Rivermead Cottages Terms & Conditions

Effective 15 December 2023. If you booked prior to this date and wish to see the previous Terms & Conditions, please email info@rivermeadcottages.co.uk

When you make a booking, these terms and conditions form the contractual relationship between you and Rivermead Cottages (Rivermead Farm LLP) and so if there’s anything you’re unsure about, please contact us straight away so we can clarify for you.

A contract between you and the owners of Rivermead (Rivermead Farm LLP – we or us) will come into existence only when a booking confirmation is issued to you showing the confirmed holiday dates and your deposit payment has been received (the Contract). The Contract is for the provision of short-term holiday rental accommodation (the Property) for the dates of your booking (the Stay).

These Terms & Conditions (the Terms) shall apply to and form part of the Contract. The Contract binds you and all the members of your party, however, the parties to the Contract are you (the person making the booking) and us. It is your responsibility to ensure that all members of your party accept the Terms of the Contract set out in these Terms and Conditions of booking. Failure to disclose all relevant information or comply with these Terms may lead to termination of the Contract and loss of the booking. You must be at least 21 years of age at the time of making the booking and, if you are booking more than one Property, there must be at least one capable, responsible adult over 18 in each Property. The Contract shall be governed by English law. These Terms and Conditions do not affect your statutory rights.

The Property may not be re-rented or sublet. It is for your holiday use only and must not be used for any other purpose. Your Stay does not give rise to any tenancy or a landlord-tenant relationship 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 your Stay.

When you book, you must let us know the names of everyone in your party and your home address and contact details as the lead booker. You’re entitled to change the members of your party but please let us know at least 7 days before you arrive. Under no circumstances may the maximum number of guests staying at the Property exceed the maximum number of persons on the website. We reserve the right to refuse admittance if this condition is not observed. Babies and young children are included in the occupancy total.

We reserve the right to refuse a booking without giving any reason or to refuse to hand over the Property (or to allow continued occupation of it), without refund, to any guest who, in our reasonable opinion, is not in a suitable state to occupy it.

Payment

A deposit of 25% of the cost of the Stay is payable at the time of booking (the Deposit). The Deposit will only be refundable in the circumstances set out in these Terms. Bookings made less than 60 days before your arrival date must be paid in full, plus the refundable Good Housekeeping deposit where charged (the GHD).

The Balance of the payment for your Stay must be paid no later than 60 days before the start of your Stay. We may cancel a Stay when the Balance is not paid by the due date. We will remind you and try to contact you by email and phone before such cancellation. If we cancel the Stay in these circumstances, we will try to re-let the Property and, if we are able to do so, you may be entitled to a refund or your liability to us may be reduced as set out in these terms, however, you remain liable to pay the Balance of the payment.

Where charged, the GHD must be paid at the same time as the remaining 75% deposit, 60 days in advance of your stay. Our GHD rates are: £50 per stay for Oaktree and Kingfisher, £100 per stay for Bluebell and Squirrel and £200 for Owl, Otter or The Old Farmhouse or some other sum as agreed in advance. The GHD will be returned within 10 working days after the end of your stay providing there’s no deduction to be made, as per these terms.

Cancellation

Once you have a confirmed booking, your ability to cancel and receive a return of any monies paid or due is set out in these Terms.
Any cancellation made by us will be notified to you as soon as practicably possible.
Any cancellation request by you must be made in writing to us. We recommend that you send us written confirmation of a cancellation request by email to info@rivermeadcottages.co.uk Once received, we will confirm the request in writing. The effective date of cancellation is when written notice is received by Rivermead. Any amounts due for refunding will be paid within 14 days.
a) If we cancel your booking because Rivermead has to close due to Government Restrictions, and the period of closure covers your Stay, any monies you have paid to us will be refunded in full.
b) If we cancel your booking because you have failed to make payment of the Balance after reminders, you shall not be entitled to a refund of the Deposit.
c) If we cancel your booking because we have to close due to one of the following Force Majeure reasons which may hinder or prevent us from performing our Contract, these reasons including, but not being limited to: act of God, flood, drought, earthquake or other natural disaster, epidemic or pandemic, 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, nuclear, chemical or biological contamination or sonic boom, any law or any action taken by a government or public authority, including without imitation imposing a restriction, prohibition, or failing to grant a necessary licence or consent, collapse of buildings, fire, explosion or accident, non-performance by our suppliers or contractors and failure of utility service, we may, at our sole discretion, offer you an alternative Property, a full or partial refund, alternative dates, or another such remedy as we reasonably consider appropriate. Our liability for cancellation will be limited to payments made to us.

d) If you cancel your booking due to your, or any member of your party’s, inability or disinclination to travel to and stay at Rivermead for any reason, which includes, but is not limited to, illness (including Covid), a requirement or recommendation to self-isolate or quarantine, shielding, a call to jury service, 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. You are strongly recommended to take out comprehensive 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.
If you cancel your Stay, for whatever reason, you remain liable for the cost of the Stay. If we are able to secure a replacement booking to cover your Stay, you may be entitled to the return of some of the cost of your Stay subject to, in all cases, an admin fee of £100 and the difference in price between the cost of your Stay and the replacement booking. The amount we refund will depend upon the final letting price we are able to achieve for any new booking (which may be less than you agreed to pay or have paid). If we are unable to re-let the Property, you will only be entitled to the return of the percentage below:
- Cancellation received more than 90 days before the start of your Stay: your deposit will be returned.
- Cancellation received 89-60 days before the start of your Stay: you remain liable for 25% of the booking cost.
- Cancellation received 59-45 days before the start of your Stay: you remain liable for 50% of the booking cost + admin fee.
- Cancellation received 44-29 days before the start of your Stay: you remain liable for 75% of the booking cost + admin fee.
- Cancellation received 28 days or less before the start of your Stay: you remain liable for 100% of the booking cost.
- For example: a £1000 booking, fully paid, cancelled 45 days in advance, not re-let = 50% booking cost (£500) + £100 admin fee = £400 refund. If the Property is re-let for £950, you would be refunded £1000 – £100 admin fee – £50 shortfall on new booking = £850.

Occupancy

You should not arrive before 4pm on the day of arrival, unless we have agreed otherwise. If you expect to arrive later than 8pm, please let us know.
You must leave by 9.30am on the day of departure. Failure to do so may result in you being charged a further day’s rental. Details of departure day are in the Welcome Folder.
There is ample free parking for all guests near their Properties; just be careful not to block access for others.
We do not allow pets in any of our Properties, and that includes visitors’ pets.
The price of your Stay includes water, gas (in the lodges) and electricity, but charging electric vehicle or appliances other than a personal electronic device isn’t included and is not permitted. Currently, we do not have an EV charging point on site, and cannot offer on site charging, as our domestic supply does not have the capacity or setup to support EV charging. Under the fire regulations for EV charging, this would have to be a dedicated circuit, not part of a ring main, and only used for this purpose. Most EVs are supplied with domestic chargers also known as ‘granny’ or ‘trickle’ chargers. These are not permitted and you are solely liable for any damage or loss incurred by us as a result of your unauthorised use of a domestic charger. We retain the right to carry out reasonable inspection, on a without notice basis, to ensure that such chargers are not in use.
Shower room towels are included for use in the Property but these are not beach towels. Please do not take them out of the Property. A full inventory of what is included in the Property is in the Welcome Folder. If you would like a copy in advance, email us info@rivermeadcottages.co.uk
We live on site so you don’t have to close the windows when you are out and, in fact, our old stone cottages love some ventilation when the weather is dry! All we ask is that you don’t have windows open when the heating is on, and that lights and heating are turned off when you don’t need them or when you go out.
Smoking (including e-cigarettes), vaping and candles/tea lights are not allowed in any of our Properties. If smoking is detected, then a charge for cleaning will be levied and any damages will have to be paid for in full, both within seven days of notification.
Please respect other guests and keep noise levels to a minimum, especially between 8pm and 8am. We reserve the right to require any guest or party to leave the Property and our site immediately, without notice and without refund where, in our reasonable opinion, the guest or party fails to observe these Terms or otherwise poses a threat to the safety or enjoyment of other guests or causes damage to property.
We shall be allowed the right of entry to the Property at all reasonable times for the purposes of inspection or to carry out necessary repairs or maintenance.
We shall not be liable for any temporary defect or malfunction of any equipment, machinery or appliance in the building or grounds. No compensation will be given for any temporary outage of electricity, gas, water, internet connection or television service. Free WiFi is provided for guests’ reasonable use but we do not guarantee the speed of the internet nor will we be responsible for any issues with the service.
If you wish to invite additional day visitors to visit you in your Property, please ask us. We will try to accommodate your request but we need to comply with maximum site occupancy limits, our insurance cover and consider the other guests on site.

What’s not allowed at Rivermead

You must not use the Property for any dangerous, offensive, noxious, noisy, illegal or immoral activities or carry on there any act that may be a nuisance or annoyance to us or to guests in other Properties, or to our neighbours in the area.
Electric vehicle charging is not permitted.
Under no circumstances are you to bring electrical appliances to Rivermead, other than mobile and laptop chargers, without our explicit written permission. This includes, but is not limited to, air conditioning units, fans, deep-fat fryers, air fryers. 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 our consent.
Pets are not permitted in any of our Properties, and that includes visitors’ pets.
Smoking, e-cigarettes, vaping, candles and tea lights are not permitted in any of our Properties.
If you have booked more than one Property, please don’t move items from inside or outside to other Properties. If you would like to move something, for example a BBQ, please ask and we’ll arrange it for you.
Fireworks, Chinese lanterns, fire-pits and portable BBQs are explicitly forbidden at Rivermead. We are surrounded by countryside, farms and fields, many with livestock, and the area can become a tinderbox in the summer.
Drones may only be flown with our explicit written consent obtained in advance, and only when there are no other guests present.
Whilst a reasonable number of visiting day guests are allowed, by prior agreement with us, additional overnight guests are not. The Property occupancy limits are clear on our website. This could invalidate our insurance.
If you invite visitors to come and join you during the day, they are not entitled to fish at Rivermead unless we have given explicit permission in advance.

Grounds and supervision

Rivermead has a large lake and the River Fowey flowing through its grounds. The riverbank is very steep in places and the ground can be slippery and uneven. There is strictly no swimming.
You are responsible for the full active physical supervision of all members of your party under the age of 18 at all times. This is particularly important around the lake and along the river.
Regardless of supervision, for safety reasons, scooting or cycling on the driveways is not permitted. Although Rivermead is a quiet site, other vehicles, such as bin lorries, delivery vans and other guests’s cars, are present from time to time.
Parties not supervising their children responsibly may be asked to put appropriate arrangements in place or to leave the relevant facility.

Fishing

The River Fowey is great for fishing and along our stretch of water, on our bank, this is only available to guests staying with us. You must obtain your own EA rod licence, which you can do online through the Environment Agency’s website, and adhere to the fishing rules which are set out in our Welcome Folder. The fishing season is from 1^st April to 30^th September for trout and until 15^th December for salmon. All coarse fish (perch, roach, chubb, pike, eels) must be safely returned to the river and we would prefer that all fish caught are safely released to maintain healthy stocks. Please refer to the full rules for all details.
Anyone fishing must read and familiarise themselves with our rules and risk assessment before fishing at Rivermead. Our risk assessment may be found in the Information Room and a further copy is available on request by emailing us info@rivermeadcottages.co.uk

Care of the Property

Rivermead is privately owned and is our home. We want all our guests to enjoy the facilities and so please treat the Property and our grounds with the same respect that you would your own house and garden.
You are responsible for the Property and are expected to take all reasonable care of its furniture, pictures, fittings and effects both inside and outside during your Stay. You must leave them in the same state of repair, and in a reasonable clean and tidy condition at the end of your Stay.
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 you or your party during your Stay, where the extent of that damage is so severe that we must (in our sole opinion) cancel and/or refund subsequent bookings, we 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 in respect of the same.
Prior to your arrival, and with your balance payment, you may be asked to pay the GHD. If you mistreat the Property or its contents (or fail to comply with other obligations giving rise to costs having to be incurred by us) you are required to cover the cost of any resulting damage and this may be deducted from the GHD.
We appreciate that sometimes accidents happen and we take a pragmatic approach. It’s unlikely we would charge you for the odd broken glass, but please do inform us of breakages or damage so that we can replace or repair. We may charge you when, for example, bed linen/towels have been damaged or permanently stained by make-up or tanning products, or if you have lost the key to the Property or failed to return it.
The Property will be inspected by us as soon as you vacate it and you will be notified of any issues (we will also take photos). The GHD will be returned within 10 working days of the end of your holiday, less the cost of damage/breakages/additional cleaning costs notified to you.
If we find any personal belongings left behind, we will let you know. If you’d like an item returning, it will be subject to the postage charge and a reasonable administration fee to cover time and packaging.

Complaints

We make every effort to ensure that you enjoy your holiday at Rivermead but if you have a problem or complaint during your Stay, please let us know straightaway so that we have an opportunity to resolve it for you. If you notice that something is broken, or not working properly, let us know. We want to make sure that everything is as good as it can be for all our guests. If we don’t find out about things until after guests have left, there’s not a lot we can do to help. We value your custom and we want you to return.

Liability

Rivermead, its employees and representatives shall not be liable to you or your party for loss or damage to your property howsoever arising. You must take all necessary steps to safeguard yourselves and your property.
We reserve the right to make reasonable amendments or additions to these terms and conditions without notice.