Cancellations Policy


DEPOSITS

• We ask for a deposit of 30% on booking (we are happy to wait for the deposit payment for 7 days after the date on which you confirm a booking).

• Payment by BACS or Cheque. We unfortunately do not have facility to take credit cards.

• The 70% balance is due two calendar months prior to arrival (payment methods as above). If the date you make the booking is already within two months of arrival then the full balance is immediately due.   

• Example: if you book on either the 5^th or 17^th March for a week’s stay on 30^th May then you will only need to pay a 30% deposit and then settle the balance by 30^th March. But if you book on 30^th March for the same 30^th May stay, the full balance is immediately due.

• If you cancel closer than two calendar months of arrival date our chances of re-advertising and getting a booking greatly diminish (experience tells us) so in this scenario (i.e. you cancel closer than 2 calendar months prior to arrival)  - then unless we can rebook  - unfortunately you can expect to lose your entire booking fee as paid.
• We do not want this to happen to you. So please consider annual travel insurance that covers you for UK holidays and covers you for the unexpected.
• If you cancel within two months of arrival and if we do re-book your stay dates (or some of your stay dates) we promise we will repay you 100% of whatever we receive from the replacement booking.  

• If you cancel more than *2 months prior to arrival (*see note) we will refund you in full, no strings attached, including your deposit. These are better terms than any of the large holiday cottage booking companies. We hope this is fair.  
• (note: *Two calendar months or longer e.g. if your arrival date was 12th August and you cancel by or on 12th June we will refund you in full. After 12^th June any refund will be dependent on any replacement booking we manage to attract. )

Why we feel this is a very good policy for you as Guests

If you cancel and we get a replacement booking we do not retain a spurious and questionable  "admin fee" or “re-advertising fee” like the big chains.  Furthermore, and significantly, most other operators do not refund the deposit element of the fee, regardless of when the cancellation happens. Finally, many operators require a longer cancellation gap than our fairly close “Two Month” requirement rule.  

We obviously still have to protect ourselves from unfair / un-insured cancellations, i.e. cancellations made so close to the arrival date (two months based on our experience), that we do not have realistic time to advertise and re-book. Our policy is fair, reasonable, stated in writing and is clear and in our opinion is far more forgiving for guests than the cancellaton policies you will find with other operators/cottages/chains/holiday companies. We feel this system fairly shares the cancellation risk between ourselves and our guests and offers one of the main benefits of booking with the owners of a small holiday cottage business directly.  


Have you considered UK Travel Insurance?

It is not nice for us or for you if we ever have to retain peoples deposits or balances when they cancel at short notice. Several guests with travel insurance were luckily able to claim when they had to cancel within 2 months of arrival. Lots of companies offer such insurance. We strongly recommend that you take out travel insurance (covering UK based holidays) to cover you for the unexpected need to cancel.  Hospital appointments, medical conditions, and family bereavements, sick pets, family weddings and other family obligations have all required cancellations in the past. We cannot refund either deposit or balanced paid within two months of arrival even for the above circumstances, unless we get a rebooking.