BOOKING CONDITIONS

1. Harrogate Holiday Cottages (“the Agency”) acts entirely as a booking agent. It arranges bookings and reservations of holiday accommodation as agents for holidaymakers (“the Holidaymaker”).

2. FORMATION OF CONTRACT
A binding contract between the Holidaymaker and the owner of the holiday accommodation (the Property Owner”) shall be entered into on the Agency issuing the holiday confirmation as agent for the Property Owner. The holiday maker is responsible for payment of the price of the holiday and the compliance of members of the party on holiday with the Booking Terms and Conditions as set out.

3. ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION
In the unlikely event that the Agency shall be unable to arrange the holiday accommodation reserved by the Holidaymaker the Agency shall endeavour to arrange alternative holiday accommodation of a similar type and standard in a similar location as that originally requested by the Holidaymaker. The Agency cannot however, be under any further obligation or liability for any losses or expenses arising from any alternative holiday accommodation being arranged, or for inconvenience caused, in the event of a property being removed from the list, by an owner for whatever reason.

4. LIMITATION OF LIABILITIES.
The use of accommodation and amenities, where offered, is entirely at the holidaymaker's own risk, and no responsibility can be accepted for injury, nor for the loss or damage to the holidaymaker's belongings. No responsibility can be accepted for loss or damage to any car or its contents.

5. BOOKINGS FROM MINORS under the age of 18 years cannot be accepted.

6. WARRANTIES
The Agency does not warrant and is in no way responsible for the accuracy of any verbal information given or statements made.

7. CHARGES
We reserve the right to pass on any Bank Charges in the conversion of Foreign Currency (costs for representing cheques). Cheques returned by the Bank, either to represent or to refer to drawer, will be charged at £15 to cover costs and inconvenience. Credit Card Payments may be made but a charge of 2.5% will be levied.

8. PETS
Some of our property owners will accept a maximum of one or two pets. There is a charge of £20 per holiday per pet. Please advise the number of pets and breed at the time of booking and observe and respect the following rules :a. Keep pets off furniture and exercise outside. Do not permit pets in bedrooms or leave them unattended in the property. b. Remove any pet hair and soiling from the garden/patio before you leave.
Extra charges will be levied for excess cleaning needed due to pets after departure.

9. OWNERSHIP OF THE HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION
The Agency does not own or operate the holiday accommodation which it books on behalf of the Holidaymaker and accordingly, its use is subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Property Owners.

10. REPAIR AND CLEANLINESS
The Holidaymaker is responsible for the holiday accommodation and its equipment during the period of the holiday and is expected to take all reasonable care of it. You are advised to check on arrival and report any shortcomings, damage or missing items immediately to the holiday accommodation owner or his/her representative so that the matter can be remedied for you. No claim can be considered for such matters not so notified. The Holidaymaker undertakes to report and pay for any damage caused to the holiday accommodation or for equipment lost, damaged, or stolen during his occupancy. All the equipment, utensils etc. must be left in a clean condition at the end of the holiday, and the accommodation must be left in the same state of cleanliness and general order in which it was found. The owner of the holiday property should be compensated for any damage and breakages which may occur. Fair wear and tear excepted.

11. ALTERATIONS TO BROCHURE
The information contained in the both main brochure and this booking form is believed to be accurate at the time of going to press. However, the Agency reserves the right to make alterations thereto and shall endeavour to inform the Holidaymaker of such alterations. If the alterations prove unacceptable to the Holidaymaker then alternative accommodation will be arranged or a full refund of monies paid will be given, less any Cancellation Fee paid.

12. NUMBER OF PERSONS USING THE HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION
The number of persons using the holiday accommodation (except for babies in cots where applicable) shall not exceed the maximum number stated in this brochure unless otherwise arranged. Cots shall be deemed suitable only for children of 2yrs and under - Cots are only available by arrangement at the time of booking and when included in the property description. The Property Owner is entitled to refuse admission to any persons or animals not declared/named on the Booking Form or agreed to in writing at an earlier date.

13. ACCESS
The property Owner or his representatives shall be allowed access to the holiday accommodation at any reasonable time during any holiday occupancy.

14. COMPLAINTS
Whilst every care is taken to ensure complete satisfaction with your holiday accommodation, in the unhappy event of you having cause for any complaint, we cannot stress too strongly the following points:

a) Complaints should first be taken up immediately with the owner or caretaker wherever possible. This will result in a much speedier correction of any shortcomings.

b) If after the above step has been taken satisfaction is still not obtained the matter shall then be reported to the Agency. Such assistance as may then be possible will willingly be given. In matters of equipment going wrong, it should be realised that although frequently checked, items not reported by departing occupants may possibly escape immediate attention and in this instance cannot be repaired/replaced until brought to the owner's notice.

c) 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 impossible for them to be effectively investigated. Reports of appreciative comments or constructive suggestions for improvement will always be gladly received and passed on to Owners.

d) We have undertaken to observe the Tourist Board REGISTERED AGENCY Code of Conduct. In the event of any unresolved complaint regarding the standard of our properties, we reserve the right to refer the matter to the English Tourism Council for arbitration.

CANCELLATIONS
If you cancel your holiday prior to 8 weeks before the arrival date (where there has only been a deposit paid) you will lose the deposit only. If you cancel within 8 weeks of arrival you will be liable to pay the full balance.
If you have to cancel your booking for any reason, we may be able to assist in the following ways:

1. If the cancellation is more than 8 weeks prior to arrival, we may be able to change the dates to a different period in the same property. Any changes are at our discretion, are subject to availability and subject to approval by the owner. The new dates must be within 3 months of the original dates booked. A change of dates will incur a handling charge of £25 +VAT.

2. We can endeavour to re-let the property to another customer. If we are successful we will refund any payment made by you, up to the amount received for the new booking. In the event that we are successful in re-letting the property for you, you will be charged an administration fee of £50 + VAT, per week.

Note: If you wish to sell or pass on your holiday to any third party, you must have the prior approval of Harrogate Holiday Cottages. You will still be liable for any debts/damages caused by the third party unless we have agreed the transfer of the booking in writing. A transfer of the booking to another party will incur a handling charge of £15 +VAT.

INSURANCE
We recommend that you take out cancellation or travel insurance to protect yourself from any losses. We include a cancellation plan from Travellers Protection Services with all our mailed confirmation letters, should you not receive this and wish to take out their cover please contact our office. Any claim under the insurance should be made as soon as possible to the insurance company, your rights under such insurance shall not be against us, but the insurer. For online bookings the contact for Travellers Protection Services is www.cancellation plan.com quoting HHC number 23181.

AMMENDMENTS
Any amendments to Invoices, (i.e. name, address etc) will incur a charge of £15 + VAT - please ensure that the main named person on the Booking Form is the person to whom the invoice is to be made.

SHORT BREAKS
Breaks can be 2,3,or 4 nights only, and is calculated at 75% of the weekly rate. The weekly price applies for 5,6 and 7 night stays. A short break is at the discretion of the owner and is often only at short notice of 4 weeks prior to booking in low and mid season and 2 weeks prior to booking in high season.

DIRECTIONS AND CONTACT INSTRUCTIONS
It is the guests responsibility to contact the owners of the property well in advance of arrival (3-4 days). The agency will send out arrival instructions after the balance payment has been made, 8 weeks prior to arrival but cannot be responsible if these directions are lost, not received due to late balance payments etc. The owner of the property/housekeeper is the emergency contact number for guests arrival and key collection.