Bookings Terms and Conditions for Dalnaglar Holiday Cottages Limited & Dalnaglar Castle Enterprises Ltd
The Contract for a short-term holiday rental will be between Dalnaglar Holiday Cottages Limited & Dalnaglar Castle Enterprises Ltd (referred to as “us”, “we” or “our”) and the person making the booking and all members of the holiday party (referred to as “you” or “your”) in the following booking terms and conditions. As our properties are located in Scotland, you and we agree that the laws of Scotland will govern our contract with you (the “Contract”). If any individual term or clause stated in these terms and conditions held to be invalid, impermissible or unenforceable permissible by law, the remaining terms shall be unaffected and shall remain valid.
The Contract will not come into force until we have received the Deposit referred to in Clause 1 below. The Contract will be subject to these booking terms and 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 full list containing the names and ages and contact details of all guests (which we will hold subject to Clause 12 below).
1. Deposit and Payment
Your booking (“Booking”) may be placed over the telephone, by email or directly on our online reservation system. Where your Booking is communicated to us by telephone or by email, we will enter it onto our online reservation system, which will automatically generate a summary by email to the email address you provide in the online Booking form. However, that does not mean that your Booking is yet confirmed or that a Contract is yet in force between us and you.
Your Booking will be confirmed, and our Contract will only come into force once we have received payment in cleared funds of a deposit of twenty per cent (20%) of the full cost of your Booking (the “Deposit”).
The Deposit must be paid before any Booking can be to be placed.
The balance of the rental will be due for payment ninety (90) days prior to your holiday commencement date (the “Holiday Commencement Date”).
If you paid the Deposit by credit or debit card, you authorise us to use the details of the same credit or debit card to settle the balance of the rental. We will only act on this authority if you have not contacted us prior to the Balance Due Date to arrange alternative payment of the balance.
If for any reason we are unable to take payment of the balance by the due date and you are unable to promptly rearrange payment (or we cannot get hold of you to arrange for payment to be made) we will be entitled to treat that as your intention to cancel the Booking. If your Booking is made less than ninety (90) days prior to the Holiday Commencement Date, then your Booking will only be confirmed, and our Contract will only come into force once we have received payment in full for the Booking in cleared funds.
We accept payment by most major credit or debit cards and by bank transfer.
2. Cancellation
Cancellations must be notified to and received by us in writing (preferably by email) and once received we will confirm and process your cancellation request.
We offer Flexible Cancellation which removes the stress and worry from booking your holiday. You can cancel your Booking and obtain a full refund of the lodging costs you have paid for up to ninety (90) days before the Holiday Commencement Date. However, we ask that you give us as much notice as possible about your cancellation.
If you cancel later than ninety (90) days before the Holiday Commencement Date, then we cannot refund your Booking. However, relaxation of charges at the discretion of the proprietors where alternative lets are achieved.
For this reason, we strongly recommend you take out your own travel insurance for UK holidays which covers booking cancellations. This will give you the peace of mind that you will get your money back if you need to cancel your holiday at almost the last minute. If you choose not to then you accept responsibility for any loss that you may incur due to your cancellation.
3. Cancellation by Us for Reasons Beyond Our Control (“Force Majeure”)
We won’t be deemed to be in breach of this Contract, or otherwise liable to you, by reason of any delay in performance or non-performance of any of our obligations in this Contract to the extent that such delay or non-performance is caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control (for example if access to and use of our property is prevented by fire, flood, exceptional weather conditions, epidemics, pandemics, destruction/damage, internet or other communications failure, blocked roads, war/terrorism, nuclear/radioactive disaster affecting us or our property) (these are sometimes referred to as “Force Majeure Events”).
If for any reason beyond our control we are forced to cancel your Booking (or bring it to an end early) due to a Force Majeure Event affecting us or our property we will refund you the full amount of your remaining lodging costs based on the time of your Booking remaining. This will be the full extent of our liability and no additional compensation, expenses or costs (such as travel or replacement lodging costs) will be payable.
4. Period and Other Terms of Hire
The period from the Holiday Commencement Date to the day of departure set out in the Booking (the “Holiday Departure Date”) is the “Holiday Period”.
Unless expressly agreed by us in writing, you should not arrive before 3pm on the Holiday Commencement Date, and you must leave and vacate the property by 10:30am on the Holiday Departure Date. 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 for a longer period except with our express written agreement.
The Contract to stay in the property for the holiday period, does not create the relationship of Landlord and Tenant between the parties.
This Contract relates to a “holiday let” the purpose of which is to confer on you as a holidaymaker the right to occupy our property for a holiday only. You shall not be entitled to any private residential tenancy or other tenancy, assured short hold or assured tenancy, lease, licence or other right to occupy, nor shall you obtain any security of tenure under any applicable law including but not limited to under the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 now or at the end of the Holiday Period. You may not sub-let the property.
In the event that you are required, in accordance with guidelines imposed by the UK and Scottish Governments in relation to the disease known as coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and the virus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)), to self-isolate at the property you will be responsible for the cost of (i) any additional nights out with the Holiday Period and (ii) rehousing any booked guests that are displaced as a result of the additional nights required by you in an equivalent property.
5. Number of Persons Using the Property
Under no circumstances may more than the maximum number of persons stated on our website occupy the property, except with our express written permission in which case we shall be entitled to charge an additional fee (for example for Weddings or events at our larger properties). We reserve the right to refuse admittance or require you to leave our property if this condition is not observed. Any persons other than members of your party must not use our accommodation or facilities.
6. Our Liability
We, our employees, contractors, cleaners and other 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. Nothing in this clause shall exclude or limit any liability that we are unable to limit or exclude by applicable law, such as liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence.
7. 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 our properties.
All food and drink items, opened or unopened must be removed from the property at the end of your rental period.
You must ensure the property is securely locked when not occupied by you.
8. Damages & Breakages
You are legally bound to reimburse us for replacement, repair or extra cleaning costs on demand. Any damages or breakages will have to be paid for in full on demand within seven (7) days of notification in writing. We recommend that you have appropriate insurance in place to cover this. If you lose a key, we will replace it upon you paying for the cutting of a new one.
A £100 refundable deposit will be taken with your balance payment. This deposit will be refunded within 72 hours of your departure, providing that no damage or loss was caused by yourselves or your guests to our properties and/or their contents during your stay with us.
9. TV, Wi-Fi & Internet
Free Wi-Fi and broadband internet are provided for your reasonable use and may be subject to separate terms and conditions. You agree to reasonable and lawful usage of this service. We will not be liable for slow connections or for any interruptions to or the failure of this service. Please be aware that we are located in a very rural location, boardband speed, connection and performance can be effected by the extreme weather we experience on the estate. Other factors affecting performance can be the number of devices connected at any one time. We do offer smart tv’s in all our properties, which do allow you to login to your own private streaming service subscriptions you may have at home (for example, Amazon Prime & Netflix), however streaming performance of these services can not be guaranteed and no refunds will be issued if the services are poor or not able. You will see Sky TV boxes in all our cottages and castle, however this is only the basic Sky TV service as this only the only means of receiving a TV signal in our area. There are no movie, sports of HD channels available. Please also be aware that some streaming services and programs that maybe available in England, Wales & Northern Irlend (for example sporting events like rubgy and football), are not always broadcast in Scotland. You are solely responsible for ensure you have logged out of these service when finshing your rental period. We are not reponsible for future guests utilising your logins.
10. Right of Entry & Estate Activities
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.
Dalnaglar Castle is a working historic building and family home and for this reason the Estate Managers, Estate Game Keeper and on occasion, 3rd party contractors my be carrying out emergancy or ongoing maintenance within the building or accessing the estate office located within the castle. We will always try and give you prior notice where possible.
The Dalnaglar Castle Estate is a working estate with a range of properties, outbuildings, farming, sporting, forestry and general estate maintenance activities happening 7 days a week. Some of these activities can lead to tractors, 4×4, quads, power tools, shotguns and mowers being used across the estate. We do try to keep disruption to a minimum for our guests and warn them in advance if they maybe effected by any of these activities.
Children and pets pets must not be left unattended around the estate and but be accompanied by an adult at all times.
11. 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 (and to recommend us to your friends!). We will do our best to resolve any problem.
12. Data Privacy Statement
See our Privacy Policy here
13. Drones, Night Lanterns and Fireworks
The use of drones is not allowed without our express written permission. Fireworks are not allowed without our express written permission. Night lanterns are expressly forbidden as they are a fire hazard and can cause death or injury to local livestock.
14. Pets
We allow dogs within all our cottages but only Wester Caiplich and Easter Caiplich cottages which have enclosed back gardens. We charge £35 per dog, per week or part week/per cottage entered. We allow a maximum of two (2) dogs per property. Dogs must be house-trained, kept under proper control and not allowed on the furniture, and especially the beds, nor left unattended in the property. Dog hairs are to be removed from carpets and all dog waste collected and disposed of. Dog owners will be held responsible for any damage caused to the property, contents or garden by their dog and for any extra cleaning required (usually at least £50). When out walking within the property grounds/estate, you must ensure that dogs are kept under control at all times and on a lead (except where indicated). Dogs must not be allowed to disturb livestock, deer or game birds. All dog waste must be picked up throughout the estate and put in the bin.
We reserve the right to seek details of any dogs in advance and to refuse permission for them to be brought to the accommodation for any reason, including if they are considered unsuitable in character, size or behaviour, bark continuously, or are liable to be a nuisance or danger to us, our neighbours or other guests and to local wildlife and livestock.
Pets are not to be left unattended in any of our properties at any time. Leaving pets alone in unfamiliar environments can lead to stress and anxiety for the animal and damage to our properties.
15. Care of Your Property
Your vehicles and their accessories and contents, and any property and valuables you bring with you are left entirely at your own risk.
If you leave any property behind, we will use reasonable endeavours to return it to you, although we reserve the right to charge you in advance for any reasonable postal or courier costs. We may dispose of any unclaimed property after (6) six months.
16. Use of Hot Tubs
To ensure your safety please read the following:
- Hot tubs are permitted for use at anytime day or night through out your stay.
- You must shower with soap & water before using the hot tub to remove all body lotions, suntan lotions, oils etc.
- All makeup including nail polish & fake tan must be removed. A charge will be made for any damage to filters or pumps.
- Enter & Exit the hot tub carefully, no jumping or diving.
- Do not smoke in or around the hot tub.
- You must not exceed 6 bathers (maximum). This leads to an imbalance in the chemicals & risk of infection.
- Children must be able to stand up right in the middle of the hot tub to be able to use it and must always be supervised in or around the hot tub at all times.
- Children must not exceed 10 minutes in the hot tub at any one time as they are at higher risk of seizures.
- Adults must not exceed 15minutes in the hot tub a any one time. When you soak in a hot tub for longer than 15 minutes, you risk dehydration, exhaustion, electrolyte imbalances, and even distress to your cardiovascular system. Cool off before re-entry.
- Strictly no glass to be taken in or around the hot tub. Call cottages have plastic glasses provided for hot tub use.
- Do not use any electrical appliances in or around the hot tub (mobilephones, tablets, camera’s et).
- Pregnant women are advised to follow NHS guidelines on hot tub usage.
- Do not sit, stand or lie down on the lid. NEVER close the lid with any bathers in the hot tub.
- Do not use the hot tub under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medications.
- Do not use the hot tub if you have any rashes, broken skin or have experienced diarrhoea, vomiting or flu symptoms in the last 48 hours.
- Do not use the hot tub if the water temp exceeds 40°C.
- Guests who suffer from heart diseases, diabetes, high or low blood pressure or any serious illness should not use the hot tub without seeking medical advice first.
- Do not use bubble bath, oils, soaps detergents or any other chemical with the hot tub.
- If you suffer an allergic reaction, please vacate the hot tub immediately and inform us straight away. If the reaction continues you should visit the nearest doctor or A&E.
- Daily tests’ will be carried out by us to check PH/ sanitiser readings, if extra chemicals are required you may not be able to use the hot tub for a short time after they have been added.
- Bromine use in our hot tubs. The use of bromine provides an effective alternative to chlorine when disinfecting your hot tub water. Like chlorine, bromine does two things. It disinfects the water and kills any bacteria that are in the water, as well as it oxidizes out any organics that can be in the water.
- We reserve the right to remove the use of the hot tub at any time during your stay (without refund) if we find that these rules and safety advice have not been followed correctly or that the hot tub develops a fault during your rental period. Should our hot tub become contaminated a £50 charge will be made.
- Please note: All hot tubs are checked daily by our estate manager. This is normally between 8:30am and 10am. These checks are a legal daily requirement for your safety. The checks normally only take a couple of minutes to complete and we will try and be as respectful as possible of your privacy when completing these checks.
17. EV Car charging
- Domestic chargers are not permitted at any of our properties unless you have written permission from us and been shown my our Estate Manager where you can plugin a charger.
- 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. Domestic chargers are not suitable for use in some of other properties and can create a safety & fire hazard. The use of domestic chargers is strictly forbidden without permission first. Your breakages deposit will be detained if granny chargers are found to be used.
- We retain the right to carry out reasonable inspections, on a without notice basis, to ensure that granny chargers are not in use in the properties.
- You are solely liable for any damage or loss suffered by us as a result of your unauthorised use of domestic chargers.
- The nearest offical EV charging point is Kirkmichael, Blairgowrie PH10 7NX. This is about 8 miles from Dalnaglar Estate.
We reserve the right to make changes to these terms and conditions at any time without prior notice.
Dalnaglar Holiday Cottages Limited & Dalnaglar Castle Enterprises Ltd
2023