Hello! Thank you for considering a short-term lease of Dunfallandy House. We take great pride in our home and hope you will enjoy staying here. To safeguard both us and our guests against damage, loss, injury and future litigation, we have prepared these Terms of Let that will apply during your stay. These Terms of Let form the basis of the contract between the Owner (us) and the Guests (you). Please ensure you read and accept them in their entirety before committing to leasing Dunfallandy House. They are not too onerous, really.
Introduction
Once a booking has been confirmed by the Owner, a contract has been entered into. The person whose name appears on the Booking Form (the Responsible Person) agrees to take full responsibility for ensuring that all the following Terms of Let are adhered to by all members of the party.
Definitions
- Owner / Host / Management / Staff – refers to the Business Owner of Dunfallandy House and those people under the direct supervision and control of the owner.
- Responsible Person – refers to the person arranging the let and is the representative of the Guests. The Responsible Person is the spokesperson for the Guests.
- Guests – refers to the party as a whole. Each guest represents the whole party.
Conditions of Let – Standard Let
During your stay at Dunfallandy House, the Responsible Person (on behalf of the whole party) shall agree to the following:
- The number of people occupying the property and grounds shall be limited to that stated in the completed booking form and website.
- Any intention for additional day visitors to the property during your stay must be disclosed to the Owners at the time of the booking. The number of additional day guest will be subject to strict limitation and entirely at owner's discretion due to additional wear and tear on house, furnishings, water, utilities, fires regulations and public liability insurance. Additional visitors are not permitted to stay overnight.
- Payment of a 50% deposit on shall be made at the time of booking with the balance payable 5 weeks before the start of the holiday. If a booking is made fewer than 5 weeks before the start of the holiday, please arrange to pay the full rent at the time of booking, having first checked that the property is still available. Failure to pay the balance of rental charges, by the due date (35 days prior to arrival), will result in the Owner treating the property as available for re-booking.
- A completed booking form is agreed by both parties to be a binding contract and that any subsequent amendments must be agreed by both parties in writing.
5. Cancellation Policy:
- Cancellation by Guests - Any cancellation by the Responsible Person must be made in writing. If the accommodation is re-let at the full rate, a full refund, less an administration fee of £25, will be made. If let at a lesser rate, a partial refund will be made. If not re-let then no refund will be made. To safeguard against cancellation charges & other unforeseen eventualities, we strongly recommend you take out appropriate Travel Insurance.
- Cancellation by Owner - Should the property, subsequent to booking, become unavailable, the owner’s liability is limited to the repayment of any rent already paid.
- Travel restrictions (i) – Should Dunfallandy House be instructed to close by the Authorities (ie. Local or National Governments, Local Council, etc) or travel restrictions imposed in Perth and Kinross prevent guests to travel to Dunfallandy House or the number of people who can meet indoors in Dunfallandy House is restricted, then these issues will be viewed as being imposed by the Owner and clause 5.b above will apply.
- Travel restrictions (ii) – Should Dunfallandy House be open and able to accept guests and those guests be unable to travel from their permanent residence to Dunfallandy House due to rules set by their local authority at the time of their stay and request to cancel their booking, then this issue will be viewed as being imposed by the Guest and clause 5.a applies.
6. Pets – Well-behaved dogs are welcome to Dunfallandy House. Our Pet Policy applies. Please ensure you have read and agreed to our policy regarding dogs to ensure we can continue to offer this service.
7. Minimum/Maximum Stays – During the months of May to October, a minimum charge equivalent to 3 nights is applied. You are, of course, welcome to stay for fewer nights, but the fee will be that of 3 nights. There is no minimum stay during the remaining months. A maximum length of stay is set at 7 nights.
8. Responsibility for the personal property of guests occupying the accommodation is solely theirs. All vehicles are also left at the guests’ risk. Guests agree to absolve the property owner of any responsibility for any accident or mishap to persons or property whilst on the premises or whilst engaged in any activity therein, and from any illness or injury arising from any causes whatsoever.
9. Guests are advised that areas beyond clearly marked boundaries on the property grounds are out of bounds. These boundaries are there for your safety and owners accept no responsibility for injury to any guest, their pet or damage to their property if they or their pet decide to cross these boundaries.
10. Guests are advised that fires, fireworks, lanterns and the like are not to be lit anywhere within the grounds. There are livestock in the neighbouring fields and fire and fireworks are not really their thing. Barbecues are permitted (see Barbecue Policy). A chiminea on the patio is also available for guests’ use.
11. Barbecue Policy – Barbecues are permitted at the back of the house on the patio. Any disposable barbecues must be located on a safe, heat-proof platform. Any damage to the patio or house property through the improper use of disposable barbecues will be charged via the Housekeeping Deposit. A house-owned gas barbecue is available at an extra charge. Please speak to the Owner if this is of interest
12. Smoking Policy – Smoking is strictly prohibited anywhere in the House. And we really do mean this. Any evidence of smoking in the house will incur an immediate forfeiture of the whole Housekeeping Deposit. Smoking in the house grounds is permitted. Please dispose of your smoking paraphernalia responsibly. Smokers must extinguish all cigarettes in the metal bucket or ashtrays provided outside. A £25 charge will be made in the event that the owners have to pick up cigarette ends from any guest use area. Sorry, but it really is a pain and future guests hate seeing discarded cigarette butts lying about.
13. Guests shall agree to use the property solely for its purpose as self-catering accommodation and to accept the owner’s right to refuse to hand over the property to any person deemed unsuitable to take charge. Causing a nuisance or disturbance to neighbours and any unreasonable behaviour may result in the owners asking guests to leave.
14. Guests agree that any visitors to the property are not permitted to stay over. At no time can the total number of guests staying in the house exceed the number stated in the Booking form. This has a direct bearing on our insurance and as such we must make this point clear.
15. Guests shall agree to allow the Owners or agents access to the property at all reasonable times. This is usually by invitation by the guests but in an emergency we may have to come in uninvited. To date, this has never happened.
16. Guests shall be responsible for locking all exterior doors, appropriate windows and securing the property when absent or sleeping. If you lock the bedroom doors, the keys are in the kitchen on the wall.
17. Guests shall respect and look after their accommodation during their stay and to leave the property clean and tidy. There is a 5 hour window on changeover day to get the House ready for the next party. The owner reserves the right to charge for additional staff, if required, to assist with cleaning the property and at the guest’s expense, if the house is found to be excessively untidy/dirty, articles or utensils broken and not reported making the service time longer than allotted 5 hours.
18. Food in rooms – This is generally discouraged for the simple reason any spillages will incur loss of the Housekeeping Deposit.
19. Guests agree to take responsibility for minimising the risk of fire in the house and to ensure that fire guards are in place when fires are lit. Guests must ensure any candles are extinguished when leaving any room and to ensure all lights and electrical appliances (tumble dryer, laptop/mobiles chargers etc) are switched off when the property is empty or unattended. This includes lights left on in the hallways, lounges, kitchen and anywhere else in the house where the rooms are not being used. Not only is this a fire risk, it is simply a waste of resources.
20. Housekeeping Deposit – Dunfallandy House is an old and fragile property. It cannot withstand the level of wear and tear a modern house can absorb. Consequently, a greater level of respect and consideration for the property is expected by guests when they stay here. For this reason, we expect guests to agree to pay a security deposit of £500 prior to arrival. This will be returned within 7 days of departure provided there are no breakages, loss or damage. Where breakages, loss or damage has occurred to the house or house property and it is not possible to clean or repair the items to the standard when first provided, a replacement charge will apply together with a £25 administration fee. Carpet cleaning will incur a minimum charge of £100 per room for a professional cleaner. Additional charges may apply depending on the damage (i.e. for areas with food and drink stains, excessive dirt or any pet stains).
21. Exclusions –
a. STAG PARTIES - We would point out that we no longer accept all-male parties. We have been let down too often in the past and so have made the decision to withdraw this offering.
b. GARDEN STRUCTURES – These include yurts, marquees, bouncy castles, etc. These structures create additional wear and tear on the garden and are not permitted under a Standard Let. Please see EVENT Terms.
c. HOT TUBS – The water supply at Dunfallandy House meets the needs for house guests. Unfortunately, there is not the quantity of supply to allow the use of Hot Tubs.
22. Guests under 16 years - We are happy to accept children of all ages. However, if this applies to you, we politely ask you to please understand Dunfallandy House is an old property and the fabric of the building and its contents are easily damaged. The gardens are predominantly set to flowers and have been designed as areas of relaxation and quiet contemplation. We accept football will be played but please try not to damage the flower beds. We hope you respect this view during your stay. We can advise there is an excellent playpark in Pitlochry. Your Housekeeping deposit will be used to pay for any and all damages over and above the usual wear and tear. This includes damage to the gardens.
23. Towels #1 – Freshly laundered towels and linen are provided for your stay. Guests who request a linen/towels change will incur a laundry charge of £20 per room.
24. Towels #2 - We ask that you do not use the white towels provided for the removal of make-up and body creams. Please use the coloured hand-towels for this purpose (or your own moist wipes) as the stains these products leave behind are almost impossible to completely remove. Such stains will be viewed as damage and the Housekeeping deposit will be used to replace damaged items.
25. Utilities - All utilities are currently provided free of charge (water, oil, electricity and access to Wi-Fi). A fair use policy applies. A full scuttle of coal and basket of logs are offered as part of the price. Additional coal and logs are offered at an extra charge. Or you can buy logs and coal at the local garage.
26. The house will be prepared for your arrival. The Responsible Person(s) should then assure themselves to the condition of all furniture, fixtures and fittings and report any shortcomings to the Owners. Damage and loss discovered on your departure will lead to a deduction from your security deposit.
27. Guests are advised that the water supply at Dunfallandy House is from a private supply and to be considerate in their use of water at all times. Especially with the washing machine. Water from the taps is filtered and sterilized (via a UV light) and perfectly safe to drink. Should guests wish to purchase bottled water, the local supermarket can provide this.
28.Guests agree not to sub-let or re-assign the property to another person or persons without the Owners’ permission.
29. Recycling – Guests are expected to recycle used materials. A designated recycling centre is located at the backdoor of the house where metal (eg. Cans), plastic (eg, water bottles), glass (eg. Drinks bottles) and paper/card can be segregated and stored for collection. A charge of £25 will be made if we have to sift through rubbish bags to separate out the recyclable materials. Again, this is something we would rather not do but we have had letters from the council in the past about poor recycling so please help us out here. Thanks!
30. Rubbish – Unrecyclable rubbish must be placed in plastic bags stored in the recycle centre for collection. Please let the owners know and the rubbish will be removed.
31. Leaving - Guests agree to vacate the property no later than 11.00 hrs on the final day of let, unless otherwise agreed with the Owners. Later check-outs may be available at an extra charge.
32. Arriving - Guest arrival time is from 16.00 hrs onwards, unless otherwise agreed with the Owners. Earlier check-ins may be available but this may incur a charge if we have to mobilise additional cleaning staff. Please call to check.
33. Conditions of Let - EVENT
34. The Conditions of Let for an EVENT include those for a Standard Let and the following additional conditions.
35. An EVENT is defined as a separate arrangement to our standard offering made by the Responsible Person where additional services/items are hired/brought in to complement the party staying in the house. Examples of such separate arrangements include:
- Additional people to those staying in the house. If the Responsible Person has invited additional people to those staying in the house, then we ask that a cap of no more than 30 additional people be invited. Ie. A maximum of 50 people on the grounds at any one time.
- A yurt, marquee or any other temporary structure with the capability of hosting more than 6 people. (We exclude the use of gazabos as we accept these structures are designed to give minimum shelter and are not likely to damage the garden.)
- Where entertainment of any kind has been arranged in the house or grounds of Dunfallandy House. Eg. Musical Bands, inflatables such as Bouncy Castles, DJs, karaoke, private chef, etc. These are all fine but we have to make sure such entertainment is properly insured, operate safely and will work with us to minimize disruption to our neighbours. We will request a copy of the Liability Insurance documents of any company bringing Entertainment to the house and gardens.
- A special occasion such as Wellness Retreat, Wedding, Wedding Reception, etc
36. Where an EVENT has been requested, the Responsible Person must provide a written plan to us what is proposed, how they plan to manage it and will work with us, either directly or through their Event Coordinator, to plan, prepare Risk Assessments and Emergency Evacuation Plans to ensure a smoothly run event.
37. All Events will be booked for a minimum of 5 days regardless of the actual days guests wish to stay. This will be necessary to accommodate for house decoration, erecting structures in the garden and generally preparing for the Event. It is anticipated time and effort will be required to prepare the house and gardens pre-Event and to dismantle and demobilize post-Event.
38. The Responsible Person must make clear at the outset that their enquiry is for an EVENT and not a Standard let. Failure to observe this condition may result in the proposed EVENT being cancelled. Our Cancellation Policy – b) Cancellation By Owner will apply.
39. If any conflict between the Standard Conditions of Let and Conditions of Let for an EVENT arise, then the Owner will decide which will apply.
Phew! And there you have it. Not too bad, are they? We pride ourselves in providing a first rate holiday accommodation for guests looking to stay in an old Country House steeped in history with bags of character. We are happy to listen and discuss any of the above conditions if certain ones prove to be difficult to comply with. Please just get in touch and we will see what can be done.
Your best attention at all times,
Graeme and Audrey Copland
