Terms & conditions

Unless otherwise arranged and agreed in writing, the self-catering holiday accommodation at South Downs House is let from 4pm on the day of arrival to 10am on the day of departure. We reserve the right to retain security deposits in the event that properties are not vacated by 10am. Late departures may incur additional charges, from £200 per hour.
No more than the stated number of persons at the time of booking your holiday are permitted to use the property. We reserve the right to retain security deposits if additional guests and/or visitors arrive at the property without prior agreement. The property is a private home for holiday use. For the avoidance of doubt, the property may not under any circumstances be “sub-let” to another tenant.
Wedding receptions and ceremonies are not permitted at South Downs House. In accordance with the terms of our permitted use, without a licence and consent from the property owners, any formal ceremony held on our premises can be made invalid upon notification to the council. In the event that a wedding ceremony is arranged without prior notice, we reserve the right to retain security deposits and charge additional costs.
Confirmation of your booking must be in writing, preferably by e-mail, and will commit you to your booking.
A reservation, once confirmed in writing, renders the person booking liable for the full payment of the quoted price.
Payments are non-refundable so it is recommended that appropriate travel insurance is taken out to cover recovery of all non-refundable costs.
A booking is not secure until full payment plus authority for the damages deposit has been received.
Unless alternative arrangements have been agreed in advance, we only accept single payments from one person per booking. Additional fees may be charged in the event that multiple payments are made for a single booking.
Reservation details including name, address and post code are to be provided at the time of booking. We are entitled to retain these details for registration with relevant tourism improvement schemes or future marketing (which will include opt out options). Your data may be shared with Select Chalets and Hotels which is a sister company of South Downs House.
A returnable security deposit is required at the time of booking to cover any damage or breakages. The person making the booking and/or payment is liable for any damage to the property or its contents.
In the event of a cancellation, although there is no obligation to advertise or attempt to re-let, please advise the owners with as much notice as possible so that best efforts can be made to re-let the property for you.
There is a strict no smoking policy inside all of the buildings. We reserve the right to retain full security deposits if there evidence of any smoke damage.
We reserve the right to retain security deposits if washing up has been left or if the rubbish has not been left out in the correct refuse bins provided.
Wi-fi internet access is provided free of charge for guests but please note that the WIFI signal can be intermittent due to the proximity of the South Downs House. When booking your stay you agree to internet user access, history and usage being monitored. In the event of inappropriate or excessive internet use we reserve the right to charge and/or retain damages deposits.
We reserve the right to retain security deposits if any furniture, fittings or contents are missing or damaged. In the event of any damage, please report it so that it can be assessed before you leave the property. In the event that it is not assessed we reserve the right to retain full security deposits for any damage caused.
To respect the privacy and comfort of our neighbours we ask that there is no excessive noise after 11pm, particularly outside, otherwise we reserve the right to retain security deposits.
A barbeque and additional linen and swimming pool towels are available on request at the time of booking for which additional charges may apply.
By prior agreement only, one small dog can stay, although the pet owner must guarantee certain conditions are met. These include keeping your dog off beds and upholstered furniture, going upstairs guaranteeing they are house-trained, keeping then on a lead and at heel within the grounds, cleaning up any mess outside and subsequently ensuring that the enjoyment of future guests is not impaired. We reserve the right to refuse dogs in the property or retain security deposits in the event that these conditions are not met.
Shoes must not be worn upstairs in the house or an any carpets. Decorations may only be put up with prior permission and without causing any damage, particularly paint work. Glitter and confetti is not permitted. We reserve the right to retain security deposits if carpets, floors, walls or ceilings are left dirty or damaged or additional cleaning or repairs are required as a result of not adhering to these terms.
Additional visitors are not permitted during your stay without prior consent. This includes suppliers. Any catering service or other supplier being paid directly by a guest for services undertaken at the property during their stay is only permitted without the property owners’ prior consent and having had full qualification and insurance checks
It is the responsibility of the individual(s) or business(es) letting the property to ensure they and all guests and visitors during their short term tenancy have suitable and adequate insurances in place, including personal injury, health and medical, accidents and travel, and to ensure that all 3rd party suppliers/visitors they employ or invite on to the property have had prior approval from the property owners to access the property and that they also have suitable and adequate insurances and adequate local authority and health and safety certification in place. Tenant and Guest insurance cover is expected to include, but is not limited to:
– Death, injury or illness happening to you, a member of your family or a friend.
– Any change in your personal circumstances or health,
– Adverse weather conditions including snow, frost, fog or storm.
– Mechanical breakdown. accident, fire or theft en-route of a private vehicle en-route or prior to arrival.
– Strike action or other union activity preventing or causing delay to travel.
– Restrictions to travel imposed by government or any authority, including changes.
– Jury service and court summons.
‘South Downs House’ and it’s owners will not be held liable for any guest or tenant cancellations due to adverse weather conditions, illness, any change in personal circumstance or health, domestic and international pandemics, travel complications or any other reason whatsoever, including those listed above, expected to be covered by your own insurance.
It is the responsibility of the individual(s) or business(es) letting the property to ensure that all guests and visitors to the property during their short term tenancy have reviewed current UK government guidance and restrictions in relation to travelling from outside of the UK. If any individual or business is affected by such guidance, restrictions or any changes to them, we advise you to contact your insurers and ‘South Downs House’ and it’s owners will not be held liable for any guest or tenant cancellations, delays or costs in any way. Our usual cancellation terms apply. Furthermore, in the event that future bookings are impacted by a tenant, guest or visitor not following this guidance prior to and during their stay, they will be held liable for all losses and associated costs.
It is the responsibility of the individual(s) or business(es) letting the property to ensure that all non-British guests and visitors to the property travelling from outside of the UK provide a copy of their passport prior to or on arrival, along with their name, address, contact details and confirmation of the place(s) they have travelled from/to before and after their stay, with permission to retain this personal data for up to 3 years, solely for the purpose of inspection by local or other authority.
A maximum of 8 cars are allowed to park on the driveway. It is not permitted to drive on the grass at any time and any damage to driveway area will incur associated costs.
When let as self-catering accommodation, we do not provide serviced accommodation. Call-outs that are not considered an emergency or are considered over and above usual self-catering requirements will be subject to charges and we reserve the right to retain security deposits accordingly.
Please leave the property in an orderly condition so we have ample time to clean in preparation for our next guests.
The individual(s) and/or business(es) letting the property is responsible for adhering to all Terms and Conditions, including any amendments made prior to or during their stay.
The owners have the right to refuse entry to the property and cancel a booking at any time.

COVID Related Terms – Effective from 1st January 2021

If legislation is introduced due to COVID that requires us to be closed we will provide a full credit, either as a refund or preferably a booking transfer to another date. Anything else that may impact your ability to stay and fulfil your booking remains the customers’ risk to mitigate and/or insure, including health issues, extreme weather, travel restrictions, attending court, pregnancy etc.

We would require and expect any business hiring the property, such as those selling on services and accommodation to their own customers, to have appropriate and suitable insurance in place. We also highly recommend any private customers and their guests to have insurance in place to cover their risk. The UK government has advised insurers that they may not withhold cover for covid-related risks to hospitality and other such businesses.