BOOKING TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Reservations of all accommodation whether made by telephone, in
person, in writing or from the internet are accepted by Cottage in the
Country, hereinafter referred to as CITC, on the following conditions.
1. CONTRACT OF HIRE
The hiring contract will be between you the Hirer and the Owner of the
property for which the booking is made and shall be deemed to be made
subject to these Conditions of Hire and governed by English Law. CITC act
as Agents for owners, and are not Principals.The Contract of Hire is not
effective until CITC despatch to the Hirer written confirmation of the
booking.The contract is for the hire of the property for holiday purposes
only.We do not accept bookings from Hirers under 18 years of age.
2. INITIAL PAYMENT
Bookings will be confirmed upon receipt by CITC of the required deposit
payment of 25% of the holiday cost, booking fee and any additional
charges e.g. pets. If the booking is made within eight weeks of the
holiday commencement date, the full accommodation rental will be
required at the time of booking.Deposits can be paid by card or
cheque. A completed booking form will be required at this stage.
3. BALANCE PAYMENT
The Balance of the Hire will be due for payment eight weeks before the
holiday commencement date. On receipt of the Balance Payment, advice
of key collection arrangements and directions to the property will be sent
to the Hirer.The Owner/CITC reserves the right to cancel a holiday where
full payment has not been received less than 56 days before the holiday
commencement date.The deposit paid on the booking is non-returnable.
4. METHOD OF PAYMENT
Cheques should be made payable to Cottage in the Country. Credit Card
Balance payments are subject to a surcharge of 2%.There is no charge
for Deposit payment or payments made by Debit Card..
5. CONFIRMATION OF BOOKING
Once CITC has issued a Confirmation of Booking, the Hirer is responsible
for the total published price of the property and extras as detailed.
Amendments to bookings, where applicable,will be subject to an
administration fee of £35.The Agents reserve the right to adjust prices
quoted in the brochure, on our website or on details to properties, due
to errors or omissions or changes in VAT.
6. ALTERATION OR CANCELLATION BY THE OWNER
In the very unlikely event that the specific accommodation booked is not
available and the owner is unable to offer you acceptable alternative
accommodation,we shall offer assistance to try and find alternative
accommodation and the owner will refund all money paid (including the
deposit) but neither we nor the owner shall be under further liability. If we
are unable to find a suitable alternative all money shall be refunded
(including the booking fee ).
We make all reasonable efforts to ensure that the descriptions provided
are correct but we cannot accept responsibility for any errors made by
the owner. As we only act as an intermediary,we may not be notified of
any changes before you travel. However where we are,we will tell you as
soon as possible.
7. PRICE
The prices shown in this brochure and on our website are correct at the
time of reservation and will not be altered after confirmation of the
booking has been received.
8. RESPONSIBILITY
In all cases we act as an intermediary only and we regret neither we nor
the owner can accept responsibility for any injury illness or death unless
caused by our own or the owner’s proven fault.The owner accepts
responsibility to provide the accommodation as described but shall not
be liable in circumstances where they are prevented from providing the
accommodation because of events outside their control, such as flood,
fire, adverse weather conditions,war, threat of war, terrorism, civil
disturbance or acts of any local or national government.
9. BOOKING CANCELLATION
The Cancellation/Curtailment Protection Scheme does not extend to
overseas bookings and these visitors are advised to make their own
alternative arrangements to ensure cover.
If you are forced to cancel your holiday you must inform CITC
immediately; see Cancellation/Curtailment Protection Scheme page for
details of how to make a claim. In all cases of cancellation where the
reason for cancellation is not covered by the Cancellation Protection
Scheme, all monies paid are forfeited. Our Cancellation Protection
Scheme is automatically arranged for you and is included in the cost of
your holiday.This protects you for all or part of your responsibility for the
balance of hire terms and/or deposit if you cancel for one of the
qualifying reasons. If you have to cancel your holiday due to any of the
reasons shown we will refund up to the cottage holiday rental you are
liable to pay (maximun cover, £950), less the booking fee and a handling
charge of £40.
A cancellation made for reasons outside those listed is not protected in
this way, and you will remain liable for full payment unless we are able to
re-let all or part of the period booked, in which case CITC will consider a
refund, less the Booking Fee and less a handling charge of £40. It is
possible to opt out of our Cancellation Protection Scheme, but there is
no monetary value to the Hirer and the hire charge will be payable in full. There is a preimum payable for CPS, if required, for 2011 bookings. Please see the 2011 Cancellation Protection Scheme page for details.
10. BOOKING FEE
CITC charges a booking fee of £12.95.
11. COMPLAINTS
The contract is between you the Hirer, and the Home Owner, so if any
problems arise during your stay, you need to contact the Home Owner,
Keyholder or other contact named immediately, who should put the
matter right as soon as possible. Contact details are given on your
invoice and on your travel directions and will normally be in the cottage
too. If after speaking to the Home Owner or Keyholder the matter is not
resolved, let us know as soon as possible. Complaints not reported at the
time cannot be entertained subsequently and it is regretted that no
correspondence can be entered into in the case of complaints made
after you return home when it will be appreciated that it is quite
impossible for them to be effectively investigated.
12.ACCOMMODATION
The accommodation can only be occupied by those persons named at
the time of booking or subsequently advised and cannot exceed the
number stated in the brochure/website. If additional people are found
to be in occupation, the owner may terminate the contract immediately
and require all occupants to leave.No refund shall be due in these
circumstances.
The accommodation will be cleaned prior to your arrival and should be
left in the same condition at the end of the holiday. If additional
cleaning is required the owner reserves the right to charge accordingly.
If the owner has collected a security deposit, this will only be returned
after the owner has inspected the accommodation.
Should any damage be caused to the accommodation or the contents,
you will be required to arrange immediate reimbursement of the cost of
repair or replacement with the owner prior to the end of the holiday.
13. ADDITIONAL CHARGES
Some owners charge a security deposit on arrival at the property.You
may wish to protect yourself by making an inventory of the contents on
your arrival at the property.Where indicated, some owners also make
other charges such as fuel, linen hire and telephone services provided.
Please make sure you are aware of all extras as stated in this brochure
and on our website.
14.VALUE ADDED TAX
Where VAT applies to the property rental, it is included in the quoted price
at the prevailing rate. All CITC charges and VAT inclusive rentals include
VAT at the prevailing rate and are subject to change if the rate changes
Cottage in the Country/Cottage Holidays is the trading name of
Karen Hawkes of Tukes Cottage, 66 West Street, Chipping Norton,
Oxon.OX7 5ER.
These Terms and Conditions supersede all those previously published.
