Booking Terms and Conditions

1.THE CONTRACT

The Contract for a short-term holiday rental will be between Andrew Bailey(referred to as Graston Farm Cottages or We”) and the person making the booking and all members of the party who are part of the booking (referred to as “the Customer, or Your or You”) in the following booking conditions. UK Law will govern the Contract. The contract of hire is not effective until We have processed the deposit. The contract will be subject to these booking conditions and must be complied with. The party leader must be at least 18 years of age at the time of booking and prior to arrival We must be provided with a list containing the names, ages, Postcodes and contact details of all guests.

2. PAYMENT

Bookings are CONFIRMED on receipt the deposit of one third of the booking cost. The deposit must be paid within 3 days of booking being placed. The balance of the booking will be due for payment 60 days before arrival. Payment to be made by debit or credit card via our booking portal ‘freetobook’.

3. CANCELLATIONS

a/ If your booking has to be cancelled because Graston Farm is put under Government Restrictions and has to close and the period of closure covers your booking , you will be refunded in full or re-booked for a future date with a refund or charge for any resulting price difference.

b/ The above conditions would apply in the event that your given address is put into Local/Regional Lockdown, rendering you unable to travel.

c/ If your booking has to be cancelled because Graston Farm Cottages 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.

d/ Customer inability (or the inability of any, some or all of Your intended party) or disinclination to travel to and stay at Graston Farm Cottages 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 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.

e/ Cancellations must be notified to Graston Farm Cottages by phone and email and once received in writing we will confirm the cancellation request.

f/ Graston Farm will apply the scale shown in the table below to bookings to determine the amount of the charge, which shall be a percentage of the total cost of the booking.

Number of days before start of the booking that notification of cancellation is received* The percentage of total booking value payable by the Customer.
More than 90 days 5% of the booking cost
60 to 89 days 10% of the booking cost
45 to 59 days 40% of the booking cost
30 – 44 days 50% of the booking cost
15 – 29 days 75% of the booking cost
3 – 14 days 90% of the booking cost
1 – 2 days 100% of the booking cost
*In order to ensure speedy receipt, and thereby processing, of cancellations, Graston Farm Cottages recommend that the Customer sends written notification of cancellation by email requesting confirmation of receipt of cancellation. The effective date of cancellation is when written notification is received by Graston Farm Cottages. Any amounts due for refunding will be made within 14 Days.

h/ On receipt of the cancellation, the above tables state the amount that the Customer remains liable for at that point in time. Graston Farm Cottages will then use reasonable endeavours to obtain a replacement booking. In the event that we are successful in obtaining a replacement booking, we will refund to the Customer the total amount paid by the Customer for the booking less the 5% Booking Fee and less the difference in price between the Customers’ booking and the replacement booking if one is made.

For example: A £1000 booking, fully paid, cancelled and relet for £900, means that the original Customer will be refunded as follows, £1000 – 5% booking fee equals £950, – £100 rebooking shortfall, = Refund of £850.

i/ It is the responsibility of the Customer to acquire suitable travel insurance for themselves and their party to cover the booking. Graston Farm Cottages strongly recommend 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.

4. GROUP STAYS

Where multiple cottages are booked for group stays, we ask that any guests staying in cottages who are not part of the group are not disturbed by excessive noise, particularly in late evening.
Please do not move furniture from one cottage to another without asking us first and please make sure any cooking or eating utensils are re-patriated to the relevant cottage at the end of the stay.
If you discover a shortage of any item either during or at the end of your stay please let us know straight away and we will endeavour to make good as soon as practicable .

5. THIRD-PARTY SUPPLIERS (CHEFS, ETC)

a/ If you want to use the services of a third-party supplier whilst staying at Graston you must ask and receive written permission to do so. This may be for a chef, beauty treatments, (we have a list of private chefs and beauty treatments).

b/ We would need to see the third-party supplier’s public liability insurance, and any other related/required certification. We will then seek approval from our insurers to allow the third-party activity to take place.

c/ If all insurances and certification are satisfactory to us and our insurers, permission to invite these suppliers to Graston will not be unreasonably withheld.

d/ Graston Farm Cottages does not accept liability for the activities of these third-party suppliers. If you bring a third-party supplier to Graston without consent, we reserve the right to ask them to leave.

6.PERIOD OF HIRE

You should not arrive before 4pm on the commencement date and leave by 10am on the day of departure. Failure to do so may result in you being charged a further day’s rental. 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.

7. NUMBER OF PERSONS USING THE PROPERTY

Under no circumstances may more than the maximum number of persons stated on the web site occupy the property. We reserve the right to refuse admittance if this condition is not observed. Any persons other than members of your party must not use the facilities at Graston Farm Cottages including the games room and function room unless explicit permission is given. If you wish to invite additional visitors to visit you in your cottage during your Stay, please ask us. We will try to accommodate this, but we need to comply with the maximum site occupancy limits, our insurance cover and consider our other guests. This also applies to family or friends of guests who might be staying on the farm’s campsite which is a different business whereby the stated capacity of the cottage is exceeded.

8. SUPERVISION

There must be at least one capable and responsible adult over the age of 18 in every Cottage.

You are responsible for the full active physical supervision of all members or your party under the age of 18 at all times. This is particularly important around the farm which by it’s very nature is a dangerous environment. Supervision must also be maintained by an adult in areas outside the cottage including the games room, function room, the paddock and around the farmland, particularly where animals are concerned.

Regardless of supervision, for safety reasons scooting or cycling on the driveways is not permitted – although Graston is a peaceful site, we do have large vehicles visiting and working on the site (such as bin lorries, farm vehicles and delivery trucks). Bicycles, scooters and ride-ons must not be stored or used in the cottages under any circumstances. If any of these items need to be under cover, we have outbuildings available for the purpose.

Parties not supervising their children responsibly may be asked to put appropriate arrangements in place or to leave the relevant facility.

9. ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING POLICY

9.1 Although we do not have an electric vehicle charging (EVC) facility , at least one is planned and this policy this sets out how Electric Vehicles (EV) should (or should not) be recharged while at the Property and the responsibilities of EV owners in respect of safe charging.

9.2 Any reference to “Property” in this policy is a reference to the Property including any garden, grounds, outbuildings, garages or communal spaces.

9.3 This policy forms part of our contract with you. A breach of this policy will constitute a breach of the contract between us.

9.4 This policy applies to all members of the Booking Party. No one who is not booked into the property can use the EV Chargers at the Property. It shall be the responsibility of the Lead Guest to inform all members of the Booking Party and any visitors of this policy.

What is an Electric Vehicle?

For the purpose of this policy an EV is any vehicle that uses electric motors, either fully or partially, to drive its wheels. It will derive some or all its power from rechargeable batteries which requires connection to the electricity grid (plug-in). This includes fully chargeable and plug-in hybrid cars, motorbikes, buggies, scooters, mopeds, bicycles, utility vehicles and tracked vehicles.
Domestic charges are not permitted at the Property.

9.5 Most EVs are supplied with a domestic charger, commonly known as a ‘granny charger’ or a ‘trickle charger’. These cables recharge the EV using a domestic power source via a 3-pin wall socket.

9.6 Domestic chargers are not suitable for use in the Property and will create a fire hazard. The use of domestic chargers is strictly forbidden, as the domestic wiring system is not designed to take the continuous load drawn from a 3-pin socket by an EVC.

9.7 We retain the right to carry out reasonable inspection, on a without notice basis, to ensure that granny chargers are not in use in the Property.

9.8 You are solely liable for any damage or loss suffered by us as a result of your unauthorised use of domestic chargers.

Dedicated charging points

9.9 DCPs when they are installed, will be subject to fair usage and reasonable energy consumption charges:
When DCPs are installed ,they will be powered by our upgraded farm electricity supply
You must not:

(a) use a DCP if you are not authorised to do so.

(b) use any splitting cables or modify the DCP in any way.

(c) smoke in the vicinity of any DCP.

(e) occupy a DCP once charging of the EV is complete or once your fair usage period in accordance with the table at 5.3 ends. We reserve the right to charge a reasonable fee where you fail to remove your EV from the DCP.

9.10 DCP spaces must not be occupied, or access impeded, by non-EV Vehicles or EV vehicles not using the DCP for charging purposes.

9.11 We do not guarantee the availability of a DCP and unavailability of the DCP shall not constitute a breach of our Guest Terms.

9.12 Authorisation for the use of a DCP during your Stay must be made prior to Booking. We reserve the right to withdraw this authority at any time and for any reason.

9.13 Use of the DCP is at the owner’s own risk and we do not accept any liability for loss or damage sustained by you or your EV as a result of using the DCP unless the damage was caused directly by our negligence.

9.14 You shall be responsible to us for any damage to the DCP or loss suffered by us caused by your use of the DCP.

10. CARE OF THE PROPERTY

You are responsible for the property and are expected to take all reasonable care of its furniture, pictures, fittings and effects, in or on the property. You must leave them in the same state of repair, and in a reasonable clean and tidy condition at the end of the rental period. You must not use the properties for any dangerous, offensive, noxious, noisy, illegal or immoral activities or carry on there any act that may be a nuisance or annoyance to the owner or other neighbouring properties. Smoking is not allowed in any of the properties. Any damages will have to be paid for in full within seven days of notification. We recommend that you have insurance in place to cover this.

11. DAMAGES & BREAKAGES

You are legally bound to reimburse us for replacement, repair or extra cleaning costs on demand. If damage occurs to the Property as a result of the actions of Guests during the stay, where the extent of that damage is so severe that the Owner must (in their sole opinion) cancel and/or refund subsequent bookings, the Owner may bring a claim against you for any loss arising as a result, including the cost of refunding other guests affected by cancelled Bookings and any additional administrative fees incurred in respect of the same.

12. WIFI

Wi-Fi is provided for the guest’s reasonable use. The guest agrees to reasonable and lawful usage of this service. Although we now have a direct fibre connection into the premises, we cannot take responsibility for interruption to the service due to network breakdowns, which although extremely rare, are dependent on third parties to repair.

13. RIGHT OF ENTRY

We shall be allowed the right of entry to the property at all reasonable times for purposes of inspection or to carry out any necessary repairs or maintenance.

14. DATA PRIVACY STATEMENT & COOKIE POLICY

See our Privacy Policy here

See our Cookie Policy here

15. COMPLAINTS

Every effort has been 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 the chance to resolve it. We value your custom and want you to return.

16. WHAT’S NOT ALLOWED AT GRASTON FARM COTTAGES
1/ Under no circumstances are you to bring electrical appliances to Graston, other than laptops and phone chargers, without explicit written permission. This includes air conditioning units. Guest appliances have not been PAT tested and could invalidate our insurance. We will levy a charge if we find they have been operating without consent.

2/ Fireworks, Chinese Lanterns, firepits and portable BBQ’s are explicitly forbidden at Graston Farm Cottages. The whole surrounding area is a tinder box in summer and there are livestock on pretty much all the fields surrounding Graston Farm.

3/ Whilst reasonable numbers of visiting guests are allowed up to the stated capacity of the accommodation, additional overnight guests are not. The cottage occupancy limits are clear on the website. This would invalidate our insurance.

4/ Guests who invite visitors who have dogs, must check with us first. Any visiting dogs must abide by our Doggy Code of Conduct and guests must bear full responsibility their dogs. In any event, the number of dogs in any one cottage must not exceed a maximum of two.

5/ Guests who invite visitors to come and join them during the day are not entitled to the games room, function room or take part in any farm animal related activities unless explicit permission has been granted. A couple of guests is normally acceptable as long as the terms of supervision are adhered to.

6/ If you have booked more than one cottage, please don’t move items either internal or external from one cottage to another. If you would like to move something, a BBQ for example, we can arrange safely moving these and then re-installing them.

7/ Drones are not allowed to be flown at Graston Farm. Other guests may be present and we have a duty to protect their privacy.

17. LIABILITY

Graston Farm, its employees and representatives shall not be liable to you or your party for loss or damage to property howsoever arising. You must take all necessary steps to safeguard yourselves and your property.

18. PETS

We only allow dogs, no other kinds of pets. Dogs have to be booked in and paid for. (£25 per dog, per stay/per cottage entered). Two dogs are allowed in the Thatched and The Winery and one in either Flint or Hank’s Annexe. We may allow more dogs to stay but this must be agreed in writing before arrival. In order to maintain our Four-Star Cottages for everyone to enjoy, it is necessary that guests bringing dog(s) agree to these conditions.

Additional Terms and Condition for guests bringing their dog(s).

On arrival, and at all other times, your dog(s) must be kept on the lead in and around the courtyard, this means keeping them on the lead when you first set out for your walk.

Once they’re out in the designated fields or the orchard they can be off the lead as much as you like provided they are under your control. They must not chase any livestock or wildlife. You must obey the Countryside Code and keep your dog(s) under close control at all times for their own safety as well as for the benefit of other dog owners and livestock.

There are lots of dog walks across the farm and in the surrounding area. Please be aware there may be animals in our fields, and only take dogs into fields with animals whilst on a lead. Please also make sure you close any gates behind you.

Poop patrol! When taking your dog(s) for a walk, please pick up after them including in our fields, as these are open to all guests. And remember to take bags with you to the beach and on walks. You must also pick up all poops in the cottage gardens…remember the safety of your or following guests’ children.

When you bring a muddy dog back from a walk, please clean them off using the outside dog shower although you will need your own dedicated towels to dry them before being allowed back into the cottage. On no account use the white towels provided for human use.

Your dog(s) must not be left alone with free run of the property. If you have a puppy, please take extra care. They will chew the furniture or soft furnishings here in our 4-star cottages! Maintaining our grading is key to our business and we can’t always repair things, it must be replaced, at your expense. Most pubs and restaurants allow and welcome dogs but best to check with each in advance as owners and landlords do change. Each garden is fully enclosed so you can relax outside with your dog(s), the gates must be kept shut at all times.

The dog(s) are not allowed in the paddock adjoining the cottage gardens which is used as a play area for ball games.

Dogs are not allowed upstairs, in the bedrooms and not on the furniture.

We regret that dogs that bark continuously are not allowed at Graston Farm. They will disturb the other guests.

We have a very friendly Jack Russell and children are always welcome to take her for a walk or to have her play with their dog.

Please leave the cottage clean and tidy, including dog hair from rugs, before you leave; if properties require extra cleaning or dogs have been in the bedrooms, or on furniture, we will charge a £50 fee to cover the cost