TERMS & CONDITIONS
1. Contract
The Contract for a short-term holiday rental shall be made between the Client and Balnakeilly. The Contract shall be governed by Scottish Law. The contract will be deemed to be entered into when the initial deposit is processed and Balnakeilly issues confirmation. The Contract will be subject to all of the following booking conditions. By making a booking the client contracts on behalf of himself/herself and all those in his/her party and represents that he/she has the authority to accept these conditions on behalf of and binding upon all guests in his/her party.
2. Payment
A non-refundable deposit of 50% of the rental fee is payable at the time of booking and the remaining balance payable as per invoice. For bookings made less than six weeks prior to commencement the total rental fee is payable at the time of booking.
A £500 Good Housekeeping Deposit is required upon the booking of Balnakeilly House. This is payable two weeks prior to commencement, and subject to a satisfactory report from our cleaning team, will be refunded within 28 days of departure. This Deposit increases to £1000 for weddings and same sex parties.
Payment should be made by bank transfer. For any overdue balance payments we reserve the right to charge £10.00 per day until settlement is received. We reserve the right to re-let the property if final payment is not received by the due date.
3. Cancellations
Any cancellation made by the Client for whatever reason must be in writing. Every effort will be made to re-let the cancelled holiday let but, failing this, the entire rental fee will be payable. Balnakeilly strongly recommends clients take out their own Holiday Insurance policy. A £35 admin fee applies to all cancellations. Should we have to cancel your holiday booking we will make every effort to offer/find alternative accommodation. However, if this is not possible all monies paid to us in relation to the cancellation will be refunded. Our liability will not extend beyond this.
Should the holiday let be affected by a pandemic we will allow the stay to be postponed by up to twelve months with no admin fees.
4. VAT
VAT is included in the rental fee where applicable. At the current UK VAT standard rate.
5. Period of Hire
Rentals commence at 3pm on the day of arrival and terminate at 10am on the day of departure.
6. Care of the property
The Client shall take all reasonable and proper care of the property and its furniture, pictures, fittings and effects in or on the property and leave them in the same state of repair and in the same clean and tidy condition at the end of the rental period as at the beginning. We ask for no furniture to be moved within the property. Please note that our building is over 500 years old and is registered as a historic structure. Guests wishing to place decorations of their own for events must obtain Balnakeilly Estate Ltd approval for methods used to secure decorations within the facility. Any damage caused to the venue, it’s equipment, carpets, contents or fittings will be invoiced directly to the Client after the event if the housekeeping deposit does not cover the cost of damage.
Should the property be left in an excessively dirty or inappropriate manner it may result in an additional cleaning charge, which will be deducted from your refundable Housekeeping Deposit.
If, during the course of your stay, accidental damage does occur it should be reported immediately to Balnakeilly Estate Ltd so arrangements can be made for quick cleanup and restitution. Damage to any room, space, furnishings, and/or equipment by the Client or its guests or vendors will result in appropriate charges based on fair market cost of replacement, repair, additional cleaning, etc. to Balnakeilly Estate Ltd property or equipment. If there is a cost factor associated with a damage incident, the price will be deducted from Client’s security deposit prior to refund with written disclosure of pricing.
7. Concerns
Should there be any concerns during the occupation of the property, Balnakeilly should be notified immediately.
8. Liability
Balnakeilly, its employees and agents do not accept third party liability in respect of breach of contract, negligence, misrepresentation or otherwise and are not liable for any loss or damage to any client’s property or any property belonging to a member of the client’s party howsoever caused.
9. Lost Property
Whilst every effort is made to return lost property to its rightful owner Balnakeilly cannot be held liable for items left behind, damaged in storage or lost in transit. Please contact us as soon as possible if you think you have left anything behind. We hold lost property for one month then dispose. Should you wish your item to be returned we kindly request that the cost of postage/packaging be paid for.
10. Perishables
All foods left, including frozen items, are automatically sent to the local food bank if possible or disposed of at the departure day/time of changeover.
11. Right of entry
Balnakeilly 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.
12. Respect our neighbours
We ask all guests please respect the peace and tranquillity of the area with no noise/hot tub use after midnight. Failure to observe this may result in your party being asked to leave the accommodation.
13. Dogs
Guests who bring dogs must take full responsibility for their pet at all times and must pick up all fouling. Dogs are allowed by prior agreement only. Guests must bring their own dog bedding & bowls. Dogs are not allowed into bedrooms or onto any furniture and must not be left unattended in the house at any time.
14. Same Sex Parties
While we welcome same sex parties we ask that reservations for same sex parties of eight persons and above be made by telephone, failure to do so may result in your reservation being cancelled and loss of any deposit paid.
15. Insurance
The guest is responsible for purchasing their own travel insurance policy before the start of the rental so they are covered for missed and delayed departure, cancellation and curtailment, personal items and transfer to hospital if needed. If the guest is a non UK resident then insurance is essential to cover any emergency medical assistance or treatment required during their time in the UK.
16. Smoking
Balnakeilly House is a “smoke free” environment. Smoking is permitted in designated areas only. If smoking materials are discarded in planters, paths or grounds, an extra cleanup charge will be imposed.
17. Wi-Fi
While we offer complementary Wi-Fi during your stay, faults can occur from time to time which are unfortunately beyond our control.
18. Keys
Key/s are given on arrival. Should key/s not be handed in on departure or in the case of a broken key, a £25 per key payment will be charged.
19. Narcotics
The use of illegal drugs is strictly prohibited. Balnakeilly and its employees reserve the right to search the premises for drugs if any suspicions arise. If drugs are found the entire party will have to vacate the grounds immediately with no refund given. The incident will also be reported to the police.
20. Capacity
A maximum of 26 people are to stay in the main house (unless additional beds are requested) and the names of these guests are required fourteen days prior to your arrival at Balnakeilly House, any changes must be agreed in advance and in writing. A maximum of 4 guests may stay in the Bothy (if included in booking).
Only the guests who are staying and booked into the house are allowed access to the house and grounds unless prior agreement has been given.
21. Fires
The fires in the kitchen, dining room, drawing room and trophy room can be used by guests. One basket of logs will be provided for each of these fires. Guests may use extra logs from our log store if required. All other fires are not to be used.
No open flames are permitted in the house unattended. This includes candles. Fire extinguishers are provided in the venue by Balnakeilly Estate Ltd.
Bonfires, fireworks and Chinese Lanterns are expressly forbidden at all times at Balnakeilly House, due to the nature of the location.
22. Decorations
Balnakeilly Estate Ltd wants to make every stay here a special experience. Therefore every effort will be made to allow the Client to prepare and install decorations reflecting their creative requirements should they so wish. All decorations must be removed without causing damage to our facility. No items may be hung from or attached to lighting fixtures or electrical outlets and switches. Ladders may be used for decorating by the Client. However, you may not stand on tables or chairs. The use of ladders is at your own risk. Any damages caused by securing decorations will be charged after your event. No glitter or foil confetti is allowed on site as it is extremely difficult to clean up.
We aim to continually improve our beautiful estate. Please be aware that the grounds require lots of maintenance and therefore work may need to be carried out during your stay. We will try and minimise this as much as possible. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and trust that nonetheless you will enjoy your stay with us.