Terms and Conditions for Hire

Terms and Conditions for Hire – We do not insure your holiday, and recommend you take out a separate holiday & cancellation insurance as you will still be liable for your holiday in the event of a cancellation, see details below.   We do offer Booking Protect Refund Protection along with your holiday to cover this, this can be added at the time of booking.

Grebe Island Leisure Limited (GIL Ltd) is the legal name of the business who is acting as an Agent “the Agent” for the Owner accepting and administering bookings of holiday accommodation on its behalf in accordance with this agreement. Riverside Rentals and Countryside Rentals are trading names of Grebe Island Leisure Limited.

As the Agent for the Owner, by entering into this Agreement, the Hirer is entering directly into a contractual Agreement with the Owner, which is administered by the Agent.

Bookings placed prior to 4^th February 2021 are covered under a different set of Terms and Conditions.  These should have been attached to your booking confirmation when you placed the booking with us.   If you need a copy, please email us at riverside@riverside-rentals.co.uk and we can forward a copy of these.

Your booking will be administered through Riverside Rentals even if booked through Countryside Rentals.  Riverside Rentals will take all payments and process and manage your booking.   Details of which website you have booked on can be found on your Booking Confirmation email.

All terms are as per your booking confirmation, it is your responsibility to check that the dates are correct. The property is equipped as described. The take-over time is as informed subject to unavoidable delays. Departure time is as informed. You are obliged to leave everything in a clean and tidy condition and are responsible for any damage or loss sustained during your stay.    

It is a condition of your booking that the total number in your party shall not exceed the advertised capacity of the property, you MUST complete the section on the booking form to advise how many people will be staying in the property, failure to do so may result in your holiday being cancelled. 

Where electricity is included in your holiday cost this is for the property ONLY.  Domestic electric vehicle chargers (commonly known as a ‘granny charger’ or a ‘trickle charger’) are not suitable for use at the property and are strictly forbidden. You are liable for any damage or loss suffered by us due to your unauthorised use of domestic chargers. Dual fuel vehicles, electric vehicles, moored boats, tents, mobile homes or caravans of any sort are not permitted to use electricity from the property.  

Where moorings are included with your holiday these moorings are intended for day boats and unoccupied boats only, people are not permitted to stay overnight on boats moored at our properties.  

A non-refundable 20% deposit is payable with your booking and the full balance is payable 8 weeks before arrival, with a minimum deposit of £175.   Please note that your deposit (or full balance if your holiday is within 8 weeks) must be paid to us within 7 days of booking your holiday.    If your deposit (or full balance) is not received within this time we will assume that the holiday is no longer required.   Any changes made to your holiday will incur an administration fee of £25.

Booking Protect Refund Protection – This cover is offered to you based on the cost of your holiday and the number of people staying at the property.  The cover must be added prior to the balance payment being made; the cover cannot be added if the holiday has been paid in full.   This is a third-party product and all payments are made at the time of adding the cover to your holiday, all payments are passed directly to the third party and are non-refundable please see their Terms & Conditions for further information.   Claims against this cover are made directly through Booking Protect and their terms and conditions can be found on the link on your holiday documentation. GIL Ltd are not liable for any claims against this cover. Booking Protect is a non-refundable premium paid directly to the cover provider, this is non-refundable if any party cancels the booking.

A refundable Security/Damage Deposit is payable on all bookings with the final balance payment, this is a minimum of £100 but will vary depending on the property, details will be shown per property on the website and also your booking confirmation.  The agent reserve the right to increase this amount for younger groups.  Single sex groups are at the discretion of the agent, large mixed groups of under 25’s are at the discretion of the agent and a large security deposit may also be applied.  This is refunded back to you 7-10 days after your departure and on inspection of the property.   This will be refunded via cheque, debit card, credit card or bank transfer depending on how you paid for your holiday.   Properties are carefully cleaned and prepared for you and are required to be left in a clean and tidy condition on departure.  Failure to do so will affect your security deposit.

All damages and breakages are the legal responsibility of you, the hirer and should be notified to the agent at the time of damage/breakage and before the end of your holiday this includes any defects or breakages to the building and its facilities.   Their cost shall be refunded on demand.  However, minor damage or breakages will not normally be charged but we do reserve the right to charge bad tenants for extra cleaning, breakage or damage beyond what is reasonably expected.  The Agent reserves the right to charge you any additional costs incurred as a consequence and may, at their discretion, refuse future bookings.   The Agent has the right to enter the property (without prior notice if this is not practical or possible) if special circumstances or emergencies arise (for example if repairs need to be carried out and hirers are not available).

Cancellation – If you need to cancel your holiday telephone us immediately and confirm in writing on the same day.  We shall endeavor to re-let your holiday but if we are unable to do so you will remain liable for any of the outstanding balances.  Bookings will be automatically cancelled if no payment has been received within 7 days.   Holidaymakers may cancel a booking within 24 hours of the booking being made, a £40 administration charge will be made if this is the case.

For Bookings placed post 4^th February these new Terms and Conditions apply to cancellations.   If your booking has to be cancelled because the Agent are legally not permitted to open cottages and is put under Government Restrictions and has to close and the period of closure covers your booking you are able to a) move your booking to a different date of your choice subject to relevant rate changes, the administration fee will NOT apply, b) request a voucher to the value that you have paid to us to be used against a future booking if you do not know the dates you wish to book c) request a refund in full if neither a) or b) are suitable.

In the event that your home address (the address used to make the booking) is put into Local/Regional Lockdown, rendering you unable to travel, and the period of restriction covers your booking you are able to a) move your booking to a different date of your choice subject to relevant rate changes, the administration fee will NOT apply, b) request a voucher to the value that you have paid to us to be used against a future booking if you do not know the dates you wish to book c) request a refund in full if neither a) or b) are suitable.

If your booking has to be cancelled because the Agent has to close through Force Majeure, meaning any of the following circumstances which may hinder or prevent the performance by us of the Contract, including but not limited to: (a) acts of God, flood, drought, earthquake or other natural disaster; (b) epidemic or pandemic; (c) terrorist attack, civil war, civil commotion or riots, war, threat of or preparation for war, armed conflict, imposition of sanctions, embargo, or breaking off of diplomatic relations; (d) nuclear, chemical or biological contamination or sonic boom; (e) any law or any action taken by a government or public authority, including without limitation imposing a restriction, prohibition, or failing to grant a necessary licence or consent; (f) collapse of buildings, fire, explosion or accident; (g) non-performance by our suppliers or contractors; and (i) failure of utility service, and the period of closure covers Your booking You will be refunded in full.

It is the responsibility of the Customer to acquire suitable travel insurance for themselves and their party to cover the booking whether this is Booking Protect or another third party company. The Agent strongly recommends that the Customer acquires suitable insurance to cover circumstances beyond the Customers’ control such as, but not limited to, jury duty, incarceration, change in personal or work circumstances, military service, illness – including Covid and shielding, family emergencies and travel delays.

Covid is also now a known risk and it is possible for you to insure your holiday against it. This can include the customer or any of the party having Covid, the customer or any of the party having to isolate or quarantine, or you wishing to shield any Members of the party.  There are several options which include cover for Covid related cancellations available from organisations like StayCationplan Insurance https://quote.staycationplan.co.uk/?tracking=302e129d-bfd8-439e-9610-6a0901e29216 GoCompare – https://www.gocompare.com/travel-insurance/ or The Post Office – https://www.postoffice.co.uk/travel-insurance

Covid – If during your stay, any person starts to show symptoms of Coronavirus, are advised to self-isolate or have taken a Lateral Flow Test or PCR test that shows a positive result we need to be informed immediately so appropriate measures can be taken.  You will need to leave your holiday property immediately if this is reasonably possible. You must advise us that you have left to ensure that we are able to take the necessary measure to clean and disinfect the property safely so as not to put others at risk.   We are afraid that no refund will be available if you have to leave your holiday property early however you may be entitled to claim against your insurance if this is covered.

If you decide to cancel the booking which includes everyone in your group or you have disinclination to travel and complete your holiday for any reason – This includes – but is not limited to – illness (including Covid), a requirement or recommendation to self-isolate or quarantine, shielding, a call to jury duty, military service, 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 the Agent re-let the property, your deposit remains non-refundable.  As above You are strongly recommended to take out UK travel insurance to cover these eventualities.  Please refer to the cover we offer at the time of booking with Booking Protect.   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.

We cannot accept bookings from anyone under 18 years of age.

If we decide the property is unsuitable for letting due to circumstances beyond our control all monies paid will be refunded.  We cannot however pay any compensation or expenses you may incur as a result of cancellation.   Please be aware that your property is situated in a ‘working village and/or rivers’ the Agent or the owner cannot be held responsible for works that may be going on around your property outside of property grounds.

We reserve the right to a) refuse entry to the property to any person who is deemed unsuitable to take charge of it and b) terminate the contract at any time during the hire period should the hirer or any member of the hirers party be deemed a nuisance or danger to others or cause damage to the property or surrounding area. In either of these circumstances no refund will be due.

We will accept pets where shown at the small charge as noted on your booking summary. Pets are not allowed on furniture or beds and should not be left unattended in the property. Following government legislation, we regret we are unable to accept the following types of dog: American Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Fila Brasileiro and Doggo Argentino even where these types of dogs are muzzled as required by government legislation. Registered assistance dogs will be accepted free of charge in all properties.  It is your responsibility to clear up after your dog from any gardens, if this is not carried out then we reserve the right to retain £35 from your security deposit in order to cover any costs incurred to clear the gardens.

The Agent & property owners cannot accept any responsibility for any damage, expense, or loss of any nature whatsoever suffered by any person(s) or your property including your vehicle and its contents from any cause whatsoever other than proven negligence by ourselves. Please remember our properties are unfenced waterside and you are requested to exercise extreme care at all times along with close supervision of children.   Please be aware that most of our properties have wooden decking in gardens and on water’s edge, whilst every precaution is taken to ensure your safety these areas can be slippery when wet.

Where wifi is available it is the responsibility of you, the hirer, to ensure that you do not break any internet usage laws.   If this is not adhered to then the Agent reserve the right to pass any requested information onto the Police.

Late Arrivals – if you are arriving to your holiday property after 7pm on the first day of your holiday a small charge of £25 will be made which is to be paid on arrival.  This does not apply to properties that have key safes and the keys are collected from the house.  You must notify us if you think you will be arriving to collect keys from our office after 4pm, failure to notify us could result in the late arrival charge being made.

Boat Hire – the Agents boats are are normally for 6 days Sun-Friday unless agreed otherwise with the Agent.  If due to unforeseen circumstances your boat is unavailable and a suitable alternative may not be found, the Agent reserve the right to cancel the booking in its entirety or parts thereof.  A pro rata refund (on the charge for the boat) will be made for any time lost. If the entire booking is cancelled, you will receive a 100% refund on the rental charge for the boat.  The cost for property will not be altered in any way.   Boats are kept in Horning and must be picked up and returned to their moorings unless delivery (Horning only) has been purchased.  Where boat hire is included in the price of the holiday this is for full price weeks only (unless otherwise agreed with the Agent), this does not include short break bookings.  Boats can be delivered & collected from your holiday property (Horning only) for a small charge.

We operate a no smoking policy this also applies to all of our properties.  Please be aware that if there is any evidence that you have been smoking in the properties then we reserve the right to keep your security deposit. 

All card payments are made through Barclaycard & Opayo.

Last updated July 2023