FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

TERMS & CONDITIONS

COVID-19

You accept that over the coming months there is the risk of further government travel restrictions due to Covid-19. In choosing to book a holiday at The Shires you agree and acknowledge that there is an increased risk of you being unable to take the holiday on that date due to ongoing or new travel restrictions from the government due to Covid-19. You are booking in the knowledge that we may not be able to honour the original date requested for your booking.

In the event of a local lockdown or restrictions affecting the area you live in or if you are advised not to travel by NHS test and trace or following a positive COVID-19 Test we will try of offer alternative dates where possible or refund all monies you have paid.

Please note, we will only refund or transfer dates if we are forced to close by the Government/Local Authority and your booked dates are within the dates during which we are closed. If we are open no refunds will be given for your disinclination to travel.

Please ensure that you follow all Government /Local Authority guidance on travel if you are unwell before arrival.

We cannot accept guests isolating at The Shires.

If a guest becomes unwell during their stay, we ask that they return to their main residence in line with guidance. Please inform us if anyone in the party becomes unwell or has a positive test for COVID-19 as this will affect cleaning protocols

We cannot offer refunds if guests cannot complete their stay, early departure does not warrant a rental decrease. If a guest cannot reasonably return home (for example, because they are not well enough to travel or do not have the means to arrange transport), their circumstances should be discussed with an appropriate health care professional and, if necessary, the Local Authority. Guests should follow Government guidance on dealing with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. If they are too unwell to travel, they will be liable for the additional rental for any longer period they stay, and costs of any subsequent cancellations incurred.

To reassure guest we will endeavour to follow government advice regarding changeover, key collection, enhanced cleaning best practice to help reduce risk where possible.

We strongly advise you take out holiday insurance to cover the possibility of cancellation

TERMS & CONDITIONS

When booking please telephone to check that the dates required are available. We will hold the requested dates for 5 working days until your completed booking form and deposit/administration fee of £100 per week or short break booked has been received.
The payment of a £100 booking deposit and booking form constitutes an acceptance of our Terms and Conditions.
Our prices and availability are updated automatically when bookings are made However, please be aware that we also take bookings in person and by telephone, so there may very occasionally be brief periods when availability is not entirely up to date. All on-line bookings are therefore subject to confirmation. Our prices and availability are shown for guidance only and may be amended at any time.
Once dates of a booking have been confirmed to you in writing or by email, they can only be changed with our agreement and may incur an administration charge.
A firm booking will be made on receipt of a completed booking form and a £100 deposit/administration fee. The hirer is then liable for payment of the balance amount 8 weeks prior to the arrival date. In the event of a booking being made within 8 weeks of the arrival date the full amount will be due at time of booking.
Your final payment plus damages/security deposit is due 8 weeks before the start of your holiday. We will send you a reminder email a week before your balance is payable and a final reminder on the due date. If payment is not made by the due date or you do not contact us, your holiday dates will be re-advertised as a cancellation.
No-one other than those named on the booking form may sleep at The Shires. You may invite friends to visit during the day but the number of people in the property must not exceed 6 and no pets are permitted at the property (without prior agreement).
Bookings cannot be accepted from persons under the age of 18.
The booking rental period runs from 3pm on the day of arrival until 10a.m. on the day of departure. Week breaks are from Friday to Friday at The Shires. Short breaks and full week bookings are from 3p.m. on day of arrival until 10a.m. on the day of departure. There may be occasions when these times can be altered.
Short breaks are Mon – Fri arrival 3pm and departure 10am These are available all year around.
Weekend break are available in low season November to February except for Christmas & New Year Week. Start Day Friday arrival 3pm departure Monday 10am.
Last minute weekend breaks Fri – Mon available to book all year 4 weeks prior arrival subject to availability.
Only one special offer can apply to each holiday booked and to full weeks only.

CANCELLATION

If a booking is cancelled after final payment, we will endeavour to re-let. If it is re- let, we will refund you in full minus a £50 administration and re-marketing fee. If we are unable to re-let, we will refund only the housekeeping and utility cost for that period.
If a deposit has been paid and a cancellation is made 8 weeks prior to your arrival the deposit will be forfeit.
All cancellations must be made in writing.
We strongly advise you to take out holiday insurance to cover the possibility of cancellation.

CONDITIONS

If for any reason the accommodation is not available to you on the dates booked due to events beyond our reasonable control, we will take reasonable steps to find alternative accommodation. If suitable accommodation is not available, then all sums paid by the hirer will be refunded. The Shires will have no further liability to the hirer or any other party.
We reserve the right to refuse to hand over the accommodation to anyone who, in our opinion, is not suitable to take charge of the property- in any such case all moneys shall be refunded, and the contract terminated without further liability. We also reserve the right to terminate the contract at any time or remove any person or persons due to unreasonable behaviour, damage to property or causing or likely to cause annoyance or offence to other guests or neighbours. In such a case any refund would be entirely at the discretion of The Shires.
Guests will be charged for making good any damage caused to the property during their occupation whether caused wilfully or not and for replacing any article of furniture or equipment that may be damaged or lost.
The accommodation has been thoroughly cleaned and prepared for your arrival. Please ensure the property is in the same condition when you vacate the premises.
It is not possible to accommodate more than 3 Adults or 2 adults and 2 children under 11years in The Shires and only those guests named at the time on the booking form will be accepted unless prior agreement has been made. You can be asked to leave if this condition is broken.
Smoking & vaping is not allowed anywhere inside the premises. This must be strictly adhered to and any damage caused by smoking will be at the expense of the hirer.
Please do not move any furniture from one room to another.
Please lock the doors and close the windows when you leave the property unoccupied.
Please make sure you switch lights, heating, and appliances off when you go out- we are an eco-friendly holiday home.
Please note if any keys are not returned at the end of your stay, the cost of replacement will be charged to you.
In the event of you losing the keys to the property during your stay you will be responsible for contacting a locksmith and any payment arrangements will be between the hirer and the locksmith.
The hirer must not in any circumstance re-let or sublet the property, even free of charge.
All inventory must remain in the property and not be taken to another property.
Please respect the community and try to keep noise levels to a minimum between 11pm and 8am.
Candles are not permitted inside the property.
No compensation will be given for any temporary outrage of electricity, gas, water, internet, or television service.
Parties & hot tubs are not permitted.
Electricity, bed linen and towels are included in the rate.
Personal property of hirers occupying accommodation is not the responsibility of The Shires. Vehicles and property are left at your own risk.
Guests must assess risk and accept responsibility for their own and their children’s safety. Baby equipment, play equipment, and children’s safety equipment must be used at your own risk.
You must keep the property clean and in good order and you will be responsible for any breakages. Please report breakages, damage, or other problems as soon as they occur. We cannot rectify issues that are not reported to us immediately.
Any damage or any extra cleaning required if the property is left dirty will be charged against your security/damages deposit. In the unlikely event of damage exceeding your damages/security deposit, you will still be liable.
We reserve the right to take appropriate legal action to recover any costs if payment is not made on request. Should the cost of rectifying or replacing any damaged items or property exceed £100 you are liable for that cost.
Your security/damages deposit will be refunded to you promptly within 7 days of the end of your holiday following inspection by our Housekeepers.
We may cancel bookings if the property becomes unavailable for reasons beyond our reasonable control including, but not limited to flooding, fire, significant damage, failure of utility services or weather damage. In this event we will refund in full any sums you have paid.
If you commit a serious breach of our terms and conditions, we have the right to terminate your booking and if you are already at the property, we may require you to leave.
If we are concerned that guests are breaching our terms and conditions our Housekeeper, ourselves or our representative has the right to enter and inspect the property at any time.
We can enter the property without permission to undertake maintenance repairs and duties.
As a guest at this premises The Shires using the broadband facilities, I agree that I will not use the service for unlawful or illegal purpose.
Unlimited internet is provided free of charge. Whilst every effort is made to ensure continuity of service, we cannot be held responsible for disconnection due to planned maintenance or MBORC (Matters Beyond Our Reasonable Control.) No refund will be given if the internet is unavailable through no fault of The Shires.
We reserve the right to decline a booking or impose additional security deposit fees. Force Majeure. We cannot accept liability or responsibility for any alterations, delay or cancellation or any other loss or damage caused by war, civil strife, terrorist action, industrial disputes, fire, sickness, bad weather, livestock, epidemics, acts of any government, or public authority, changes imposed by re-scheduling of airlines, ferries, or any event outside our control.

PETS TERMS & CONDITIONS

1 small pet is permitted. This must be included on the booking form.
We reserve the right to refuse if the pet is deemed unsuitable for the property.
There is a charge of £30 per stay plus a cleaning/ damage bond of £100 which is payable at the time of the full balance ( on or before 8 weeks of arrival).
We reserve the right to cancel the booking & with hold any deposit for failure to ommit details on the booking form and or non compliance of monetry terms.
Anyone bringing a pet without consent will be asked to leave the property with immediate affect & no monies will be refunded.
Pets must not go on furniture and are strictly forbidden in bedrooms.
Pets are not to left unattended in the property or garden.
All faeces must be cleaned up & binned.
We reserve the right to enter the property if we have concerns about the health & welfare of any pet. This includes vocalisations of pets.
Owners are liable for any damage caused by their pets.
Property must be left in the same condition as on arrival. Adjustment will be made to the bond for any additional cleaning or damages.
In the event of damage exceeding your bond you will still be liable for charges.
On departure the property be inspected and your security bond will be returned within 10 days.

PRIVACY

Website Content. The Shires will endeavour to ensure that the content of this website is always accurate, honest, and up to date, however all content is subject to change without notice.

Personal Information. All personal information collected through the booking forms on this website will be used only for the purpose intended to answer an enquiry or to process a holiday booking. Personal information will not be retained for longer than is necessary to satisfy an enquiry or facilitate a booking. We are required under UK tax law to keep your basic personal data (name, address, contact details) for a minimum of 6 years after which time it will be destroyed.

Payments. We do not take card payments therefore no personal card details are collected.

Links. Links to external websites are provided as a service to our users where they contain details of specific interest or general information to those planning a self-catering stay in Northumberland. We are not responsible for the content, views, or accuracy of information on such external websites.

The list below describes the cookies we use on this site and what we use them for. We do not distribute any information to other parties.

First Party Cookies. These are cookies that are set by this website directly.

Google Analytics. We use Google Analytics to collect information about visitor behaviour on our website. Google Analytics stores information that allows us to improve the flow of our website based on user habits. The Analytics data is collected via JavaScript tag in the pages of our site and is not tied to any personally identifiable information. We therefore do not collect or store your personal information so this information cannot be used to identify who you are. You can find out more about Google's position on privacy as regards its analytics service at https://www.google.com

Third Party Cookies. These are Cookies set on our machine by external websites whose services are used on this site. Cookies of this type are the sharing buttons across the site allow visitors to share content onto social networks. Cookies are currently set by LINKEDIN, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, GOOGLE. In order to implement these buttons and connect them to the relevant social networks and external sites there are scripts from outside of our website.

Revised December 2020