Terms & Conditions

UPDATED 4pm 6TH JANUARY 2024.

Here are our booking conditions, together with some useful information about your stay. Please contact us if you have a question or would like any help to make a booking.

Terms and conditions apply to Guests and all members of their party (including any day visitors, who must be pre-approved with Owners). It is the Guests’ responsibility to ensure that each member of their party is aware of and accepts the Terms and Conditions and the obligations contained therein.

The party leader must be at least 18 years of age at the time of booking, the booking form must list all names in the party. The party leader is responsible for ensuring all members of the booking party comply with the terms set out below, however, the contract for the provision of accommodation is between us and you (as in the person making the booking).

The Owners reserve the right to cancel a booking without compensation or refund should Guests not comply with any of the Terms and Conditions outlined below.

You are strongly recommended to take out travel insurance to cover your break – it is your responsibility to ensure that you have cover. Policies are now available that cover for Covid-19 related issues.

Deposit and Payment

A deposit of 30% (minimum deposit £150.00 per week/part week) of the rental fee is payable immediately upon making the booking where the booking is made more than 7 weeks before the start of the rental. The booking will not be confirmed until the deposit is received. The balance shall be payable in full 7 weeks before the commencement of the rental. For bookings made less than 7 weeks before the commencement of the rental the total fee is payable.

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 we are forced to cancel your booking due to non-payment the deposit paid will be non-refundable.

If your Booking is made less than forty nine (49) 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 in cleared funds.

We reserve the right to cancel your booking and re-let the property if payment is not received by the due date.

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.

When you submit an online booking, you will receive an automatically generated booking summary by e-mail to the e-mail address you provide on the booking form. This does not form a contract between us. A contract only arises when your booking is subsequently confirmed in writing via a letter of confirmation sent to you by post or e-mail.

You may not under any circumstances transfer your booking to anyone else without prior consent.

The total price you pay for your holiday includes a booking fee of £50, this is not itemised separately but included in the total price. This booking fee covers the administration and bought in costs associated with managing your booking. The booking fee is included in the initial deposit you pay for your holiday and in the event of cancellation is non-refundable.

Cancellations

Cancellation by You

Cancellations must be immediately notified to us and confirmed in writing. The treatment of a cancellation will depend on

1. a) the date the booking was made
2. b) when the cancellation is made

Your inability (or the inability of any, some or all of your intended occupants) or disinclination to travel to and stay at your hired Cottage for any reason.  This includes – but is not limited to – illness (including Covid), a requirement or recommendation to self-isolate or quarantine, a call to jury duty, incarceration, change in personal or work circumstances, family emergencies, travel delays, vehicle breakdown, and delays with public transport.  These remain at your risk and do not give rise to a right to cancel or to receive a refund unless we re-let the property, other than according to the sliding scale below. You are strongly recommended to take out UK travel insurance to cover these eventualities. If you choose not to take out UK travel insurance then you accept responsibility for any loss that you may incur due to your cancellation.

Travel Insurance

It is the responsibility of the Lead Guest to acquire suitable travel insurance to cover their holiday, including Cancellation and Curtailment Protection Insurance.  We strongly recommend that you take out suitable insurance which will cover you for possible cancellation of your UK holiday. There are several suitable options which include cover for COVID-related cancellation, you can look for suitable cover on comparison sites such as www.gocompare.com.

Refunds will be processed on the departure date of the cancelled booking. Card refund payments will be processed on to the card used for the payment, those who paid by bank transfer will be refunded by bank transfer.

Any refunds agreed will be paid on the date of original planned check out.

Refunds

All refunds will be subject to deduction of a non-refundable administration fee of £50 to cover our costs and third party costs related to the cancellation and remarketing (these costs include our admin costs,  re-marketing costs, bank fees, accounting fees and commission payments).

A cancellation charge will be made based on the number of days notification of cancellation given by the person making the booking to Oaker Farm Holidays, and whether the cottage is re-let for the period of the cancelled stay. Oaker Farm Holidays will apply the scale shown in the table below to determine the amount of the refund payable to you.  If the accommodation is not re-let, this will be a percentage of the total cost of the holiday.  If the accommodation is re-let, the amount refunded will be the rebooking value (which may be less than you paid) less the non-refundable administration fee of £50.

Part Cancellations – If any person(s) in your party needs to cancel, this will not affect the total cost of your booking.  In addition, no refunds are payable in the event that you cut short your stay.

Refunds for cancellations more than 7 weeks out will be made within 3 working days of the date of cancellation, which must be in writing (by email).  Refunds for cancellations made less than 7 weeks out will be made within 3 working days of the rebooking date, or the end date of the holiday (as the refund amount will depend on the rebooking value).

You are strongly recommended to take out travel insurance to cover your break – it is your responsibility to ensure that you have cover. Policies are now available that cover for Covid-19 related issues.

Cancellations by us for reasons beyond our control (“Force Majeure”) We won’t be deemed to be in breach of this Contract, or otherwise liable to you, by reason of any delay in performance or non-performance of any of our obligations in this Contract to the extent that such delay or non-performance is caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control (for example if access to and use of our property is prevented by fire, flood, exceptional weather conditions, epidemics, pandemics, destruction/damage, internet or other communications failure, blocked roads, war/terrorism, nuclear/radioactive disaster affecting us or our property) (these are sometimes referred to as “Force Majeure Events”)

If for any reason beyond our control we are forced to cancel your Booking (or bring it to an end early) due to a Force Majeure Event affecting us or our property we will refund you the full amount of your remaining rental costs based on the time of your booking remaining. This will be the full extent of our liability and no additional compensation, expenses or costs (such as travel or replacement lodging costs) will be payable.

General

You may access the property from 16.00 on the day of arrival.  Please note that departure is by 10.00 on your final day. We need this time to ensure that the accommodation is ready for your arrival after the previous guests.  You must not use the property except for the purpose of a holiday during the holiday period, and not for any other purpose or longer period. The agreement to stay in the property for the holiday period does not create the relationship of Landlord and Tenant between the parties. You shall not be entitled to a new tenancy, or to any assured short hold or assured tenancy or any statutory protection under the Housing Act 1988 or other statutory security of tenure now or at the end of the Holiday Period.  On departure, you are requested to leave the accommodation in a clean and tidy condition. This includes washing up, placing rubbish in bin liners and putting in outside bins, ensuring ovens and barbeque are clean and free from grease; if additional cottage preparation over and above normal is necessary we reserve the right to make an additional cleaning charge to cover the cost of obtaining “emergency” cleaning help to ensure the cottage is ready for the next occupants. Please sign out of Netflix etc on the TV. You will vacate the property and return the keys to the owners by 10:00am on the day of departure and will settle any outstanding accounts prior to your departure.

We do not accept pets.

The Owners do not accept responsibility for breakdown in public or local supplies, including water or electricity, nor any claims against inconvenience caused by such incidences, or by building works that may be deemed as necessary. In the case of any breakdown Guests are asked to notify the Owners immediately. We will try our best, in conjunction with the service company concerned, to correct the fault as soon as possible.

Oaker Farm Cottages and shepherd’s hut may only be occupied by those guests listed on the booking form and must not exceed the maximum number stated for each accommodation.  In the event of non-compliance, we reserve the right to terminate your booking immediately, in which case our responsibility to you ceases immediately and there will be no refunds, no payment of compensation and no reimbursement of any cost or expenses you may incur as a result.

We live in a quiet, rural farming community and expect that our guests respect and maintain the tranquillity of our setting.  It is your responsibility to ensure that all members of your party do not behave in a way which causes offence or danger or annoyance to others or which risks damage to property belonging to others. In such circumstances we reserve the right to terminate your booking immediately, in which case our responsibility to you ceases immediately and there will be no refunds, no payment of compensation and no reimbursement of any cost or expenses you may incur as a result. Furthermore, you will be liable to reimburse us for any expenses incurred as a result of you and your party’s behaviour.

No fireworks or Chinese lanterns are permitted at any time.

Oaker Farm does not accept bookings of single sex groups for hen or stag celebrations or similar occasions.

Please let us know if you require a highchair or a cot, which will be provided at no extra cost (Losehill and Winhill Cottages only).

For safety reasons and the comfort of other guests, we have adopted a no smoking policy.

Candles, deep fat fryers and other items that increase the fire risk are not permitted indoors.

Electric Car Charging – For insurance purposes electric car charging is only available via the charger on the wall of the big barn. Please would you move your car to the designated space for your cottage as soon as possible once charging is complete. Payment is on an honesty basis – we ask that you pay what you believe it would cost you to charge at home. Please leave the money on the kitchen table at the end of your stay. As an alternative there is a charging point in the village car park opposite the fuel station.

Visitors are welcome by arrangement but are not permitted to stay overnight. They must adhere to the terms and conditions of the property. We cannot accept responsibility whatsoever for their safety, well-being or possessions. Guests shall be held responsible for their visitors’ actions. We request that visitors leave no later than 10.00 pm.

You must not use the Cottage or the site for any illegal, dangerous, offensive, noxious or noisy activities or behave in a way that may be a nuisance or annoyance to us, other guests or our neighbours. Oaker Farm is a peaceful location and we ask that you respect that and our other guests.  As such, the playing of music, singing or other excessive noise that can be heard outside of your cottage after 9pm is not permitted.

Please take care of our property. You are responsible and liable for any breakages or damages that you cause to the accommodation or its contents. Please report these as soon as they occur. We do not normally charge for minor breakages, but we reserve the right to charge you for repair or making good if the damage or breakage is significant.

Please let us know about any problem with any appliance or fixture or fitting as soon as possible and we will ensure that, within a reasonable time, this is repaired, or alternative arrangements are made.

Visitors are asked to take care at all times while on our property.  Parents in particular are asked to ensure that children are safe, accompanied by a responsible adult and not left unattended.  We do not accept responsibility or liability for injury or damage to and loss of guest’s property, cars and contents and you agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from and against all actions, claims, costs and proceedings (including reasonable legal fees incurred in defending the same) arising from your acts or omissions (and those in your party) while on our property. In the event of guest misbehaviour or other necessary cause, we reserve the right to terminate the let without any refund of letting monies.

We (or our representative) reserve the right to enter any property at a reasonable time for the purpose of emergency maintenance or repair or any other need.

Free Wi-Fi internet is 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.

We reserve the right to make changes to the property, including any relevant enhancements to décor, furniture, fixtures and fittings, etc. We endeavour to ensure that all changes are in keeping with the style of the property. We shall not be liable for any such alterations to the property.

LIABILITY

Oaker Farm Holidays, its employees and representatives shall not be liable to you or your party for loss or damage to property howsoever arising unless demonstrably caused by our negligence or wilful misconduct or that of those for whom we are legally responsible. You must take all necessary steps to safeguard yourselves and your property.

Third Party Services – If you wish to engage any third party to perform any service (including by way of example private catering, beauty therapy, childminding or entertainment services) at the site or the Cottage you must obtain our written permission. Such permission should be requested in advance of your stay with details of the entity you intend to use to perform the service, the service to be performed and details of their public and employer’s liability insurance. Consent will only be given where we and our insurers are happy that the appropriate risks have been covered. We will not accept liability for the services provided (or failure to provide such services) by any third party supplier or business used by you in the course of your Stay (regardless of whether they are recommended or referred by us).  This will not apply where we have been negligent or dishonest in this regard.

The use of drones, candles, fireworks and night lanterns is not permitted in any circumstances.

‘Owners’ refers to the proprietors of Oaker Farm Cottages. ‘Guests’ refers to all persons listed on the booking form. ‘Visitors’ refers to any persons visiting guests at Oaker Farm.

If Guests or any member of their party, has, or has just had an infectious or contagious medical condition the Owners have the right to refuse the booking, cancel the holiday or ask the Guest to leave Oaker Farm immediately should it be considered necessary, to protect the health of other guests and/or staff. The Owners should be informed immediately should any condition develop within four weeks of arrival date, or during the holiday at Oaker Farm.

Privacy statement

When you book with us, we collect your personal data via our booking form as we have a legitimate interest in these details under Article 6(b) of the GDPR 2018 in order to complete bookings and organise your holiday. We use your data in order that we can contact you in respect of your holiday and ensure that the cottage is set up for the appropriate number of guests. We will hold your booking information within the SuperControl booking system, which has its own privacy policy and statements. We will not share your data with any other third parties and we will not send you marketing emails without your consent which you may retract at any point by emailing oakerfarm@gmail.com  For the purposes of demonstrating to the UK tax authorities the legitimacy of our bookings and income, we will store your data for 7 years.