Terms & Conditions
We know most people would rather be choosing their holiday than reading small print. So we've tried to keep these terms straightforward and easy to understand.
They explain how bookings, payments, changes and cancellations work. By making a booking, you agree to these terms.
Your booking
When you book through Under the Thatch, we act as the booking agent for the owner of the accommodation. Your contract for the holiday accommodation is therefore with the owner.
We arrange your booking, take your payments and are your main point of contact for booking matters. The owner is responsible for providing the accommodation and for your care and comfort during your stay.
Your booking is based on the information in the property's listing, these terms and your Holiday Confirmation.
Once you receive your Holiday Confirmation, please have a quick look through it and let us know straight away if anything doesn't look right. It's much easier for us to correct a mistake at this stage.
Payment
Your booking is confirmed once the required deposit (or full payment) has been paid and we have issued your Holiday Confirmation.
The deposit varies according to the value of the holiday.
The remaining balance is due 56 days before the start of your holiday.
We normally send payment reminders by email, but you remain responsible for making sure the balance is paid on time.
If the balance has not been received by the due date, we will automatically cancel the booking and the deposit will normally be retained.
For holidays starting within 56 days of booking, the full amount is payable when you book.
All prices are in UK pounds sterling. The price confirmed when you book is the price for your holiday; later changes to our prices will not affect an existing booking.
If you need to cancel
We understand that plans sometimes change. If you need to cancel, please let us know as soon as you can.
Within 24 hours of booking: you can cancel without charge.
More than 56 days before your holiday: we will retain the deposit and refund any remaining balance you have paid.
Within 56 days of your holiday: amounts already paid are normally non-refundable and non-transferable.
The reason for the 56-day cut-off is simply that your accommodation has been reserved specifically for you, and it can be difficult to find another guest at short notice.
If we are able to re-let dates following a cancellation, we may, at our discretion, be able to make an additional refund. This will depend on whether the dates are successfully rebooked and any costs or losses arising from the original cancellation.
If you have to cancel, please contact us rather than simply not travelling. We'll always be happy to explain what options are available.
Rebooking instead of cancelling
If you have paid for your holiday in full and cancel at least 56 days before arrival, you can choose to transfer the amount paid to a new Under the Thatch booking rather than take the normal refund.
The new booking must:
- be made before the original holiday start date;
- use the credit note that we provide;
- take place within 12 months of the original holiday start date; and
- be subject to availability.
You can use this rebooking option once.
If the new holiday costs more, you pay the difference. If it costs less, we don't refund the difference.
Changing your booking
We are happy to help with changes where we can.
Before your balance is due, you can normally change your holiday dates or move to another property, subject to availability. A £30 administration fee may apply and any difference in price will be payable.
Some changes aren't possible if they would leave awkward or unsaleable dates on the owner's calendar.
Once your balance has been paid, or when you are within 56 days of arrival, changes can be more difficult and will depend on the circumstances.
Adding or removing guests
You can add guests provided the property can accommodate them within its stated maximum occupancy. Additional guests are charged at the applicable rate.
You can reduce the number of guests at any time, but we don't refund amounts already paid because fewer people subsequently travel. If the final balance hasn't yet been paid, we will adjust it where appropriate.
Adding pets
You can add a pet if the property allows pets and there is room for them. The applicable pet charge will be payable.
Pets must always be included in your booking.
Pets
Pets are welcome only at properties where they are specifically advertised as accepting them.
Guests are responsible for their pets and for any damage they cause. Please clean up after pets, including in gardens, and don't allow them on beds or upholstered furniture.
These rules also apply if a visitor brings a pet to the property.
How many people can stay?
Each property has a maximum occupancy, which is shown in its listing.
Please don't exceed this number, including by inviting additional people to sleep over, putting up tents or using campervans or other temporary accommodation.
This is important because maximum occupancy can be restricted by the property's facilities, insurance or planning permission.
If the maximum occupancy is exceeded, the owner may ask the additional guests to leave or, where necessary, ask the whole party to leave. In these circumstances, we will normally treat the booking as having ended and no refund will be due.
Camping and campervan use are not permitted at our properties.
Bed arrangements
Unless we have agreed something different with you, the standard bed arrangement shown for the property will be provided.
If a particular sleeping arrangement is important to you, please contact the owner after booking and make sure it is confirmed.
Arrival and departure
Arrival and departure times vary between properties and are shown during the booking process and in your arrival instructions.
Many of our properties have self-check-in, so you won't normally need to meet the owner when you arrive. Late arrivals are generally fine where self-check-in is available, provided you are considerate towards neighbours and local residents.
Early check-in and late check-out can sometimes be arranged with the owner's agreement, subject to availability. Guests must arrange this directly with the owner, and not through Under the Thatch.
If you haven't arrived by 12 noon on the day after your scheduled arrival, and haven't contacted us or the owner, we may assume that you are no longer travelling and cancel the booking. No refund will be provided, so do always keep in touch if there’s an issue.
Looking after your holiday home
We ask you to treat the property as you would your own home.
Please take reasonable care of the building, furniture, equipment and everything else provided for your stay, and leave the property in a reasonably clean and tidy condition.
If something gets broken or damaged during your stay, please tell the owner or us. Accidents happen, and it's much easier to sort things out when we know about them.
You are responsible for the reasonable cost of repairing or replacing anything that you or someone in your party deliberately or negligently damages, loses or breaks, apart from normal wear and tear.
Some properties require a security deposit. Where this applies, the arrangements will be explained before or at the time of booking.
Being a considerate guest
Our properties are often in villages, rural areas or residential neighbourhoods, and we ask guests to be considerate of the people living around them.
Please don't cause unreasonable noise or disturbance, behave abusively or threateningly, deliberately damage the property, or use it for unlawful purposes.
If serious or persistent problems arise, the owner may ask you to leave. We would normally give you an opportunity to put things right first where that is practical.
Making sure a property suits you
Our properties are all individual and characterful, which is part of what makes them special. They are not standardised hotel rooms, so please read the listing carefully before booking.
If you have a disability, medical condition, mobility issue, allergy or other particular requirement, please tell us before booking. We'll do our best to help you find somewhere suitable.
If something is particularly important to you, please ask us to confirm it before booking. A special request isn't guaranteed unless we have specifically confirmed it.
Ultimately, it's your responsibility to make sure the property you choose is suitable for your needs.
Access during your stay
You must allow the owner, caretaker, Under the Thatch or a contractor acting on their behalf reasonable access to the property if this is needed for an urgent repair, maintenance, safety issue or essential servicing.
Except in an emergency, reasonable notice will normally be given.
If something isn't right
We want you to have a good holiday. If something isn't as you expected, please tell the owner while you are still there.
Many problems — a heating problem, something missing, an equipment fault or a cleaning issue, for example — can usually be sorted out quickly if they know about them.
We'll do our best to help and will liaise with the owner where necessary.
Please give us and the owner a reasonable opportunity to investigate and put right a problem.
If you only tell us about a problem after you have returned home, it may no longer be possible to investigate it properly or put it right.
Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights.
Changes to properties and local facilities
We take great care over our photographs, descriptions and property information.
However, these are individual properties and things can occasionally change. A local restaurant may close, an attraction may change its opening hours, or a particular facility may become unavailable.
Distances shown on the website are approximate.
If you book more than eight weeks before your holiday, we recommend having another look at the property listing before paying your final balance.
If a significant change is made to the accommodation after you have booked, we will let you know where reasonably possible.
If we or the owner need to change or cancel your holiday
We work hard to make sure confirmed holidays go ahead exactly as booked. Very occasionally, however, circumstances may arise which mean that a property cannot be provided, or that an important change has to be made.
We therefore reserve the right, where reasonably necessary, to make changes to or cancel a confirmed booking.
If we need to make a significant change, we will contact you as soon as reasonably possible and explain the options available. Where appropriate, these may include:
- accepting the change;
- moving your holiday to alternative dates;
- accepting alternative accommodation; or
- receiving a refund of the accommodation payments you have made for the affected booking.
If we have to cancel your holiday because the accommodation cannot be provided, we will refund the accommodation payments you have made for the cancelled holiday.
Our liability in these circumstances is limited to the amount you have paid to Under the Thatch for the affected accommodation, except where applicable law requires otherwise. We are not responsible for other costs you may have incurred in connection with your holiday, such as travel, transport, insurance or other arrangements made independently of Under the Thatch.
Where a change or cancellation is caused by circumstances outside our reasonable control, we will nevertheless do what we reasonably can to minimise the inconvenience to you.
In exceptional circumstances, Under the Thatch may cancel a confirmed booking where, acting reasonably, we have serious concerns about the guest, their behaviour or intended use of the property, or where allowing the booking to proceed could reasonably expose the owner, the property or Under the Thatch to unacceptable risk, loss, disruption or dispute.
This might include circumstances where we reasonably believe that a guest may breach the booking conditions, cause damage or serious disturbance, misuse the property, or where there are other significant concerns arising from information available to us before arrival.
We would only use this right where we reasonably consider cancellation necessary. If we cancel a booking under this provision, we will explain the position to you and, where appropriate, refund accommodation payments made for the cancelled booking. This does not affect any statutory rights you may have.
Nothing in these terms limits or excludes any statutory rights you may have.
Travel insurance and Refund Protection
We strongly recommend taking out suitable travel insurance for your holiday, including cover for cancellation, illness and travel disruption.
Where available, we also typically offer separate Refund Protection during the booking process. If you choose this, it has its own terms and conditions.
If you decide not to take travel insurance or Refund Protection, you remain responsible for the financial consequences of cancelling your holiday where these terms do not provide a refund.
Your personal information
We need some personal information to process your booking and keep in touch with you about your holiday.
Please make sure that the postal address and email address you provide are correct. Important booking information, including payment reminders and arrival instructions, is normally sent by email.
We take reasonable steps to protect your information and use it in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
If you choose to receive our marketing emails, you can unsubscribe whenever you like.
Finally
We have deliberately kept these terms as straightforward as possible.
You choose the property, we arrange the booking, and the owner provides your holiday accommodation.
If you have a question about any of these terms before booking, please contact us. We'd much rather answer a question beforehand than have a misunderstanding later.
By making a booking through Under the Thatch, you confirm that you have read and accepted these Booking Terms & Conditions.
