Terms & Conditions

When making a reservation you are agreeing to comply with Exmoor Holidays’ terms and conditions as set out below.  These terms apply to all bookings made either online or in person by telephone or email.

The person who makes the booking (the hirer) certifies that they are over 18 years of age and are authorised to agree to these booking terms and conditions on behalf of all persons staying in the property, and agrees to take responsibility for all the guests who are occupying the property.

When a booking is submitted to our online reservation system the booking is provisional and you will receive an automated acknowledgement.  The contract of hire between us is not effective until Exmoor Holidays dispatches to the hirer written confirmation of your booking after a deposit or balance in full has been paid which will be confirmed by email within 5 days once the booking has been reviewed.  If the details on the booking request are incorrect you should contact Exmoor Holidays immediately.  If a provisional booking is made by telephone or email the accommodation will be held for 48 hours pending receipt of a completed and signed booking form and payment of deposit.

The Hirer is responsible for ensuring that his/her party are fully aware and compliant of the conditions of hire.

Booking

A non-refundable deposit of 25% of the total booking charge is payable on booking.  The final balance is payable 6 weeks prior to the holiday commencement date.  If the final balance is not paid by the due date Exmoor Holidays will advise the guest by email (If applicable), the booking will be cancelled and the deposit payment forfeited.

For bookings made within 6 weeks of arrival full payment is required at the time of booking.

Once a booking has been confirmed, a contract exists and the Hirer is responsible for the payment of the full rental.  If you have to cancel your holiday you must notify us immediately by telephone, and then confirm it in writing email or letter. 

The pricing management software that we use automatically adjusts prices from time to time.  We will confirm the current price at the time of your booking enquiry.

For short break holidays the same booking conditions apply, but in the event of a short notice booking which does not have time for postal confirmation or allow time for cheques to clear, full payment must be made by bank transfer/credit card.

Guest Information

You must inform us at the time of booking how many guests will be staying, their names and age if under 18 as this is a requirement for our insurance.  The hirer is responsible for ensuring all guests comply with Exmoor Holidays terms and conditions of hire.  Only the persons stated at the time of booking will be allowed to stay in the property. The number of people occupying the property must not exceed the number booked.  The owner reserves the right to refuse entry to the entire party if this condition is not complied with.  Our accommodation can only accommodate the same number of occupants as beds, excluding an infant up to the age of 24 months old sleeping in a travel cot.

You must gain our permission first before inviting visitors onto our premises, we will need their details for our insurance policy.  

We do not allow parties to be held in our accommodation or for banners/balloons or other celebratory items to be hung up within the property to safeguard against damage to our paintwork, etc.

Exmoor Holidays and our representatives have a right at all times to refuse access to the property for people who are not members of the party and to ask the Guests to leave if the property is being used by more than the advertised number of people.

Accommodation

The hirer takes responsibility for booking the most appropriate accommodation for their needs.

• Exmoor Holidays – 4 bedrooms,  maximum 8 guests + travel cot, no more than 3 dogs
• Maxwelton – 3 bedrooms, maximum of 6 guests + travel cot, no more than 2 dogs 
• Bracken Apartment – 1 bedroom ground floor apartment, – maximum of 2 guests, no more than 2 small dogs or 1 large dog

Exmoor Holidays is the whole 4 bedroom house (Maxwelton + Bracken ground floor apartment) with the connecting door unlocked so you have the whole house including 2 parking spaces.

Maxwelton is the main house which offers 3 bedroom reverse accommodation, where with the exception of a downstairs hallway and w.c. the spacious accommodation is on the first floor, from which you have the amazing views and access to a large secure private garden.  The accommodation is accessed via a flight of stairs.  There is parking for 1 car to the right of the front door.  

Bracken is our 1 bedroom self contained apartment with garden, kitchen, bedroom and lounge dining room, bathroom and parking for 1 car.  Bracken is on the ground floor.  There are a couple of small steps within the accommodation.  Regretfully the corridor is too narrow for a wheelchair.    If there is a large family or group of friends staying in Maxwelton there is the possibility of risk of noise in Bracken as despite our best efforts at sound proofing it has not been as successful as we had hoped so when booking Bracken apartment you are accepting that there can be the risk of noise (and this is factored into the prices we charge for Bracken).  If you have any concerns about noise please contact us first.  We can offer you a reduced occupancy discount in Maxwelton if there is a maximum of 2 guests staying.  If there are only 1 or 2 guests staying in Maxwelton noise is rarely a problem, but this cannot be guaranteed.

There is 1 camp bed available for guests who are hiring Bracken or Exmoor Holidays for which there is an additional extra bed charge of £15 per week to cover provision of the bed and bedding.   The camp bed must be requested at the time of booking.  Guests to take responsibility for setting the camp bed up.   The most suitable place for setting up the camp bed is in the lounge in Bracken Apartment.

A change of bed linen is offered for stays of more than 7 days (so as not to intrude and to reduce social contact we will provide you with the bed linen).

During high season we prioritise bookings for Exmoor Holidays so may close off our calendars or decline bookings for Maxwelton or Bracken during these times unless we have late availability.  Please contact us direct to enquire about booking Maxwelton or Bracken during these times.

Children

Children under the age of 14 years of age must not be left unattended.

We have 1 x high chair and 1 x travel cot  and stair gate available free of charge on request.  Linen and bedding for the travel cot is not provided.  Guests to take responsibility for setting up the cot and high chair.

Pets

Well behaved dogs are welcomed by prior arrangement with Exmoor Holidays.  We require breed, age and number of dogs at the time of booking.  Breeds listed as dangerous dogs 

We regret we do not accept any other type of pet.

To safeguard the high standard of our accommodation we regret we are unable to accept puppies, or any dogs which are destructive, incontinent or a noise nuisance or dangerous.

The hirer agrees that his/her dog will be controlled and supervised and will not cause excessive damage or nuisance.

Dogs must not be left in the property unattended.  This is a strange environment for them and could cause them considerable distress and risk property damage and noise.

If your dog fouls anywhere on site the mess must be removed, bagged and discarded in the dog waste bin located just a minute’s walk down the lane opposite the Ship Inn, (where the road forks).   If it not appropriate to leave dog waste in our dustbin as the waste bin collections are very infrequent so the bin would become very smelly and unpleasant for future guests.

Dogs must be treated and be free of fleas and worms prior to arrival.

You must bring your own dog bed with you.  Under no circumstances are dogs allowed to lie on the beds and dogs should be kept off all furniture.

To safeguard our carpets If your dog is wet and muddy please do not bring it in through the front of the house.  Please bring your dog through the side garden (ensuring that gates are closed and keeping your dog on the lead.  If there are guests staying in Bracken Apartment please be respectful of social distancing and their privacy whilst you are passing through the garden to access rear of Maxwelton).  There is a hose at the back of Maxwelton and dog towels in the Utility Room.  If using the hose please ensure the tap is securely turned off.  We are on water meter and also to be conscious of the environment.

Under extreme circumstances and at the owner’s discretion guests may be asked to remove their dog from the site if they are in breach of the above terms and conditions.

How many dogs can I bring?

Exmoor Holidays (4 bed house) –  not to exceed a maximum of 3 dogs.

Maxwelton (3 bed house) – not to exceed a maximum of 2 dogs.

Bracken (1 bed apartment) maximum of 1 large dog or 2 small dogs.

Charge for dogs

1 dog £25 per stay
2 dogs £35 per stay
3 dogs £45 per stay

Single Sex Groups/Groups of Young Persons

Bookings for single sex groups may be considered where all persons in the group are over the age of 25.   When accepting these bookings a security deposit will be required along with some additional information about the stay.

No stag or hen parties are permitted, without exception.

Arrival and Departure Times

In order to allow our housekeepers adequate time to thoroughly clean, prepare and sanitise the accommodation the property will be available from 4.00 pm on the day of your arrival and the departure time is strictly by 10.00 am on the day of departure.

There is a key safe to allow you flexibility of arrival time after 4.00 pm and you will be provided with the code a couple of days prior to your arrival.

If you are staying in Maxwelton or Bracken and you are arriving late at night or departing in the early hours of the morning please be considerate of noise disturbing other guests who may be sleeping whilst you are loading/unloading your belongings.

Garden and outside areas

The hirer and his/her party are welcome, at their own risk, to use the garden area allocated including garden furniture.  You must supervise your party and ensure all garden furniture, etc are safe, suitable and properly used.  Any item that becomes unsafe should be withdrawn and brought to our attention.  Please see clause above relating to dogs fouling in the garden.

Guests who are staying in Maxwelton who have dogs are asked to take wet/muddy dogs through the back door of Maxwelton to safeguard the carpets and therefore have been granted right of access through Bracken’s garden (being respectful of guest privacy and social distancing).

Car Parking

There are 2 designated car parking spaces for guests hiring Exmoor Holidays (whole house) directly in front of the house.
There is 1 designated car parking space for guests hiring Maxwelton (to the right of the front door). 
There is 1 designated car parking space for guests hiring Bracken (to the left of Maxwelton’s front door)

Although parking for an additional car is not usually a problem, we cannot guarantee that there will be an additional space in the lane, which can be used by any of the local residents, There often there is space in the lane opposite Bracken’s lounge window. There is a public car park in the centre of the village which is just a short walk away.

Vehicles are parked at the property at the hirer’s own risk.

Regretfully we do not have have the facility to charge electric vehicles. It is not permitted to run extension leads through our window in order to charge your vehicle as this could potentially lead to a fire risk or shorting of electricity and invalidates our insurance policy.

There are two EV 22KW charge points in Porlock Central Car Park

Liability

Exmoor Holidays shall not be liable to you or any member of your party for any harm, loss or damage to person or property arising from the letting.

Exmoor Holidays will accept no responsibility for accidents for those whilst staying at the property, nor will they accept any responsibility for loss or damage to personal property, however it may be caused.  Exmoor Holidays does not accept responsibility for the erection of the high chair, travel cot or stair gate, if provided, guests must take full responsibility that they are safe and secure.

Exmoor Holidays cannot accept responsibility for any material loss, damage, additional expense or inconvenience directly or indirectly caused by or arising out of the property, its plumbing, heating, electrical services or exceptional weather.

Smoking/Vaping/Illegal Drugs/Legal Highs

The entire property operates a strict no smoking, no vaping  and no illegal drugs/legal highs policy.  If you smoke outside the house please ensure that cigarette butts are disposed of safely and not left lying around and do not smoke in the doorway where smoke can enter the property.

Streaming services

When you access your own streaming services through Smart TVs provided by Exmoor Holidays, eg Netflix, Now TV, Amazon Prime, it remains your responsibility to ensure that you are logged out when you vacate the cottage. We cannot take responsibility for doing this on your behalf and will not be liable for any subsequent charges made to you in the event of usage by subsequent guests if you have forgotten. In such circumstances you should be able to log out remotely by changing your password and logging out of all devices when prompted.

Care of the Property

The hirer accepts responsibility for any damage caused by any member of their party or pets and agrees to pay in full for any costs incurred as a result.

The guests shall keep the holiday accommodation and all furniture, fittings, fixtures and effects in or on the holiday accommodation in the same state of repair as at the commencement of the holiday and shall leave the holiday accommodation in the same state of cleanliness and general order in which it was found.

The Hirer will be billed if the accommodation is left in a dirty and unreasonable state necessitating extra cleaning time.   The Hirer must report  all damages and losses to Exmoor Holidays immediately and pay the cost of any damage or breakages made during their holiday occupancy to Exmoor Holidays.

Contractors & Access

If required Exmoor Holidays and their agents shall be allowed access to the property at an agreed and reasonable time for reasonable cause such as essential maintenance work/repairs.   Agents include but are not limited to

• Our gardener who tends to the garden on a regular basis.
• The window cleaner when his round is scheduled to visit Porlock
• Oil is delivered as and when necessary
• Handyman and other contractors as required
• Where possible we will notify you in advance of their scheduled visits.

Lost Property

Any item left in the accommodation after your departure must be claimed within one month after which time we will dispose of it.  An appropriate sum to cover post and packing must be sent before the item can be forwarded.

Complaints

If you have any cause for complaint during your stay you must notify us immediately, to give us an opportunity to rectify the matter.   In no circumstances can correspondence be entered into regarding matters raised after your holiday has ended, or where we have been denied the opportunity to try to put matters right during your stay. 

Termination of Reservation 

The hirers rights to occupy the property may be forfeited without compensation if:

1. People other than those specified on the booking form attempt to take up occupation
2. Guests who are not included on the booking form are entertained without the owner’s prior permission
3. Any activity is undertaken which may cause unreasonable damage, noise or disturbance.
4. Any member of the party smokes, vapes or takes illegal drugs within the accommodation or public enclosed areas
5. Any illegal activity
6. Any breach of the above terms and conditions

Cancellation

If a booking is cancelled prior to the balance having been paid then the deposit is non-refundable.  

We strongly recommend taking out appropriate cover to protect against cancellation of your holiday such as UK staycation travel insurance, and/or a refund protection policy, such as XCover.  The option to purchase refund protection through our partnership with Cover is an optional extra at the time of booking and which can be added if desired or left unticked if not.  The cost of Cover is automatically calculated based on the total amount of your stay.   

Where a booking is cancelled within 6 weeks of arrival  then a refund will only be issued if the property is subsequently relet.  Every effort will be made to relet the dates but this could be at a price which is less than the original rental value and may be for only part of the rental period that you booked.  If we are able to find an alternative guest for the period of your booking you will be entitled to a refund of the amount paid by the new guest for the accommodation, less an administration charge of £40 which will be deducted from the refund total.   If additional changeover costs are incurred  (for example if your booking was for 7 nights, and we are only able to relet for 2 short breaks of 3 and 4 nights, this would incur additional housekeeper changeover fees which will also be deducted from your refund).  The deposit is non-refundable in all cases.

If you, or any other member of your party, is unable to stay in our property for any reason, including, but not limited to family emergencies; medical appointments/hospitalisation/ illness (inc Covid); changes in personal/work circumstances; call to jury duty; vehicle breakdown; adverse weather conditions,  travel delays or incarceration, these do not give a right to cancel or receive a refund.  These remain at your risk and it is highly recommended that you take out appropriate UK travel insurance /protection cover for such eventualities.

In the event of Exmoor Holidays, Maxwelton and/or Bracken’s accommodation becoming unavailable for any reason whatsoever, Exmoor Holidays reserves the right to refuse any booking and to cancel any bookings already made subject to a full refund of all monies paid (but no further liability).  We cannot, however pay any compensation or expenses as a consequence of such an event.

Booking Protect is offered on an informed choice basis and Exmoor Holidays are unable to advise as to the suitability the policy.  Cover and travel insurance policies offer different cover so do please read all terms and conditions thoroughly to ensure you select a policy which best suits your individual needs.

If you need to make a claim on your Booking Protect policy then all correspondence should be direct with Booking Protect and not ourselves.  We will of course endeavour to provide any necessary information that your travel insurance provider or Booking Protect require from us should you need to make a claim.

Covid

Although at the moment restrictions have been removed for covid, we are mindful that covid has not completely gone away and as a host we will be legally bound to follow the relevant government advice at the time of your stay.  This means that both for us as host and yourselves as guests we need to allow for a little flexibility in terms of our usual arrangements and amendments may have to be made to our terms and conditions.

Regional/National Lockdown

Should the Government impose travel restrictions on your address which prevent you from travelling to Porlock then you will have the following options:

You may move your booking up to a maximum of 12 months in advance.  (There may be seasonal variation in prices).

Obtain a refund: We will retain a £30 admin fee and give you a full refund of any other payments you have made.

If we are on Regional lockdown in Porlock and are unable to accept you as guests then we will either issue you with a full refund of the cost of your holiday or move your booking to a date up to a maximum of 12 months in advance.  (There may be seasonal variation in prices).

We recommend that you take out travel insurance or a protection policy to cover you should you need to cancel due to Covid 19  or any other health related issues, ensuring you read the cover policy small print carefully to ensure it meets your needs. We appreciate that the government have relaxed covid restrictions, but it has not completely gone away, and when you are on holiday you want to enjoy your time away and not feel unwell or under the weather.

As I am sure you will appreciate this has been a very difficult time for us as a small business and so we cannot take responsibility for refunding guests who become ill due to covid or any other health related or other issues. There are now a reasonable selection of policies which cover this.  The outstanding balance for your holiday will be due for payment and we will supply any documentation you require to make your claim.   We will do our best to relet the accommodation but if it is last minute it may well be at a reduced price to what you paid, and expenses will be deducted (see above Cancellation section)

These terms and conditions were revised 19.11.22.  If you booked prior to this update the terms and conditions which applied at the time of your booking app