Terms and conditions in summary:

Any damage, breakages or extra cleaning must be paid for before your deposit is returned. Guests are expected to leave the property as they find it. No boots to be worn in any of the carpeted areas of the accommodation. No drinks other than water are to be taken to any of the bedrooms We cannot accept liability for death, injury, a cancellation made by yourself, loss or damage to personal property.

Bookings are confirmed with receipt of a deposit of 50% of cost of your stay. The remaining balance must be paid in full prior to 8 weeks before arrival. If your rental is not paid for by this time, the booking may be cancelled and you may lose your deposit. The housekeeping deposit will be invoiced as part of the overall hire.

Bookings made less than 8 weeks before arrival will need to be paid for in full on booking.

We recommend and expect that you will have or will take out a holiday insurance policy (which includes cancellation insurance covering sickness and unavoidable reasons for cancellation) prior to your stay.

Cleaning materials are provided and guests are expected to leave the property as they find it. No boots to be worn in any of the carpeted areas of the accommodation. No drinks other than water are to be taken to any of the bedrooms. Please note that we only take pets with prior agreement.

All bed linen must be stripped before check out

The kitchen must be left clean and as it is found and all rubbish and recycling processed as directed.

We cannot accept liability for death, injury, a cancellation made by yourself, loss or damage to personal property.

Terms and conditions of rental:

1. Payment Policy

Our invoice becomes a binding agreement for the rental of ‘Sparkford Hall (“the Property”, which includes buildings and grounds) when Porcupine Leisure Limited “the Owner”), having received the deposit, sends confirmation of the booking herein to the person (or persons) renting the Property (“the Tenant”)

A deposit of an agreed percentage of the rental charge is required to guarantee the booking. This deposit is non-refundable once you have received confirmation of the booking.

The balance of the rent must be paid no less than 8 weeks prior to the rental commencement date.

The rental charge and security deposit must be paid in full if a booking is made less than eight weeks from the rental commencement date. The Owners will issue no further balance reminders.

2. Cancellations

If cancellation is made by the Tenant (which must be received by recorded delivery to the address in the contact page), less than 8 weeks prior to the rental commencement, or if payment is not received by the due date, the Owners reserve the right to give notice in writing that the reservation is cancelled. The Tenant will remain liable to pay the balance of the rent.

In the event of cancellation, the deposit is non-refundable. Refunds of any other amounts paid will only be made if the Owners are able to re-let the Property. Any expenses or losses incurred in so doing (including re-advertising and administration costs) will be deducted from the refundable account. Bank charges on payments by means other than UK Sterling cheques are payable by the Tenant.

Tenants are advised to arrange a comprehensive travel/event insurance policy for the entire group/family including cancellation cover, personal belongings, accidental damage and public liability. Please take advice from an insurance broker. The Owners reserve the right to request proof of your insurance. Should the Owners, through some unforeseen circumstances, be unable to fulfil the agreement to make the Property available for rental, Tenants shall be entitled to a full refund.

The Security Deposit will be refunded in full or part four within weeks after the Tenant’s departure date. Prior to issuing the booking confirmation the Owners reserve the right to make any changes to the accommodation offered or to the rental prices.

The Owners reserve the right to amend their payment terms at any time.

3. Checking in and Checking out

The rental period begins from the Check-in time (5pm) and the check-out time (10am). It may be possible to arrive earlier and/or leave later but this MUST be arranged and agreed with us prior to your stay. There may be a fee to do so. The Owners reserve the right to charge Tenants who do not vacate the property before the agreed check-out time. The charge will be £250 per hour. Before checking out, Tenants must remove all bed linen from beds and place in a pile in each bedroom.

4. Damage to the Property

When booking the Property, Tenants accept full responsibility for any loss, breakage or damage to the contents fixtures or fittings of the Property. Tenants must undertake to inform the Owners immediately of any such damage during their rental period. The cost of repair or replacement for any damages, missing items or excessive services, such as electrical (including car charging), consumed (at the discretion of the Owners) will be deducted from the Security Deposit. If the cost of repair or replacement exceeds the security deposit, Tenants will be responsible for paying the difference. In the event that replacement furniture or fittings are required, the Owners will source replacement items to the same high standards as the originals and Tenants will be liable for the replacement costs in full. Tenants are required to take care of and show consideration for the Property and must leave it in a clean and tidy condition at the end of the rental period. This includes all kitchen wash up and put away, cleaning the oven and emptying the dishwashers before departure. If Tenants fail to leave the Property in an acceptable condition, the Owners reserve the right to deduct a cleaning charge based on an hourly rate of £35 per hour per cleaner. No smoking is permitted at the Property, doing so will incur a deduction from the deposit at the discretion of the Owner. Additional guests to the number agreed at the time of booking will not be allowed. A charge of £100 per guest will be made if it is found that the maximum number has been exceeded. Candles are not permitted inside the property.

5. Excessive Utility Consumption

Tenants accept that utility (gas, electric and water) consumption included within the rental charge is limited to provision to the fittings and appliances that come with the Property. The consumption of utilities for any other purposes such as brought in electrical appliances (eg lighting, vehicles, catering equipment, hot tubs etc) will be charged at £1/Kwh. This charge will be deducted from the Security Deposit. If the deposit does not cover the charges, Tenants will be responsible for paying the difference.

6. Cleaning, Rubbish and Recycling

Tenants are fully responsible for the correct distribution of all recycling and rubbish into the supplied bins. These instructions are contained in the Welcome Pack. A charge of up to £250 will be made and deducted from the deposit if this is not carried out correctly. Tenants must leave the house and grounds as they find it save for vacuuming and polishing floors and cleaning bathroom surfaces.

7. Functions and Events

If Tenants hold a function or an event with more than 36 guests attending, the following conditions will apply:

Tenants must inform the Owners if they intend to hold such a function and this must be agreed in writing before the function can go ahead.
Tenants must remove from site and dispose of all waste and recycling produced during their stay - a charge of up to £1500 will be made if this is not carried out.
Tenants must arrange for a generator to power any external appliances which may be brought on site. A charged of £1 per kwh used will be made if generator is not used.

8. The Tenant’s Obligations

Tenants must adhere to the House Rules contained in the Welcome Pack sent to Tenants on confirmation of the booking. These rules are also displayed in the kitchen. These rules include, but are not limited to, a rule not allowing noise, music or sound to be audible at the property boundary from 8am to 11pm and outside the house from 11pm to 8am, the requirement to correctly sort all recycling into the bins provided, the requirement to leave the house tidy with everything put back in its original location, the requirement for kitchen to be clean and free from any unwashed kitchen items. Charges will be made for not following the House Rules and deducted from the Security Deposit or demanded if they exceed the amount of the security deposit.

9. Accommodation

In total there are 15 bedrooms in the property sleeping a total of 36. Tenants must undertake not to exceed this number of occupants. Tenants must undertake to ensure that the number of bedrooms and combination of beds there in, are suitable for their group/family members. Tenants are not permitted to move furniture around in a room nor from one room to another. Pitching tents or parking caravans to accommodate more people is strictly forbidden unless agreed in writing prior to arrival.

Tenants should supervise children at all times and verify the suitability of equipment and toys before use, including cots and high chair.

Tenants are expected to have consideration for other people. If in the reasonable opinion of the Owners, their representative or any other person in authority, you or any member of your party behaves in such a way as to cause or is likely to cause danger, upset or distress to any third party or damage to property, the Owners are entitled, without prior notice, to terminate the Property rental without refund or compensation. In any such circumstance Tenants will be asked to vacate the Property immediately.

No domestic animals are allowed on the Property without the prior permission of the Owner

10. Additional Charges

If the Tenant incurs additional charges by either requesting further services or incurring penalties for breach of the House Rules as defined in the Welcome Pack, the Owner may deduct the amount from the Security Deposit before returning the balance. If the charges exceed the security deposit, the Tenant must pay the difference to the Owner within 7 days.

11. Waiver

The Owners or managers can take no responsibility for any personal injuries, howsoever caused, except to the extent that such injury is attributable to the negligence of the Owners or managers. Details of fixtures and fittings are correct as at 1/6/2021 but the Owners reserve the right to replace them without prior notice. The Owners cannot be held responsible for unavailability of an appliance, due to damage or breakage by Tenants or previous Tenants, although repair or replacement will be made as soon as possible. The Tenant is made aware that many appliances are English and repair or replacement may not be within their rental period.

12. Property Location

The Property is situated on the outskirts of a village and as such Tenants must not cause a nuisance to our neighbours. Penalties apply if the Tenant, or the guests of a Tenant, causes such a nuisance. These penalties are stated in the House Rules section of the Welcome Pack. The property is also in a rural location and Tenants should be aware of local flora and fauna, there may be domestic, farm and wild animals in the vicinity and associated noise, smell and droppings. The Property is situated in a rural location and Tenants are advised to expect farming around the Property. The Owners cannot be held liable for any such activities, which may occur day or night at any time of year.

The Owners cannot accept responsibility for weather conditions, which may affect the Property and the facilities as well as access to the Property.

The Owners cannot be held responsible for any seasonal increase in traffic levels, noise or disturbance. Building or road works may take place in the vicinity of the Property; the Owners cannot accept responsibility for any resultant noise or disruption.

Cuts in water and electricity supplies may occur at any time without warning (for example in times of drought). The Owners cannot be held responsible for technical problems with the Property or the facilities or any problems with any electrical appliance as a result of interruption to the electrical or water supplies.

Jurisdiction

The law of England and Wales governs this contract. Any disputes arising under this contract shall be referred to the courts of England and Wales.