Thank you for choosing to book with us – we hope you will enjoy your stay. The following terms and conditions apply to your booking. They form the terms of a legally binding contract between you as the guest and Dochfour Estate T/A Loch Ness Escapes. Please read the following conditions of let carefully and ask for an explanation of any point that may be unclear to you.
Contract
The Contract for a short-term holiday rental will be between the property owners (referred to as “us” or “we”) and the person making the booking and all members of the holiday party (referred to as “you”, “your”, “guests”) under the following booking conditions. Scottish law will govern the Contract. The Contract will be subject to these booking conditions, and must be complied with. The person whose name is on the booking form (referred to as the “Responsible Person”) agrees to take full responsibility for ensuring that all the following Terms and Conditions are adhered to by all members of the party. The Responsible Person must personally stay at the accommodation throughout the holiday and be at least 18 years of age at the time of booking. The names, addresses and ages of all members of the party must be shared with the owners on request.
The letting period
The letting period runs from 4.00pm on the day of arrival to 10.00am on the day of departure. This will allow time for our cleaners to prepare for the next guests.
Entry to the house will be with a key code which will be sent to you prior to arrival.
Early arrivals and late departures can be arranged by special request. If you do not leave the property by the required time we reserve the right to charge you a late check out fee to cover any costs incurred.
A minimum stay of 3 nights is required.
Bookings and Payment
Your booking (“Booking”) may be placed over the telephone, by email or directly on our online reservation system. Where your Booking is communicated to us by telephone or by email, we will enter it onto our online reservation system, which will automatically generate a summary by email to the email address you provide in the online Booking form. However, that does not mean that your Booking is yet confirmed or that a Contract is yet in force between us and you.
Your Booking will only be confirmed and our Contract will only come into force once we have received payment in cleared funds of a deposit of thirty per cent (30%) of the full cost of your Booking (the “Deposit”).
The Deposit must be paid within three (3) days of the Booking being placed. The balance of the rental will be due for payment forty two (42) days prior to your holiday commencement date (the “Holiday Commencement Date”).
If you paid the Deposit by credit or debit card, you authorise us to use the details of the same credit or debit card to settle the balance of the rental. We will only act on this authority if you have not contacted us prior to the Balance Due Date to arrange alternative payment of the balance.
If for any reason we are unable to take payment of the balance by the due date and you are unable to promptly rearrange payment (or we cannot get hold of you to arrange for payment to be made) we will be entitled to treat that as your intention to cancel the Booking. If your Booking is made less than forty two (42) days prior to the Holiday Commencement Date then your Booking will only be confirmed and our Contract will only come into force once we have received payment in full for the Booking in cleared funds.
No entry to our properties will be allowed without payment, in full, being cleared beforehand.
We accept payment by most major credit or debit cards and by bank transfer.
We periodically review and amend the prices we charge for our accommodation. We will confirm the price of your accommodation at the time you make your booking and in your confirmation invoice.
All prices given include VAT. If the VAT rates change, we reserve the right to change our prices accordingly. VAT invoices can be provided on request.
All prices given on our website, super control or by telephone include all charges for water, gas, electricity and oil.
If you want to cancel
Your contract with us is a contract for the provision of leisure accommodation on a specific date or dates and this means that you do not benefit from a “cooling off” period. We do, however, offer you the right to cancel your contract subject to the provisions set out below.
If you wish to cancel a confirmed booking you must let us know in writing as soon as possible. Your booking will be cancelled with effect from the day we acknowledge receipt of your letter.
In the event of any cancellations, we will endeavour to re-let the accommodation. If successful, the balance of the cost paid (if any) will be refunded minus a 10% admin fee and any un re-booked days.
The closer your cancellation is to the start of your booking, the less likely we are to recover the cost of your booking by re-selling your accommodation.
If the Estate is unable to re-let the accommodation booked no refund will be due. We reserve the right to retain the full balance paid for the whole of your booking.
We strongly recommend that you take out travel insurance which provides for cancellation cover.
If you want to change the booking
If you want to change any detail of your confirmed booking you must let us know by telephone or email as soon as possible.
Whilst we will do our best to accommodate you, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet any request for changes and any changes may incur an admin fee.
Cancellation by us or “Force Majeure” (circumstances beyond the control of the owner)
If, for any reason, the accommodation is not available to you on the dates booked due to events beyond our reasonable control for example fire, flood, exceptional weather conditions, epidemics, destruction/damage to property, you will be refunded the full amount of the booking. If we have to terminate your holiday early for the above reasons you will be refunded part of the accommodation costs based on the time remaining of the booking. This will be the full extent of the liability of the owners. No additional compensation, expense or costs will be payable.
Adverse Weather: No liability can be accepted should adverse weather condition delay your travel plans.
Rental Violations and termination of contract.
Only those persons agreed in the confirmation letter may occupy the accommodation. If this condition is breached, we have the right to terminate the Contract immediately without refund.
Rentals will not be accepted in respect of any client under 18 years old. We reserve the right to terminate the accommodation where all material facts are not disclosed. The accommodation may not be sublet, nor are unauthorised extensions of stay permitted.
The person making the booking accepts liability for the behaviour of ALL party members and for ensuring that the conditions of the letting agreement are adhered to and for loss or damage to the accommodation and the contents caused during the rental period.
We reserve the right to refuse to hand over the accommodation to anyone who, in our opinion, is not suitable to take charge of the property. In such case all monies paid shall be refunded and the contract terminated without further liability.
We also reserve the right to terminate the contract at any time and remove any person or persons due to improper use, unreasonable behaviour, damage to property or causing or likely to cause annoyance or offence to neighbours. Any refund will be entirely at the discretion of the owners.
Noise and nuisance: Please consider neighbours. You must not cause a nuisance or disturbance to neighbouring accommodation or behave in an unreasonable way. The playing of music or making any noise which is clearly audible in nearby accommodation is not permitted after 10.00pm. If we consider that guests are in breach of this policy, then we reserve the right to ask you to leave immediately. You will not be entitled to a refund for the balance of your stay.
Maximum occupancy: The maximum occupancy for your accommodation is stated on the website. This must not be exceeded, and additional overnight guests must not be accommodated on our property under any circumstance. Breach of this policy will render you liable for further charges, calculated on a pro-rata basis. Alternatively, we reserve the right to ask you to leave immediately. Should you arrive with a group which does not meet these criteria we reserve the right to refuse use of the accommodation.
Right of Entry: We shall be allowed reasonable right of entry to the property at all reasonable times for purposes of inspection or to carry out any necessary repairs or maintenance.
Occupancy: Occupancy shall be from 4.00pm pm the day of arrival to 10.00am on the day of departure – unless special arrangements have been made. We need this time to ensure that the property is ready for your arrival after the previous guests. Late departure may incur a £50 penalty. The property is let for the purposes of a holiday let to which paragraph 6 of schedule 1 of the Private Housing (Tenancies)(Scotland) Act 2016 applies. The booking agreement confers the right to occupy the accommodation for the agreed period only. You undertake to use the property solely for its purpose as self-catering accommodation and to accept the Owner’s right to refuse access to the accommodation to any person, whether the Responsible Person or a guest of the Responsible Person, deemed unsuitable.
Terms of Use
On departure, you are requested to leave the accommodation in a clean and tidy condition. This includes washing up, dishwasher emptied, placing rubbish in bin liners, and putting in outside bins, ensuring ovens and barbeque are clean and free from grease. We reserve the right to make a charge of £35 for extra cleaning if the accommodation is not left in a satisfactory condition.
Security Deposit
The hirer will keep the property and all furniture, equipment and fittings in or on the property in a like state of repair and cleanliness as at the commencement of the let and will make good any damage, breakage or loss that may occur during the let. Any breakages or damage should be notified to us immediately. If excessive cleaning or replacement of breakages or repairs for any damage is required, at the discretion of the owners, then these additional costs will be levied against the hirer. All bookings will attract a security deposit of £200 against which any repair of damage or excessive cleaning costs or replacement of breakages, can be offset. If payment is by card your card details will be retained at the time of booking and we will pre-authorise your card for £200 from the period of two days prior to your arrival until four days after your departure. No monies will be taken from your card unless there are extras to be paid for or a breach of any conditions. If paying by direct debit £200 shall be taken at tike of completed booking and reimbursed 4 days after departure. In the event that the cost of putting right the property owning to damage or negligence by the hirer exceeds the security deposit, then the owners will pursue the hirer for any outstanding amounts.
Holiday Insurance and Liability
We will not be held responsible for the loss or damage to the personal property of guests occupying the accommodation. Personal property, vehicles, their accessories, and contents are left at your own risk. We will not be responsible for any injury or death. All guests are recommended to ensure they have adequate property and personal accident insurance for their holiday.
Smoking
All our properties are entirely non-smoking, and guests are requested to refrain from smoking anywhere inside the properties.
Candles, Chinese lanterns, fireworks, party poppers are all banned due to the high fire risk and risk to livestock.
Free Wi-Fi and broadband Internet
Provided for your reasonable use and may be subject to separate terms and conditions. You agree to reasonable and lawful usage of this service. We will not be liable for slow connections or for any interruptions to or the failure of this service.
Pets
We only accept pre-booked pets in some of our properties. For our pet friendly properties there is a restriction to 2 adult animals unless by special agreement. Pets must be healthy, fully house trained and kept under control at all times. Pets should be kept in the kitchen or living area and are not allowed in the bedrooms. Under no circumstances are pets allowed on the beds, bedding or furniture and should not be left unattended or allowed to annoy neighbours. All fouling should be cleaned up after your pet. You are advised to bring your pets bed and food bowls. Pets will be charges at £30 per stay. Dog owners will be held responsible for any damage caused to the property, contents or garden by their dog and for any extra cleaning required (usually at least £50). When out walking in the surrounding area, you must ensure that dogs are kept on a lead except where indicated. Dogs must not be allowed to disturb livestock, deer or game birds.
Vehicles
Your vehicles and their accessories and contents are left entirely at your risk. We will not be responsible for any loss or damage from or to any vehicle from any cause whatsoever other than in the case of a negligence of the proprietors.
Complaints
Every effort is made to ensure that you have an enjoyable stay. However, if you have any problem or cause for complaint, it is essential that you contact us immediately to give us a chance to resolve it. We value your custom and want you to return. We will always do our best to resolve any problem. We cannot accept liability in relation to any shortcomings or claim of whatever nature if you fail to notify us of any complaint or claim during your holiday. If we are not given the opportunity to resolve an issue at the time of your visit, we will not consider a request for refund/remediation following departure.
Exclusion of the Rent Act
The booking agreement confers the right to occupy the accommodation for the period agreed for holiday purpose only. The terms of the Rent Act (Housing Scotland Act 1988) are excluded.
Privacy Policy
All data is collected and stored in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation.
General
In the event that any individual term or cause stated in these Terms and Conditions of Let is not permissible by law, the remainder of the agreement shall remain valid.