Cottages Direct Scotland England Wales Owners Direct & Partnership Cottages

General booking Terms and Conditions – Relevant to all self-catering holidays featured on this site

Our mission to you the customer

Is to provide the best possible honest good value service. Our marketing aim is provide accurate detailed information for every property website listing. In the event that further information does not appear present and is required in order for you to make a booking. We would “really like to help” and respectfully request you ask us to help you obtain the required information Tel 01729 851181

info@cottagesdirect.net quoting the appropriate Property name or Reference number

1. The non returnable deposit usually 25% is payable at the time of booking. Provisional reservations (without payment) cannot be held, or Guaranteed until a full deposit is received.

2. An accepted non returnable deposit and completed booking form is a contract and in the event of cancellation, no monies are obliged to be refunded. Failure to complete and return a booking form could result in your booking being lost / cancelled. Cancellations must be received by us in writing, to be formally acknowledged by us at least 6 weeks prior to the arrival date. In most cases we will do everything possible to re-let accommodation subject to cancellation with a view to forwarding any monies recovered over and above the original deposit. Any credit / debit card fees are not refundable and an administration fee of 7.5% of the total booking value, or minimum of £25 will be applied.

Holiday/cancellation insurance for unseen illness, issues, weather and travel related problems is strongly recommended and not included in the cost of hire of any holiday homes on this website.

3. In the event of cancelation notice is required at least 6 and in some cases up to 8 weeks before the due holiday date, to avoid being liable for the full balance of hire. The balance of hire charge must be paid, in all cases no later 6 weeks prior to the arrival date. It is your responsibility and not the holiday home owner to make sure this payment is received. Failure to settle in full may result in self-catering-scotland.com or the holiday home owners re-letting the accommodation without notice to the hirer.

Reservations made within 6 weeks of the planned arrival date always require full payment at the time of booking.

4. It is a firm condition of letting that guest’s leave their accommodation in clean condition, just as they would expect to find it. Any damage or shortage found subsequently will be charged for. The proprietors reserve the right to inspect the accommodation before departure and charges may be levied if the unit is not left in a clean and tidy condition. A good house keeping Security Deposit is often required with reservations. This is normally returned within 7 days of the end of the tenancy unless there is damage to the property or its contents, items missing, the accommodation is left unfit or untidy, or there is disruptive or abusive behaviour.

5. If the holiday home is not claimed and occupied within 24 hours of the due time of arrival any right to the property may be forfeited unless a prior special arrangement is made due to travel related delays, work or health matters. In the event of late arrival on the due date, early departure, or any delay, inaccessibility incurred due to detrimental travel or weather conditions is not the responsibility of the proprietors and the hirer has no right to any refund or discount.

6. The Caretaker / Holiday Home Owner is responsible for all matters relating to the condition and content of the accommodation hired. Therefore on arrival and occupation of the accommodation, the hirer should satisfy themselves that the accommodation is in good clean condition and that the equipment in the inventory is complete. By occupying the accommodation without registering any observation example fault, breakage, cleanliness issue or general area of concern with the Caretaker / Holiday Home owner within the first 24 hours, the hirer accepts the accommodation and responsibility for it and its equipment throughout the period of hire. Under no circumstances can compensation be claimed for complaints raised only after the tenancy has ended should the hirer fail to advise the Proprietor / Caretaker verbally during their tenancy. Listing issues in a guest book at the end of a rental are not acceptable, issues can only be immediately addressed once they are reported. Any formal complaints must be addressed to the property owner in writing no later than 7 days after the occupation has ended.

7. The hirer has no right to sub-let the accommodation or permit more than the agreed number of persons to occupy it.

8. The Proprietors reserve the right to provide a different type of accommodation with the same or greater number of beds, should an unexpected emergency or major breakdown occur with the original property allocated. If a substitute accommodation cannot be provided your booking fee can either be transferred to a new booking at the same location or refunded less an administration fee and the proprietors will not be liable to any further claims. The Proprietors must also with prior notice be allowed entry to the property during your stay to carry out any essential or unexpected additional maintenance that cannot be completed during a changeover. Tenants should be aware that should there be a failure in extreme weather, a weekend, bank holiday or over the Christmas / New Year holiday period, it may not be possible to provide a trades person until the morning after or the next working day.

9. The Proprietors do not warrant that all equipment including the electric, central or solid fuel heating system, water, gas supply and electricity system will operate throughout the tenancy. Should the heating system, water, gas or electricity system unexpectedly fail, the owner will take all reasonable steps to rectify the fault and will not be liable for any downtime suffered by the hirer. The owner or trades person must be permitted access to the property to rectify the fault. The Proprietor takes no liability for happenings outside their control and no liability will fall on the Owner or self-catering-scotland.com for the effects of unusual or extreme weather, power cuts, water shortages, gas failure, coastal or farming disasters, epidemic or pandemic as declared by the Department of Health, DEFRA or WHO.

10. Many of our properties are equipped with extras example Swimming Pools, Hot Tubs, Saunas, Jacuzzis, Boats, Bikes, Fishing and tackle. In some cases the hire of these items is built into the standard rental rate, in other cases they are added optional extras with hire supplements payable in advance. In either scenario we cannot be held responsible for poor weather conditions, health, or any other reasons dictating the none usage of these facilities during your actual hire. Whether you use the facility or not will solely be your own choice, and the supplement paid will be non-refundable.

11. The Proprietors reserve the right to refuse or cancel an advance reservation, in this unlikely scenario any paid monies will be refunded and the proprietors will not be liable to any further claims.

12. The Proprietors also reserve the right to expel a resident for conduct that is detrimental to the well-being or comfort of other holiday makers or neighbours.

13. Most cottages, Lodges and Cabins featured are in quiet places – please do not disturb others by unnecessary noise from cars, TVs, radios or musical instruments etc. especially after 10pm.

14. A maximum of 2 well behaved clean Pets are permitted in some of the properties featured and an extra charge for cleaning is normally payable, pets must be entered on all booking forms. Pet owners are requested to bring either a basket and or bedding, keep pets off any seating and must not under any circumstances leave there Pets unattended in the property or allow their pets to enter the bedrooms.

15. No single parties or groups unless an organized group (i.e Scouts / Walking Club etc) with prior approval.