french holiday cottages, gites to rent in france, self catering, accommodation, terms

TERMS, CONDITIONS & GENERAL INFORMATION

Issue 13 (From August 1st 2008)

Introduction. We look forward to welcoming you and to making your stay with us as pleasant and stress free as possible. Please contact us if you have any queries about our terms.

Three Bedroom Rose Cottage. There is a fully equipped kitchen / dining room, three bedrooms and living room.

The kitchen has a fitted oven, 4 burner hob, a large fridge freezer, dishwasher, microwave, kettle, coffee maker, toaster, iron and all the other essentials one would expect to find in a well fitted kitchen. There is no washing machine or tumble dryer in the Cottage. Guests may however use the washing machine and tumble dryer in the Main House's Utility Room at the published rates.

Two of the bedrooms are large, one on the ground floor has a king sized bed. The second, which is on the first floor, has a double bed. The third bedroom, also on the first floor is a twin and suitable for teenagers or children as it has sloping ceilings limiting head room. (It has been used by adults but 'walk around' space is limited due tot he head height).

Bedroom 1 is on the ground floor, the other two bedrooms rooms are on the first floor. As said, most of the third bedroom is limited in height and we suggest it would be most suitable and comfortable for children. The smallest bedroom upstairs is accessed through the large bedroom and shares a WC and basin.

The Rose Cottage has many exposed beams, tiled floors with rugs and some exposed stone walls. There is a large stone fireplace with wood burner in the Living Room. The woodburner may not be used. The Rose Cottage is centrally heated during cooler months.

In the Living Room there is UK Satellite TV, DVD Player and Hi-Fi system.

The Rose Cottage is in extremely good order and very clean throughout. It is furnished to a good standard with ample cupboards and chests in each bedroom.

There is a very large garden Area to the front of the Rose Cottage with teak patio furniture sufficient for 6 people. There is also a BBQ area at the rear.. Guests also have free use of most of the remainder of the gardens.

Two Bedroom Vine Cottage. There is a fully equipped kitchen, two bedrooms, Living / Dining room, bathroom and two separate WCs.

The kitchen has a fitted oven, 4 burner hob, a fridge and a freezer, dishwasher, microwave, kettle, coffee maker, toaster, iron and all the other essentials one would expect to find in a well fitted kitchen. There is no washing machine or tumble dryer in the Vine Cottage. Guests may use the automatic washing machine and tumble dryer in the Main House's Utility Room at the published rates.

Bedroom 1 is on the ground floor, and accessed through the kitchen. It is a double room. The second bedroom is a twin bedroom and is on the first floor. There is a small WC and basin adjacent to bedroom two. It is possible to put a cot (suppied) or extra bed in the upstairs bedroom.

The Vine Cottage has many exposed beams, tiled floors with rugs and exposed stone walls. The Vine Cottage is in extremely good order and very clean. It is furnished to a high standard. In the Living/Dining Room there is a dining table with 4 chairs, also there are two sofas, UK Satellite TV, DVD Player and Hi-Fi system. There are also rugs, coffee table etc.

There is a seperate garden Area with teak patio furniture sufficient for 4 people to the front and a BBQ area to the rear of the Vine Cottage for the exclusive use of the Vine Cottage Guests. Guests also have free use of most of the remainder of the gardens.

Guest. The person making the booking and paying the charges is deemed the Guest and he is deemed to be responsible for all in his party.

Owners. The Owner or Owners of the property known as La Grange, Montcaret, 24230, France and their successors in title.

Confirmation The time at which the booking is agreed, whether by mail, e-mail telephone or post. From this time the accommodation shall be held for 7 days pending the receipt of a Deposit. The Owner shall then send a letter of confirmation on the day of confirmation.

Deposit. The booking shall be held as provisional (for 7 days) until the deposit has been received as cleared funds in the Owners' account. This period can usually be extended if required.

The Owner shall then send a receipt for the deposit by post (or e-mail depending on the requirements of the Guest) along with details of when the final payment is due.

The Deposit shall be 20% of the full Payment.

Full Payment The balance (full payment less deposit) becomes payable 8 weeks prior to the date of arrival.

If full payment is not received (as cleared funds) within two weeks of due date, ie 6 weeks prior to the date of arrival, the Guest shall be deemed to have cancelled by default. All monies paid and due shall be forfeit and the Owner, from the 6th week prior to Arrival Date shall be entitled to re-let the accommodation. Please see cancellation details below.

The purpose of this clause is to prevent the Owners being left in a position of potentially losing considerable sums with no possibility of re-letting. It also prevents the situation of double booking occurring.

If by any reason, including late booking or when the Owners agree to vary terms, the Balance becomes payable less than 8 weeks before arrival date then payment must be received on the Agreed Date or before or the Guest shall be deemed to have cancelled by default. The two week allowance afforded to those paying at 8 weeks shall not apply.

It is most important that if the Guest has a problem with payment that they communicate it to the Owners so a solution can be found. The Owners are most flexible and in exceptional circumstances and at their discretion they may vary the terms of payment.

Security Bond A bond of 50€ per cottage is payable in cash on arrival. This bond is refundable and is paid only as security for damage (or failure to carry out 'final clean') that may be caused by the Guest or his party. The bond is refundable within 7 days after departure by the method in which it was paid. Non payment of the bond before arrival shall be deemd as non payment of balance as described above.

The Guest shall not be responsible for 'fair wear and tear', nor shall they be responsible for breakdown of any machinery or equipment nor for anything they could not reasonably have prevented or foreseen.

The Owners do not make charges for small breakages such as wine glasses, plates etc provided these are few and accidental and that these breakages are reported.

The Guests are not generally responsible for the actions of third parties unless they could reasonably have foreseen and prevented the action. (An example being if the Guest leaves the property unlocked and a thief enters through the unlocked door to remove items).

The Guests liability for damage is not limited to the amount of the bond.

The Guest is deemed to be responsible for the actions of ALL in their party.

Cancellation If the Guest cancels after paying the deposit and over 8 weeks before the arrival date the deposit shall be forfeit. The Guest shall bear no further liability even if the Owner fails to re-let the property for the period in question.

If the Guest cancels within 8 weeks of the arrival date the owner shall endeavor to secure another let for the period confirmed. In the event that the Owner is unsuccessful then full payment (paid or owed) shall be forfeit. In the event that the Owner is successful he shall return the full payment less the deposit to the Guest. If, in order to re let the property the Owners must reduce the rates then the amount of reduction shall be recovered from the Guests' refund.

If the Guest cancels within 4 weeks of the arrival date he shall forfeit all monies paid or owed for the booking regardless of whether or not the owners manage to re-let the property.

Guests are reminded that most holiday insurance companies will cover the FULL COST of a holiday in the event of unavoidable cancellation. We strongly recommend Guests take out such a policy.

The Owners shall in no circumstances be liable for consequential loss due to Cancellation.

Cancellation is deemed to have occurred on receipt of communication by the Owner from the Guest (or his representative) by telephone, e-mail or post. It may also be deemed to have occurred by default as described in Terms above.

A Guest may retract a cancellation (but not a cancellation by default as described in 'Full Payment' above) provided the Owner has not already let or agreed to let the property for the time in question. If a Guest cancels a second time for the same booking the full payment shall be forfeit.

If the Owners wish to cancel they shall notify the Guests in writing and return to the Guests all monies paid by the Guests.

These clauses unfortunately are necessary in the running of a business. We feel they are clear and fair. However if you need to cancel please do contact us immediately so we might work towards a more satisfactory solution such as rescheduling your planned stay etc. If you have difficulty arranging payments for example we are able to be very flexible and can extend dates when we feel appropriate. We are in the business of providing relaxing and enjoyable holidays, not profiting from our Guests' misfortune and we will do our best to help.

Health & Safety. Fire extinguishers and fire blankets are installed at various locations and Guests are requested to familiarise themselves with these locations upon arrival. Smoke detectors are fitted. A First Aid Kit is situated in the Cottage and the Vine Cottage. Safes also are fitted. The swimming pool is compliant with the new (and very strict) French regulations.

Under no circumstances may Guests bring to the property their own electrical appliances other than low load hand held equipment such as shavers, hair dryers etc. Irons, fans etc are provided. UK to French plug converters are provided free of charge for small appliances such as hair dryers, IPods etc.

Specifically - Electric Space Heaters are not allowed for safety and cost reasons. Use of same by guests will render them in breach of the letting contract and liable to additional costs and immediate eviction from the property.

We have contacts with an English speaking Doctor and Dentist and in the event of an emergency will do everything we can to assist, There is a pharmacist within 5km and an Accident and Emergency Unit within 15km.

Children under the age of 16 may not be left unattended on site without the Notification and agreement of the Owners (for very obvious reasons).

Swimming Pool. The swimming pool measures approximately 11m long by 5.5m wide and has a depth of 1.4m. The Pool is surrounded on all sides by patio area and sun loungers (Lay lows) are provided at no charge.

Swimming pools in France account for a huge proportion of child fatalities, this is second only to traffic accidents. We are compliant with the latest legislation but only you can ensure the safety of yourselves and your party. The following rules apply to the pool. These rules are only common sense and we list them here for the sake of clarity.

No children under the age of 14 to be unaccompanied at the pool.

No diving, the pool is not deep enough.

No jumping from poolside onto floatation devices..

No glass (plastic drinking vessels are available free of charge).

No late night swimming unless agreed with Owners. (We never refuse, we just need to know).

No food to be consumed poolside.

No horseplay which is annoying to other Guests. Reasonable fun, water polo etc is not a problem.

No flotation devices other than those provided by or approved by the owners. If you want to use a flotation devise please let the Owners check it first. This is important as the pool has a plastic liner whcih can be dmamaged by some swimming aids, flippers etc.

No flippers (fins) or diving masks. Goggles are fine if not made of glass but must first be checked by the Owners.

No petting or overtly sexual behavior.

No hanging of towels and swim wear on pool fence, apart from being unsightly this also is dangerous. The fence is designed to be seen through.

A shower is provided beside the pool and in the interests of hygiene should be used before and after every swim.

The Pool shall be open from Mid May to Mid September. This may be extended at the Owners' discretion dependant upon weather. The pool shall be available for use from 09:00hrs to 20:00hrs every day. This may be varied towards longer hours at the discretion of the Owners. So, if you want an early morning swim at 06:00hrs please just ask and we shall ensure this is facilitated.

The owners reserve the right to close the pool at their discretion at any time in the interests of safety or hygiene.

The Owners maintian the highest standards in regard to pool hygene, to do this it is regularly necessary to clean and treat the water. This is normally not normally intrusive to Guests and the Owners try to carry out the maintenence when it least disturbs the Guests. Occasionally some disruption may occur and Guests are thanked, in advance for their understanding and co-operation.

Smoking. We do not want to be too restrictive but again we must think of safety and the comfort of other Guests. Smoking therefore is not permitted within any of the accommodation. Guests may smoke in their respective gardens only. They may not smoke in the shared gardens or on the pool terrace.

Library We have an extensive library, books are available to borrow free of charge.

We also have a very extensive collection of DVDs, suitable for all tastes. These are available free of charge. A list of titles is provided.

Games We have numerous board games, cards etc and all these are available free of charge. We also have free of charge Playstation Two, X Box and numerous games for all ages.

Bicycles There are a number of bicycles on site and these are available free of charge. The Owners accept no responsibility for accidents which may occur resultant from the use of the bicycles unless the accident is a consequence of the Owners’ negligence.

It is recommended that all persons using cycles wear head protection (supplied). Children under 18 years of age MUST wear the cycle helmets provided (or their own).

Pets. Regrettably we do not cater for pets. An exception to this can be made for Guide Dogs for Blind and Hearing Impaired but please ask first.

Currency. Guests must pay for rental in Euros by direct transfer into our bank account, details of which will be given with Booking Confirmation.

BIC and IBAN details are also available for guests from USA, New Zealand etc.

All quoted rates for rental are Nett of bank charges for transfers.

Care of the Rental property. The Guest shall ensure that the property is not mistreated and that it is left in the same state of cleanliness as it was found.

Loss of Valuables. The Owners accept no liability for Guests' loss of valuables. The safes are supplied free of charge and loss from them shall not be the Owners' responsibility unless they are negligent as to security generally.

Parking. The owners offer free on site, gated parking for all guests but accept no liability for vehicles parked on the premises. Under no circumstances may any Guest park a caravan, mobile home or other domicile on site, whether in use as a domicile or not.

Motorbikes may at no charge, be parked in our secure garage which has a coded lock.

The car parking is very secure and gated, we never lock our cars and have never had a problem.

Temporary defects in service and amenity. The Owners shall not be responsible for any temporary defect or stoppage in any public service. The Owners shall not be liable for any loss resulting from, strike, civil commotion, extreme weather or other event outside of the Owners' control. The Owners shall not be liable for the temporary loss of amenity of the property, provided the loss is not consequent to the Owner's negligence.

Heating. The Cottage is centrally heated between October 31st and March 1st in the mornings and evenings and at other times as determined by the Owners. The central heating is included in rates. The Vine Cottage is not centrally heated.

Additional heating (if required by guests) is provided by paraffin space heaters. These heaters are very efficient, clean and convenient. They can be timed to come on and off as required. The cost of the heaters is at the published price.

Under no circumstances may Guests bring to the property their own Electric Space Heaters. These are not allowed for safety and cost reasons. Use of these by guests will render them in breach of the letting contract and liable to additional costs and immediate eviction from the property.

Consumables. Reasonable Power, gas and Water consumption are included in the cost of rental. Careless and excessive use of these shall incur additional costs. Guests may not hand launder clothing etc as this is an inefficient and costly use of water and heating. They may use the Laundrette nearby or they may use the washing machine in the main house utility at the published rates.

Other consumables not included include, washing powder, washing liquid, toilet paper (although this is provided on arrival), Dishwasher tabs, Shampoo, Soap etc. Where a guest finds themselves short of an essential consumable item on arrival the Owners shall provide that item free of charge on a 'one off basis'.

Bathroom Towels. Bathroom towels are supplied free of charge. One set of towels per person is provided to a maximum of 4 sets for the Vine Cottage and 6 sets for the Cottage. Additional sets can be provided at the published rates. A set consists of one face towel, one hand towel and one bath towel.

Bathroom towels are exchanged each Saturday but may be exchanged more regularly at a small charge (see published rates). Towels are exchanged only in sets.

Bathroom towels may not be used poolside or in the garden, beach etc

Guest may not launder Bathroom Towels or Sheets.

Pool towels are supplied free of charge, exchange of these, if and when required, is charged at published rates. Guests may launder pool towels and use them at the beech etc.

Bed Linen.

Bed linen is supplied free of charge. Clean bed linen is provided each Saturday on an exchange basis. Bed linen is available more frequently at the published rates and the responsibly for changing it is with the Guest.

Maintenance of Grounds.

In order to keep the grounds and facilities at the high standard our Guests require it is necessary for the owners to carry out various Works during the course of the week. These Works include, inter alia, pool cleaning, general pool maintenance. Watering of flowers, plants etc, pruning (i.e. grapes on Cottage and Vine Cottage). Mowing of the lawns etc.

The Owners are restricted in the times in which much of this work may be carried out (local rules prohibit the use of mowers at certain times for example).

Every effort shall be made by the owners to carry out these Works discreetly and with the aim of minimising disturbance to the Guests but occasionally, Guests’ understanding and co-operation is greatly appreciated in this matter.

Welcome Basket.

A Welcome Basket containing basics such as; milk, bread, cheese, wine, tea, coffee, ham, bottled water, orange juice etc shall, when requested, be provided for 30 Euros, payable on arrival. The cost of the contents shall always equal to or exceed the amount of 30 euros.

Leaving the Property. Guests are expected to leave the property in the same condition in which it was let. The exceptions to this being that used towels may be left in the baths and beds may be left unmade.

The Owners experience has shown that some guests are in a great hurry to leave in order to meet planes, ferries etc. Consequently the Guests often do not have time to clean the property properly, or at all. This leaves the owners in the position of having to hire paid help to meet the 'turnaround' deadlines. Guests MUST vacate the property by 10:00am on the last day unless otherwise agreed by the Owners.

So as to give guests the best rates and the opportunity to do their own cleaning these rates have not been included in the price of the let and if such cleaning is necessary a charge of £40 shall be payable.

General. We understand that the Guests are on holiday but ask that they also respect the fact that others wish to enjoy their holidays. We do not encourage loud late night drinking in the gardens, raucous pool parties or raucous behavior generally.

Children are welcome; we don't expect children to be saints but we do expect parents to control them. Children under 6 MUST be supervised at all times. For Guests who do have children (of the well behaved variety) the garden is entirely enclosed and very safe. Children under 16 years of age may not be left on site without a supervising adult. This rule can be altered with discussion and dependant upon the maturity of the children concerned.

Even with the best will in the world sometimes things do go wrong. If during your stay you have any worries, complaints or feel there are misunderstandings please talk to us and we will do our best to resolve the problem. If Guests have difficulty with the journey please get in touch as soon as you can. We will do everything reasonably practicable to assist.

Please don't forget your E111, this can be procured at any Main Post Office in the UK.

When traveling by car in France you should have the following items with you:

Head Light Deflectors,

GB (or country of origin) sticker or number plate,

V5 (car reg) Documents,

Insurance Cover Note.

Yellow Vests for all occupants,

Warning Triangle,

Set of Spare Bulbs.

These items are recommended;

First Aid Kit,

Fire Extinguisher,

We wish ALL our Guests to have an enjoyable stress free stay and to that end will be pleased to assist in any way possible. Please just ask.

The Owners reserve the right to alter Terms and Conditions.

Customer Feedback.

The Customer Feedback published on our site is 100% genuine and may be verified by contacting the Owners who will, with the permission of the previous guest, put the previous and prospective guests in touch with each other for the purpose of verification. Where the Guest is known to the Owners (ie family or friends) this is noted on the 'Feedback' page.