These booking terms and conditions include a number of defined terms as follows: Booking: a legally binding reservation for use of the Property, with a specified start and end date.

Contract of Hire: the legally binding contract between the Hirer and the Owner for the provision of the Property for the purposes of the Booking and related services.

Force Majeure Event: means (i) any event or circumstance not within a party’s reasonable control including, without limitation, acts of God, flood, drought, earthquake or other natural disaster; epidemic or pandemic (if so categorized by a national or international health organisation), 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 legally enforceable action taken by a government or public authority, which affects (directly or indirectly) the ability of the relevant party to perform a contractual obligation, collapse of buildings, fire, explosion or accident, or any labour or trade dispute, strikes, industrial action or lockouts and (ii) any binding legislation or law passed by the UK government or a UK public authority as a consequence of any of the events listed in (i).

Guest Price: the total price payable (which includes VAT, if applicable) by the Hirer for a Booking, comprising the property rental plus a booking fee and any additional charges that may apply to that Booking (e.g. in relation to pets). Hirer: the person (“You”) making the Booking under these terms and conditions and by doing so entering into the Contract of Hire with the Owner. HLIK: one of a small group of locally focused brands owned by The Vision South East Limited, which is a family owned private limited company incorporated in England (registered number 11634283) with its registered address at Ellerd House, Amenbury Lane, Harpenden, England, AL5 2EJ.

Owner: the owner of the Property which is the subject of the Contract of Hire. Property: the holiday accommodation made available (subject to these terms and conditions) to the Hirer for use for the purposes of the Booking.

1. CONTRACT OF HIRE Holiday Lets In Kent Limited act only as agents for Owners, and are not principals and so the Contract of Hire is between the Hirer and the Owner of the property for which the booking is made and shall be deemed to be made subject to these terms and conditions. For the avoidance of doubt, HLIK is not a party to the Contract of Hire. To the extent that HLIK carries out any functions in relation to a Property, it does so as an agent on behalf of the Owner. The Booking is subject to these terms and conditions, which are governed by English law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts. The Contract of Hire is effective only from the date and time that HLIK dispatch to the Hirer a written “Confirmation of Booking.” The Confirmation of Booking will show your booking details, the amount you have paid and the amount you still owe for the booking. As soon as you receive your Confirmation of Booking, you must check the details carefully. If anything is not correct, you should tell HLIK immediately. The Owner/HLIK, acting reasonably, reserves the right to amend arrival (‘check in’) and departure (‘check out’) times so as to ensure the Property is ready for occupation, for example in response to a Force Majeure Event. So long as the Owner/HLIK is acting reasonably, the Hirer will not be entitled to a refund in relation to a change in arrival or departure times. For the avoidance of doubt, if HLIK pays the deposit and/or full balance into its bank account, it will not mean HLIK have accepted a booking unless HLIK have issued the Hirer with a written Confirmation of Booking. Please do not make any other travel arrangements until HLIK have issued you with a written Confirmation of Booking. If you book with us online, we will acknowledge that we have received your booking and then send a separate written Confirmation of Booking by e-mail to the e-mail address you have provided. If you book by post or phone, we will send your written Confirmation of Booking to you by post unless you tell us at the time of booking that you would prefer it to be provided by e-mail. It is your responsibility to check your e-mails regularly and to let us know about any change to your e-mail address. The contract is for the hire of the Property for holiday purposes only. HLIK does not accept Bookings from Hirers under 18 years of age and HLIK reserves the right to cancel a Booking made by anyone who is (or who HLIK reasonably believes to be) under 18 at the time the Booking was made. At the Hirer’s written request, HLIK shall provide the name and contact details of the applicable Owner. The Hirer undertakes not to contact the Owner for any reason other than to deal with queries in relation to the Property which HLIK has not been unable to deal with or, alternatively, if requested to do so by HLIK.

2. INITIAL PAYMENT Bookings will be reserved upon receipt by HLIK of the required deposit payment in cleared funds of one third of the total Guest Price. If the Booking is made less than twelve weeks before the holiday commencement date, the full Guest Price will be required to be paid at the time the Booking is made. Deposits can be paid by debit card or credit card, BACS transfer or cheque. In the case of web bookings, these can be paid online through our secure payment system.

3. BALANCE PAYMENT The balance of the Guest Price will be due for payment twelve weeks before the holiday commencement date. On receipt of the full balance payment in cleared funds, advice on key collection arrangements and directions to the Property will be sent to the Hirer. The Owner reserves the right to cancel a Booking where full payment has not been received within 14 days after the due date as advised by HLIK. The deposit paid on the Booking is always non-returnable (subject to clause 16).

4. METHOD OF PAYMENT Cheques should be made payable to Holiday Lets In Kent Limited with the booking reference written on the back. There is no charge for Debit or Credit Card payments.

5. VALUE ADDED TAX Where VAT applies to the Property rental, it is included in the quoted price at the prevailing rate. HLIK’s Confirmation of Booking is not a VAT invoice. All HLIK charges and VAT inclusive rentals are subject to change if the rate changes.

6. CONFIRMATION OF BOOKING Once HLIK has issued a written Confirmation of Booking, the Hirer is responsible for the total Guest Price as well as any extras as shown on the Confirmation of Booking. Amendments to bookings, where applicable and accepted by HLIK (on behalf of the Owner), will be subject to an administration fee of £50 for each amendment. HLIK reserves the right to adjust prices quoted in the brochure, on its website or on details to properties, due to errors or omissions or changes in the VAT rate.

7. BOOKING CANCELLATION If you wish to cancel your Booking you must inform HLIK as soon as possible in writing (including by e-mail). The day HLIK receives your notice to cancel is the date on which HLIK will cancel your Booking with the Owner. Please note that if you cancel your Booking you will remain liable for full payment, subject to your rights pursuant to clause 16. We recommend that all guests consider taking out a travel insurance policy, which may provide cover in the event of a cancellation.

8. BOOKING FEE HLIK charges a booking fee for your first booking in any calendar year, payable at the time of booking. Additional Bookings with the same customer reference where the Property hire period starts in the same calendar year (1st January to 31st December) will not attract a booking fee. The booking fee is non-refundable once the Booking has been confirmed.

9. PETS If the property accepts pets, this will be clearly marked in the brochure or on the website property page. Bookings that include pets are taken on the condition that all flea and worming treatments are up to date and HLIK and/or the Owner reserve the right to ask for written evidence of such treatment. You are not permitted to leave pets unattended at the property at any time and some Owners will require that pets remain on the ground floor and off furniture at all times – this will be stated in the brochure or on the website property page if applicable. You, as pet owner, will be responsible for removing any evidence left by your pet and reimbursing the Owner for any damage caused. Please show consideration for guests visiting after you have gone home and bear in mind that some popular beaches do not permit dogs during the summer months. For most properties, a charge per pet per Booking will be made. Guests With Allergies Relating to Pets: Please note that an assistance dog may have stayed in a chosen property recently (even one that doesn’t allow pets as standard) and the Owner may have a dog or cat that sometimes stays at the property. The Owner cannot accept responsibility or liability for any suffering, damages or losses which may occur as a result of such animals having been present. The Owner and HLIK cannot guarantee and make no warranty that the property will be completely free from pet hair.

10. AMENITIES The use of accommodation and amenities, where offered, such as swimming pools, hot tubs, rowing boats, beach huts etc, is entirely at the Hirer’s risk and the Owner excludes all responsibility or liability for injury, or loss or damage to Hirer’ or visitors’ belongings. Further, neither the Owner nor HLIK will be liable to you, any member of your party or person visiting the Property during the period of your hire of it for any events outside the Owner’s or HLIK’s reasonable control, such as the breakdown of domestic appliances, plumbing, wiring, temporary invasion of pests, building works at adjacent properties, damage resulting From exceptional weather conditions or other unforeseeable circumstances or any Force Majeure Events. You also accept that HLIK in acting as agent for the owner will not be liable for any negligence on the part of the Owner resulting in loss, injury or accident. Further, neither the Owner nor HLIK will be liable to you for the withdrawal/removal of any facilities/amenities From/in the Property resulting From a Force Majeure Event. Where Wi-Fi is an advertised facility, please note that its provision is subject to availability and network conditions. It may not be available 24 hours a day and is provided for pleasure not for business purposes. Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly common and we want to ensure they can be catered for wherever possible. Not all properties will have a suitable and safe place to charge vehicles, so it is recommended you check prior to finalising your Booking if this is an essential requirement. If you are keeping an electric vehicle at the property, you must use designated charging points (where available) only and manufacturer approved cables for charging any vehicle when at the property. The Owner reserves the right to (i) charge additional fees if charging is, in HLIK’s or the Owner’s opinion, excessive and/or (ii) refuse to allow electric vehicles to be charged if they do not think it is suitable/safe to do so. Any damage to the electric system at the property through incorrect use, overload of the system or the use of a standard extension cable will be the responsibility of the Hirer. Should damage occur the costs of repair are the responsibility of the Hirer and are not covered by the accidental damage waiver.

11. PARTY NUMBERS/COMPOSITION It is your sole responsibility to ensure that no more than the maximum numbers of persons, as stated in the brochure/website, occupy a Property during your Booking. The Owner/HLIK reserve the right to refuse admittance or to require you to ensure that some people leave the Property if they believe that you are in breach of this obligation. No refunds will be given if admittance has been refused for this reason. Further, where properties specify a minimum age limit for guests, in no circumstances may any persons under the specified age limit, as stated in the brochure/website, stay at that Property. The Owner/HLIK reserve the right to refuse admittance or to require proof of someone’s age if either believe that this restriction has been breached. No refunds will be given if admittance has been refused for this reason. By completing a Booking, the Hirer certifies that they are authorised to agree to these Booking Conditions on behalf of all members of the party, including any changes. The Hirer must be over 18 years at the time a Booking is made and be a member of the party occupying the Property. The Hirer agrees to take responsibility for the acts and omissions of all members of the party in relation to the Booking and the Property. The Owner/HLIK reserve the right to refuse or revoke any bookings From parties that may in their opinion (and at their sole discretion) be unsuitable for the Property concerned.

12. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES For the duration of your stay at the Property, you will be responsible for the Property and will be expected to take all reasonable care of it. The Property and all equipment and utensils must be left clean and tidy at the end of the hire period. If a Property is not left clean and tidy, any additional cleaning costs will be charged to the Hirer. Should there be any specific health or mobility difficulties which may affect a party member; this must be pointed out at the initial reservation stage so that the suitability of the Property can be assessed. The Property (including any car parking spaces) must be vacated by 09.00 am on the day of departure.

13. DAMAGE All damages and breakages are the legal responsibility of the Hirer and should be reported immediately and before the end of the holiday. The reasonable costs of miscellaneous repairs to and/or replacement of and/or additional cleaning of furnishings, kitchen equipment, crockery, glass, keys, bedding and towels damaged or soiled otherwise than by usual wear and tear during the period of the Booking by you or other members of your party shall be payable on demand to HLIK who may also, at their discretion, refuse further bookings. The Owner/HLIK has the right to enter the Property (without prior notice if this is not practical or possible) if special circumstances or emergencies arise (for example if repairs need to be carried out). The Owner/HLIK reserves the right to repossess the Property at any time where you or any member of your party has caused damage, and in such circumstances the Owner/HLIK shall not be liable to make a refund of any remaining portion of the Guest Price.

14. LITERATURE The Owner/HLIK take every care to ensure the accuracy of the Property descriptions. All information in HLIK’s brochure or other marketing material and on HLIK’s website is given in good faith and is believed to be correct at the time of going to press, but the Owner/HLIK cannot be held responsible for changes beyond their control, which may become known after publication of this literature. In addition, whilst properties may be described as non-smoking or no pets, this cannot be and is not guaranteed. Please be aware that if a Property is advertised as having an enclosed garden, this does not necessarily mean a secure garden. It may be enclosed by hedging or open style fencing. The Owner/HLIK’s description of a property shows what amenities that property has but generally does not state what is not in the self-catering property.

15. AVAILABILITY The Contract of Hire is made on the understanding that the Property will be available for the dates stated. In the unlikely event that a Property is not available during the period of the Booking as a result of a Force Majeure Event or if the Hirer cannot legally travel to the Property as a result of a Force Majeure Event, then either (i) the Owner/HLIK may be forced to cancel the Booking and you will be advised as early as possible or (ii) you must write to HLIK as soon as possible to inform HLIK as to the Force Majeure Event and its effects on your ability to legally travel to the Property. In the event of such a cancellation only, the Hirer will have the choice of the following options: • to transfer the Booking to a later date and/or another property Free of any administration charges, subject to availability – the Hirer will have to pay any difference in price if the cost of the new booking is higher or be reimbursed the difference if the cost of the new booking is lower; • to request a voucher with a redemption value equal to the amount previously paid for the Booking – the voucher terms and conditions will be available to the Hirer before they make their choice under this clause; or • to obtain a refund of the amount already paid for the Booking (after deducting any administrative charges that apply to a Booking, such as the booking fee). The Hirer will have to contact HLIK in order to access these options. The Hirer will not as a result have any further claims against HLIK or the Owner.

16. PROPERTIES WITH CHARACTER If you choose to holiday in an older property, remember that much of its character and charm is due to its age. Some of our properties are well over 100 years old and were built long before the days of damp proof courses and cavity walls so some may show signs of damp, particularly in long spells of wet weather. The Owner/HLIK will do their best to ensure that the background heating is kept on sufficiently to compensate, even when the Property is empty. Condensation can be alleviated by opening windows and allowing the air to circulate. If you have any concerns, please talk to us at the time of making your Booking. Also, please remember that should traditional property features (steep stairs or low beams, for example) be a problem for any member of your party, you must consider and mention this prior to booking. Please remember that properties in the country do attract spiders and therefore cobwebs. It does not mean that the Property is dirty or has not been cleaned as cobwebs can be spun almost as quickly as they have been cleaned away! Some of our properties, particularly in remote areas, may have a private water supply From a spring or well water, which is regularly tested. In rural areas please be tolerant of the sounds and scents that you may encounter, they are all a part of the countryside experience!

17. COMPLAINT PROCEDURE We aim to provide a high level of customer service and want all of our guests to be completely happy with their holiday. In the unlikely event that you have any issues with your accommodation, please get in touch with us as soon as possible during your stay so that we can do our best to put it right. If the Hirer wishes to make a complaint about anything connected with the hire of the Property, they should contact HLIK as soon as reasonably possible prior to departure. In the event the Hirer does not have phone reception at the location where they are staying, the Hirer must make reasonable efforts to make a call From a nearby public telephone, send us an e-mail or visit our office. HLIK will then either pass the complaint on to the Owner of the Property to deal with or it may consider the complaint and take action to resolve this itself (on behalf of the Owner) as soon as reasonably practicable. Please note that HLIK has the authority to act on the Owner’s behalf to resolve any dispute, but HLIK is not liable if one or both parties are dissatisfied with the outcome. Compensation will not be considered for any complaints that are made after the hire has ended, or where the Hirer has denied HLIK or the Owner the opportunity to investigate, address or remedy the issue during the Hirer’s stay. Neither HLIK or the Owner can accept responsibility or liability for work taking place outside the boundary of the Property, or for noise or nuisance resulting From third party activity over which HLIK or the Owner have no control.

18. DATA PROTECTION HLIK will process your data in accordance with its Privacy Policy which can be found here and its Cookie Policy which can be found here. These policies form part of these terms and conditions so please take the time to read them. The Privacy Policy also details your rights and how to contact HLIK in relation to any data protection queries. At all times your data will be held securely and protected in line with HLIK’s obligations under UK data protection legislation. Your party names and contact details will only be shared with the Owner in order to allow the Owner to manage your holiday and give you the best possible experience. If you request that we pass on supplementary information that you wish to provide to the Owner, for any reason, then we will do so. HLIK will securely hold that information on your behalf as part of your booking record unless you ask us to delete it. Any such information is provided at your sole request and discretion, and HLIK bears no responsibility for its accuracy or contents.

19. OUR LIABILITY As HLIK act only as agents for the Owner, HLIK cannot accept any legal responsibility for any act or neglect on their part or of anyone representing or employed by them. Further, HLIK cannot accept any liability for any problems or faults with or in any Property. The Owner is solely responsible for providing the accommodation and for the safety of all guests. HLIK accepts no responsibility for personal injury to, or death of, any guests, or loss of or consequential loss or damage to their property, or for other matters over which HLIK has no control. Other than in relation to any liability which it is not possible to exclude at law, the Owner’s and HLIK’s liability for any claims arising out of or in relation to the Contract of Hire is limited to the amounts paid by the Hirer pursuant to the Contract of Hire.

20. LEGAL Each of the paragraphs in these terms and conditions operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect. In the event of any dispute between parties it shall be referred to the jurisdiction of the English courts only and any actions shall be heard in the court for the area in which the property is situated. These Booking Conditions supersede any previous issues.

It is important to us to be open and honest with our customers about the way we work . The following Privacy Policy notice is here to explain to you what information we might collect from you, in which way we may use this information, who we may disclose it to and how to access, modify or remove it from our system. We will treat all your Personal Information as confidential (although we reserve the right to disclose this information in the circumstances set out below). We will keep it on a secure server and will fully comply with all applicable UK Data Protection and consumer legislation in place including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Information We Might Collect

In order to bring you the best possible service, we might collect several kinds of information when you navigate on our website:

1. When you shop or register on our website, as appropriate, you may be asked to enter your name, address, email address, phone number or credit card information.
2. We will also hold the delivery address(es) for your orders, the login and password associated with your account and a record of your product selection and actions on our website.
3. If you have request any information, send any emails to our customer service, subscribe to our newsletter or any service, enter a competition, vote for a product or complete feedback, we might also hold your name, address, telephone number, email address and other information such as your age, interests or product preferences.
4. We and our third party providers of advertisements and content may also collect information about where you are on the internet (IP address, domain types like .co.uk and .com, URL you came from), your browser type, the country and telephone area code where your computer is located, the pages of our website that were viewed during your visit, the advertisements you clicked on and any search terms that you entered on our website. We may collect this information even if you do not register with us.
5. We may acquire customer lists from other parties so that we may invite new people to enjoy our site. We acquire only lists of people who have indicated that they are willing to receive email offers. Also, each time we send an email offer, we will provide an opt out option.

You should be aware that this site is being monitored and may capture information about your visit that will help us improve the quality of our service.

How We Use Your Data

We promise to use your personal information in a way that will only contribute to improving our service. For instance, we will never share your personal information with any unconnected third party when not necessary.

In some cases, when we might need to share some of that information with third parties that we would hire to help us develop our services offer, this will be done with the target of improving what we offer you and our other customers. Any of the information we collect from you may be used either:

• • To process your orders
  • To improve our website
  • To administer a contest, promotion, survey or other site feature
  • To improve customer service
  • To improve your navigation experience
  • To send periodic emails, improve our advertisement or notify you of products and offers

We also share order information with our payment provider (Paypal) to process your transaction. Only the relevant information is shared so that the transaction is processed swiftly and securely.

By visiting www.holidayletsinkent.co.uk, you agree that you do not object to us contacting you for any of the above purposes, whether by telephone, e-mail or in writing and you confirm that you do not and will not consider any of the above as being a breach of any of your rights under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.

When you create an account with us, you will be given the option to receive information, products, promotions or special offers from us. In the event that you do not wish to be contacted for such purposes, ensure that you tick the appropriate box as you go through the registration or payment process.

If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, we include detailed unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each email or by emailing us at info@www.holidayletsinkent.co.uk.

Keeping Your Data Safe

We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you place an order or access your personal information.

We offer the use of one of the most powerful security systems and servers on the internet. All supplied sensitive/credit information is transmitted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology and then encrypted into our database to only be accessed by those authorized with special access rights to our systems. Those people are required to keep the information confidential.

Cookies

A cookie is also a small piece of information sent by a website that is saved on your hard drive by your computer browser. It enables the sites or service providers systems to recognise your browser, capture and remember certain information in order to interact with you, improve and personalize your experience. We use cookies to help us remember and process the items in your shopping cart, understand and save your preferences for future visits, keep track of advertisements and compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future. We may contract with third-party service providers to assist us in better understanding our site visitors. These service providers are not permitted to use the information collected on our behalf, except to help us conduct and improve our business.

Cookies do not have access to the hard drive on your computer and cannot be used to spread viruses or access your email address. They only transfer data which you have disclosed to the website.

Will Your Information Be Disclosed To Other Parties?

We totally respect the confidentiality of your personal information. It may be disclosed to other trusted third parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release your information when we believe it is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect our or others rights, property, or safety. You should be aware that if we are requested by the police (or any other regulatory or government authority investigating suspected illegal activities), to provide your Personal Information and/or User Information, we are entitled do so.

However, non-personally identifiable visitor information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses. Because we value your privacy, we have taken the necessary precautions to be in compliance with European GDPR Regulations. We therefore will not distribute your personal information to outside parties without your consent. This online privacy policy applies only to information collected through our website and not to information collected offline.

In the unlikely event that our business assets are sold or purchased by another company, our data records will be sold too as part of our business.

Your Consent​

By using our site, you consent to our Privacy Policy.

Changes To Our Privacy Policy

If we decide to change our Privacy Policy, we will post those changes on this page and/or update the Privacy Policy modification date below. If we decide to change our Privacy Policy, we will post those changes on this page and/or update the Privacy Policy modification date below. This policy was last modified on 19/09/2021.

Contacting Us

If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy you may contact us.

This is the Cookie Policy for Holiday Lets in Kent, accessible from https://www.holidayletsinkent.co.uk

What are cookies

As is common practice with almost all professional websites this site uses cookies, which are tiny files that are downloaded to your computer, to improve your experience. This page describes what information they gather, how we use it and why we sometimes need to store these cookies. We will also share how you can prevent these cookies from being stored however this may downgrade or ‘break’ certain elements of the sites functionality.

How we use cookies

We use cookies for a variety of reasons detailed below. Unfortunately in most cases there are no industry standard options for disabling cookies without completely disabling the functionality and features they add to this site. It is recommended that you leave on all cookies if you are not sure whether you need them or not in case they are used to provide a service that you use.

Disabling Cookies

You can prevent the setting of cookies by adjusting the settings on your browser (see your browser Help for how to do this). Be aware that disabling cookies will affect the functionality of this and many other websites that you visit. Disabling cookies will usually result in also disabling certain functionality and features of the this site. Therefore it is recommended that you do not disable cookies.

The Cookies We Set
Forms related cookies
When you submit data to through a form such as those found on contact pages or comment forms cookies may be set to remember your user details for future correspondence.

Third Party Cookies

In some special cases we also use cookies provided by trusted third parties. The following section details which third party cookies you might encounter through this site.

This site uses Google Analytics which is one of the most widespread and trusted analytics solution on the web for helping us to understand how you use the site and ways that we can improve your experience. These cookies may track things such as how long you spend on the site and the pages that you visit so we can continue to produce engaging content. For more information on Google Analytics cookies, see the official Google Analytics page.

From time to time we test new features and make subtle changes to the way that the site is delivered. When we are still testing new features these cookies may be used to ensure that you receive a consistent experience whilst on the site whilst ensuring we understand which optimisations our users appreciate the most.

More Information

Hopefully that has clarified things for you and as was previously mentioned if there is something that you aren’t sure whether you need or not it’s usually safer to leave cookies enabled in case it does interact with one of the features you use on our site. For more general information on cookies, please read “What Are Cookies“.

However if you are still looking for more information then you can contact us through one of our preferred contact methods:

By visiting this link: www.holidayletsinkent.co.uk/contact-us