and Times of Rental

5.1 Rentals are for a maximum of two weeks and commence at 3pm on the first day of the rental and end at 10am on the day of departure unless otherwise notified. This period is hereafter referred to as ‘the holiday’.

5.2 The period booked will be stated on the booking confirmation provided to the guest when he/she books and cannot be exceeded unless the owner(s) of Blackdown Cottage give written approval. The guest will be liable for any cost of whatever nature incurred because of an unauthorised extension.

5.3. Short-breaks are defined as three night residences commencing on Thursday. Short-breaks may only be booked a maximum of two weeks in advance and are charged at 70% of the weekly rent (rounded up or down to the nearest £ pertaining to the first Saturday date included in the stay.

5.4 Short breaks as defined in Para 5.3 may normally available between 1st October and 28/29th February of each year with the exception of Christmas, New Year and Easter.

5.4. Occupation of the cottage is limited to the conditions set out in Para. 12

6. Deposit

6.1 If a booking is made eight weeks or more before the holiday is due to start, a deposit of 50% of the rent is payable.

6.2 If a booking is made less than eight weeks before the holiday is due to start, the full rent, must be paid at the time of booking.
6.3 Should the owner(s) of Blackdown Cottage not accept (or reject) a booking request, any deposit paid will be refunded as soon as practical.

7. Final Payment

7.1 Unless otherwise agreed by the owner(s) of Blackdown Cottage in writing, the price for the holiday shall be the rent for the property as set out at the time of the booking.

7.2 Subject to the conditions in Para 6, as soon as the booking is received and accepted by the owner(s) of Blackdown Cottage, the guest is liable for payment of the balance of the rent.

7.3 Payment of the whole of the rent is payable to the owner(s) of Blackdown Cottage eight weeks before the start of the holiday (the Due Date) and non-payment by this date may be treated as a cancellation.

7.4 If payment is not received by the Due Date, then the guest may, at the descretion of the owner of Blackdown Cottage, lose the booking and the deposit will be forfeit.

7.5 The owner(s) of Blackdown Cottage will not and shall not be responsible for sending reminders of the Due Date.

8. Cancellation

8.1 Cancellations must be notified to the owner(s) of Blackdown Cottage in writing

8.2 The owner(s) of Blackdown Cottage will refund any payments made by the guest in accordance with the following table:

Number of days before Holiday start date that notification is received Cancellation Charge (as a percentage of the total cost of the Holiday)
0 – 13 days 100%
14 – 27 days 75%
28 – 55 days 60%
56 days or more Deposit

8.3 We STRONGLY RECOMMEND that guests take out guest cancellation insurance against cancellation due to ill health, bereavement etc

9. Price Changes

9.1 The owner(s) of Blackdown Cottage reserves the right to amend prices quoted on the Web site due to errors or omissions. Such changes shall be notified to the guest as soon as possible whereupon the guest may, if he/she so chooses, cancel the booking and be refunded all payments made.

10. Method of Payment

10.1 Payments will normally be accepted by debit card. In exceptional circumstances payments may be made by credit card, electronic bank transfer, postal order, or cheque. Post-dated cheques are not acceptable. Payments made by credit card will attract a booking fee.
10.2 In the case of late bookings, payments made within two weeks of the commencement of the holiday will be by debit (or subject to the above, credit) card only.

11. Children and Pets

11.1 There are a number of lakes, ponds and streams on the estate of which parents should be aware and take the necessary precautions. Pets are excluded due to various factors including the presence on the estate of the owners’ hounds and the proximity of farm animals.

12. The Holiday

12.1 The guest has the right to occupy the property for a holiday only (within the meaning of Schedule 1, Paragraph 9 of the Housing Act 1988).

13. The Guest’s Obligations

The Guest agrees:

  1. To pay for any losses or damages to the property caused by the guest or a member of his/her party (reasonable wear and tear excluded);
  2. To take good care of the property and leave it in a clean and tidy condition at the end of the holiday.
  3. To permit the owners and their agents reasonable access to the property including the gardens.
  4. Not to part with possession of the property, or share it, except with members of the party shown on the booking form;
  5. Not to sell or transfer the booking to another party
  6. Not to exceed the total number of people stipulated in the property description
  7. To report to the owners of Blackdown Cottage, any damage caused and not to undertake any repairs of whatsoever nature without the prior approval of the owners.

14. Smoking

14.1. No smoking is permitted inside the cottage or in the immediate vicinity of its timber walls

15. Non-availability of Property

15.1 If for any reason beyond the owners’ control, the property is not available on the date booked (owing, for example, to fire damage) or the property becomes unsuitable for holiday letting, the liability of the owners of Blackdown Cottage shall be limited to a full refund of all rental charges paid in advance by the guest.

16. Inventory

16.1.Where any discrepancies is discovered in the supplied inventory, it must be reported to the owner of Blackdown Cottage within 24 hours of arrival. Otherwise the inventory will be deemed to be correct.

17. Linen

17.1 All linen (including tea towels and bath towels) is changed weekly.

18. VAT

18.1 The owners of Blackdown Cottage are not registered for VAT.

19. Discrepancies

In case of a discrepancy between these Booking Conditions and any other text appearing on this Web site, these Conditions shall prevail.