Beggars Barn - Booking Conditions

Included in the rental price are utilities, sheets and towels, and a supply of kitchen essentials. The pool is available from April through to l October (start and end date for heating of the pool is all subject to weather).

Changes and cancellations

We understand that plans sometimes change, and we will endeavour to accommodate date changes for fully paid up stays, subject to availability and being able to re-fill the dates you wish to change. However, all payments, with the exception of the Good Housekeeping deposit, are strictly non-refundable.

Good Housekeeping/Damage deposit

In addition to the rental price, we require a damage deposit from you 10 days prior to your arrival. This is to cover our insurance excess in case damages occur during your stay. We will return this in full to you within 7 days of your departure, subject to no breakages or damage taking place.

Arrival and departure times

In principle we work on an arrival time of 4.00 pm or later, and a departure time of 10.00 am or sooner. However in practice we will try to be as flexible as we can, by arrangement. It all depends on how much time we have to get the house prepared for the next guests. Please adhere to these times, unless by prior arrangement. Early check in or late check out normally incurs a supplement, which we reserve the right to deduct from your damage deposit should agreed times not be adhered to.

Proof of identity

We require proof of identity (and where necessary references) for at least two of the party planning to reside in our home. In addition, the lead guest must be 23 years or older.

Number of guests

The number of guest using the property is strictly limited to the number stipulated in the booking confirmation email. This particularly applies to celebrations. Renting the house does not entitle you to hold a party to include other guests.

We do need to discuss arrangements in advance, as additional guests will incur an extra charge. Also if you have some guest leaving and others arriving, we need to know so as to be able to supply fresh bedding, and we will be making a small charge for laundry.

Strictly no pets policy

Pets are not allowed as Camilla, one of the owners of Beggars Barn, is exceedingly allergic to animals.

Smoking policy

We do sympathise if you are a smoker, however please ensure you only smoke outside. If anyone does smoke inside, we will have to get the place cleaned up and trying to rid the house of cigarette, cigar or pipe smoke is expensive and difficult to achieve at short notice, so we‘ll be sending you a bill (expect £300-£700!)

Catering

This is primarily a self-catering holiday let; however we like to have a good selection of basics on hand. The kitchen always has salt, pepper, some olive oil, a wide range of spices, dried pasta, fresh herbs, and some fresh milk, tea, coffee and sugar to get you started. There will also be washing up liquid, cleaning materials and tablets for the dishwashers. The idea is that you bring the food and things you need, and if you forget something, then the small but important items will probably be there – especially the spices. Try not to be the one in a hundred who packs everything (yours and ours!) and takes it all home!

Care of the property

Please treat the house as you would your own home. Kicking a football around the flowerbeds would not be appreciated. If you break or damage anything, please let us know so we can replace it. We don’t expect you to vacuum and polish before you leave but ask that you please leave the house as you found it.

Housekeeping

We present the house in really top class condition, and we price the house on the basis that self catering implies self cleaning, so we ask guests to leave the house as found. And if you want to know what to do with the beds, stripping them and folding the sheets is preferable to making them!

Turnaround times can be quite short, and the housekeeper may not have 4 hours extra to clean the cooker, ovens, fridges, and scour saucepans and roasting tins.

However, you are on holiday, and we totally understand if you don’t want to clean up. Just tell us in advance and we will arrange for extra staff to get it all done for you. For this there will be an additional charge. We only ever charge for additional labour, not the entire cleaning job. It would typically be £80-£120, depending on the condition, and assuming there are no major disasters.

We do charge if the carpets are stained with wine, tea or muddy boots – carpet cleaning sadly doesn’t come cheap and our cleaning man charges a minimum of £150 per call out so please be careful.

Also, you can have someone in during your stay to make beds, wash up, prepare a meal, whatever; just ask. We would need to know at the time of booking which option you prefer. If you choose to self clean, and then decide not to, do expect a charge against your Good Housekeeping Deposit for the cost of extra staff at short notice.

Privacy

Our policy is to leave you in peace to enjoy your stay. Apart from welcoming you, we will make an effort to stay out of your way, but we will be maintaining the gardens (including mowing during the week) and checking on the pool, hot tub and our filtration systems. We reserve the right to enter the property but will ask you first. If you need us, we are at hand; whether you need help with anything, or advice or local knowledge, you only have to ask.

Telephone costs

We provide a phone in the house for emergencies, and to contact us (only).

Internet

We have a Wi-Fi internet connection, and it’s free.

Liabilities

We have proper insurance and we take our liabilities seriously. However Beggars Barn has as many risks as has your own home, added to which it will be entirely unfamiliar to guests and children alike. This, in itself, is a risk. We would ask you, therefore, to take special care of vulnerable relatives, friends and offspring. We can’t do it for you, and contrary to litigious perception, we can’t foresee every eventuality.

If you have young children, special needs, or a frail elderly in your group, we would like to discuss with you anything we need to do to make their and your stay as safe as possible.

If for some unforeseen reason, Beggars Barn becomes unavailable between booking and arrival, our obligation will be limited to using our best endeavours to find another property (but not necessarily at the same cost), or refunding all rental fees paid.

Plain language

We have tried to write our Terms and Conditions in plain English. If you have any queries, please ask.

And finally

We have spent 14 years putting together our home and we hope it delight’s you! We sincerely hope you have a wonderful stay