It is strongly recommended that you are protected for cancellation by travel insurance prior to making a booking.

It is really important to us that you enjoy your time with us at Driftwood Stays; part of that is both parties being clear on the T&Cs. These are below and are hopefully self-explanatory, but if you have any questions or require further details please contact us.

1 CONTRACT HIRE 

The Contract of Hire will be between Driftwood Stays (Owner) and you the customer (Guest).

2 BOOKING

All bookings via our online reservation system should be treated as provisional until you receive confirmation from us via email. To secure your booking a deposit of 25% (or full payment) of the cost of your stay is required. Bookings must be paid in full, plus the refundable security deposit (£250 for Driftwood Corner, £100 for Little Driftwood) 6 weeks before your arrival date. If your booking is less than 6 weeks from the date of your stay the full cost of your stay is required at the time of booking.

When you submit a booking and payment via our online reservation system you will be requested to read and accept these terms and conditions of booking. You will receive an automatically generated booking confirmation and payment summary by email to the email address you provided at the time of booking. This booking confirmation email forms a contract between you and Driftwood Stays.  The contract binds you (the lead booker) & all the members of the party who are part of the booking. It is your responsibility to ensure that all members of your party accept the terms of the contract set out in these terms & conditions.

If the balance is not paid by the due date, Driftwood Stays reserves the right to re-let your accommodation and retain the deposit.

The prices featured on the website are not binding. We reserve the right to modify these prices at any time. The price stated on your booking confirmation email is binding.

Driftwood Stays reserves the right to refuse a booking without giving any reason.

At the time of booking we require the name and contact details of the lead guest, number of guests in the party, ages of any guests under 18 and any dog details. For all international guests over the age of 16 we require names and passport numbers.  This is UK law.

3 SECURITY DEPOSIT 

A security deposit of £250 for Driftwood Corner and £100 for Little Driftwood is required with your balance payment. This will be deducted from your debit or credit card and returned to you within 7 days after your departure assuming the house has been left as you found it. We will claim against the security deposit for the repair or replacement of any breakages, losses or damage to the property or contents. Accidents happen and we will only charge for replacements in exceptional circumstances, as we expect a fair degree of wear and tear. If you have any breakages, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can make any necessary replacements for the benefit of subsequent guests. Please note that damages and losses are not limited to the security deposit and any costs that exceed this amount will be invoiced and payable in full without delay. All cleaning, under normal circumstances is included as part of your stay, however the security deposit will also be used to cover any additional costs of cleaning if the property is left dirty or if vacated later than the stated time on the day of departure.  Guests will be charged for any item(s) that are removed or lost from the accommodation.

4 CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS

We strongly recommend that you take out holiday insurance at the time of making the booking with cancellation cover. Whilst we allow you to cancel your stay, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to refund any part of the payments you have already made.

Any cancellation must be in writing via email and will only be effective once we send written confirmation of the cancellation to you. When we confirm your cancellation in writing we will provide you with details of what (if anything) is owing to you and any deductions we have made.

If you are unable to travel to Driftwood Stays accommodation for any reason, or do not arrive on the day of check-in without notifying us, this will be treated as a cancellation.

If you cancel:

• 6 weeks (Driftwood Corner) 3 weeks (Little Driftwood) or more prior to the check-in date we will refund you in full.
• Less than 6 weeks (Driftwood Corner) less than 3 weeks (Little Driftwood) & more than 7 days, we will do our best to resell the dates of your stay.
• If your dates cannot be resold, then we will retain all payments made and you will be liable for any outstanding balance payment.
• If we successfully resell your dates (in full or in part), then we will refund you all payments made to us minus any reduction in the value of the new booking received compared with the rate charged to you for your stay nights (either because the nightly rate was reduced, or the new booking is shorter).
• 7 working days or less from your stay date, your booking will not be refundable under any circumstances, as the stay cannot be remarketed.

 If you are unable to travel due to personal illness our cancellation policy will apply.

In the unlikely event that we need to cancel your holiday, we shall inform you as soon as possible and refund all monies paid to us, by you within 14 days.

If Government policies restrict travel and you are unable to travel to stay with us, you will have the option to postpone your stay to a later date (subject to any differences in price applicable for the new dates) or receive a full refund.

5 GUEST NUMBERS

The maximum number of persons occupying the property must not exceed 8 in Driftwood Corner and 2 in Little Driftwood.  Only those listed on the booking form can occupy the property. If you wish to invite additional day visitors during your stay, please ask us first. Please be advised that no extra overnight visitors are allowed to stay at the property.

The accommodation is rented to you for purely non-commercial leisure purposes only. You must not use the property except for the purpose of a holiday.

Parties & Events are not permitted.  We reserve the right to terminate the booking without notice and without refund in case of breach of this condition.

If you want to use the services of a third-party supplier (e.g. a chef, beauty treatments) this must be agreed beforehand. If you bring a third-party supplier without consent, we reserve the right to ask them to leave. We do not accept liability for the activities of these third-party suppliers.

These properties are privately owned homes and managed by us. We expect all guests to enjoy the facilities and treat the houses with the same respect that they would with their own home.

6 GUEST BEHAVIOUR

It’s important to us that all our guests enjoy a peaceful and relaxing stay with us.  It is also important to us that our neighbours enjoy a peaceful existence.  Please respect the community and try to keep noise levels to a minimum, especially between the hours of 11pm and 8am.

In exceptional circumstances, we reserve the right to ask your party to leave if there is repeated noise after having received two warnings. As you will have breached the terms of your contract with us, no refunds will be forthcoming.

Drugs or prohibited substances are not permitted in our properties at any time.

Children under the age of 12 are not permitted in Little Driftwood as guests or visitors, at any time. 

Please do not move any furniture from one room to another or any of the indoor furniture, furnishings or bedlinen outside.

Non-compliance with the house rules will be considered as a breach of the terms and conditions of the rental agreement. We reserve the right to terminate the booking with immediate effect and without a refund if guests do not abide by our house rules as laid out in our digital guides.

7 PERSONAL PROPERTY

Driftwood Stays will not be held responsible for any loss or damage to any personal property on our premises. Vehicles, accessories and contents are left at the owner’s risk. It is recommended that your holiday insurance covers loss or damage to personal effects.

 8 DOGS

Dogs are permitted in both Driftwood Corner and Little Driftwood with our prior consent and confirmed in writing to you, either in the booking confirmation or subsequently. Up to 2 in Driftwood Corner and 1 in Little Driftwood.

Bookings that include dogs are done so on the understanding that all flea, worming treatments and vaccinations are up to date and on the condition that they are not allowed upstairs, on the furniture, and especially the beds, nor left unattended in the accommodation. There must be no evidence that a pet has been at the property upon departure. No other domestic pets can be accepted in the holiday properties. The pet owner will be responsible for reimbursing the owner for any damage caused.

9 RIGHT OF ENTRY

We reserve the right to enter the property at any time to undertake essential maintenance, repairs or for inspection purposes.

10 COMMENTS/COMPLAINTS 

Any problem or complaint must be immediately reported directly to us to allow us the opportunity to resolve it.

The owner of a property cannot accept responsibility for work taking place outside the property boundary, nor for any noise or nuisance arising from the works over which the owner has no control.

11 ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE TIMES 

Your accommodation will be ready by 4.00pm on the day of arrival and must be vacated by 10.00am on the day of departure unless otherwise agreed with us.  Where a later departure time has not been pre-agreed, there may be a charge levied that is equal to one seventh of the advertised weekly rental price for the property.

12 ELECTRICAL VEHICLE CHARGING

There is an onsite EV charger at Driftwood Corner and we can provide access to one for guests staying in Little Driftwood. The charging point is for the use of the booking party only and we will bill you for the kw usage as per our current utility company’s rates (34.17p per kw as of 5/8/23).

Domestic electric vehicle chargers (commonly known as a ‘granny charger’ or a ‘trickle charger’) are not suitable for use at either property and are strictly forbidden.

13 NO SMOKING OR VAPING 

There is a strict no smoking or vaping policy in both our properties which also includes within the property grounds.  If there is evidence of smoking or vaping inside the property your security deposit may be retained.

14 CANDLES

No candles or tea lights are permitted in either property at any time for any reason.  This is due to fire risk and the new UK law pertaining to holiday lets in England from October 2023.  Please use non-flammable options or use them outside and well away from the buildings.

15 BBQ & LOG BURNER

We want you to make use of these features but ask that you only use charcoal on the BBQ (you will need to provide your own) and clean it up after use. 

We provide a basket of logs for the log burner and can provide more for a small additional charge, if required.  Please do not use any other fuel as you will cause damage you will be liable for. Please ensure you read the instructions for use in the digital house guide.

16 ACCESS, CARS & PARKING

Please park your vehicles in the designated parking spaces, ensuring cars do not block access to other properties. Parking is limited to 2 vehicles in each property.  Parking on the private estate roads is prohibited.  If your party has more than 2 cars, you will need to park extras in the village.

17 NO TENANCY 

The Agreement is for the Holiday Period and is not intended to create the relationship of Landlord and Tenant between the Guest and the Owner. The Guest shall not be entitled to a tenancy, or to any assured shorthold or assured tenancy or any statutory protection under the Housing Act 1988 or other statutory security of tenure now or upon termination of the Agreement.

18 EXTREME WEATHER

Driftwood Stays holds no responsibility for guests who are unable to attend their stay due to extreme weather or traffic conditions (e.g. snow, flooding, high winds, road traffic accidents/congestion, train delays, etc.). If a guest is unable to reach Driftwood Stays accommodation due to adverse weather conditions or travel issues, you will lose your full payment and an alternative date will not be offered. Please ensure you have full holiday/travel insurance to cover such eventualities.

If we make the decision to cancel your stay for safety reasons due to extreme weather (snow or high winds), we will offer you an alternative date, subject to availability.

19 FORCE MAJEURE

Driftwood Stays accepts no liability for events prior to or during your stay totally beyond our control, e.g. destruction of property due to flood, fire, earthquakes or acts of nature; or if the property becomes uninhabitable due to irreparable damage or on Health & Safety grounds that could not reasonably have been foreseen. In such instances, refunds will be at the discretion of the Driftwood Stays management.

 DRIFTWOOD STAYS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR AMEND THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AT ANY TIME.  

First issued 01.11.21. Last updated 09.10.23 by Driftwood Stays.