Rental Agreement

We welcome guests from all over the world to our beautiful part of Scotland. If you’ve never rented a holiday cottage before, you may have a few questions. We’ve tried to list all the things we think you’ll need to know.

Included in the cottage rental

The rental price includes self-catering accommodation at your chosen cottage, lodge or holiday home. Also included is electricity and electric heating (all unless otherwise stated), pillows, linen and duvet. Some cottages have wood burning stoves and log burning fires. Full details on what is included re fuel are in the individual cottage descriptions.

Not included in the cottage rental

Your rental price is for self-catering accommodation only. Some cottages include towels, some don’t but you will find these details in the individual property information.

When leaving the cottage… please…

• The General Rule of self-catering is to leave the property as you found it.

• Leave the property in a clean condition.

• Switch off all lights as you leave.

• Please strip your beds and put all bed linen in the bags provided in each bedroom.

• Wash and put away all dishes and pots. If there is a dishwasher – empty the dishwasher

• Bag and dispose of all rubbish in the appropriate re-cycle wheelie bin. Do not over fill the bin as the collectors will not empty if the bin lid does not close.

• Report any breakages or damages and pay for accordingly.

• Remember to leave the keys!

Number of beds

The number of beds stated in the cottage description indicates the maximum number of people allowed to stay in that cottage at any one time. This number includes standard beds as well as extra beds such as sofa beds and put-u-ups. For example, a cottage that sleeps up to 8 people, may be listed as 6+2, i.e., 6 standard beds, plus 2 extra beds on a sofa bed. The number of bedrooms provided is listed separately to avoid confusion. You can of course have less than the maximum number of people staying in any cottage, but the price will always stay the same. Please read individual cottage descriptions carefully to check the exact bedding arrangements in your chosen cottage.

Short breaks

Some cottages only accept full week bookings, but many are happy to allow short breaks all year round. The availability of short breaks in the peak holiday periods may change at the discretion of the owner. Prices are provided for short breaks (where available) by our automated booking system. Minimum stay is usually 3 nights.

Start and end days

Weekly rentals usually start and end on a Saturday. Contact us if you would like to arrive on another day. For short breaks we offer a flexible approach with our guests so many properties allow arrivals on any day.

Arrival and departure times

The check-in and check-out times vary from cottage to cottage, although the check-in time is usually from 16.00 (4pm) and check-out is usually at 10.00am. When you make your booking, the check-in and check-out times will be stated in your booking confirmation. If you need an earlier arrival or a later departure time, this may be possible, we can ask the cottage owner on your behalf. Such changes are not always feasible, particularly in high season or at Christmas and New Year.

Key collection

The method of key collection varies from cottage to cottage. Some cottages have designated key collection points such as an office or the cottage owner’s home. Other cottages have external key boxes accessed by a pin-code. At some cottages, the owners or cottage caretakers will meet you at the cottage upon your arrival. Once we have received your full rental payment, we will provide you with clear key collection details.

Smoking

Smoking is strictly prohibited in all of our properties, as they are frequently visited by young children and those who suffer from allergies. If you want to smoke you will need to go outdoors. Please dispose of all cigarettes carefully in outdoor bins and do not litter the cottage surrounds. If customers are found to have smoked inside the holiday property at any time, then they will be liable for additional cleaning charges.

Pets

Some cottage owners accept pets, provided that they are well-behaved and fully house-trained. Some cottage owners do not accept pets at all. Please read the cottage descriptions carefully and note that some cottage owners choose to charge extra for pets. If customers bring their pets, the customer is expected to clear away all pet waste from the property grounds, keep pets off the furniture, out of the bedrooms and never leave them unattended on the property unless they are in a suitable crate.

Booking confirmation

After making your booking, we will confirm that we have reserved your chosen cottage, subject to receiving your deposit or full rental payment. If you choose to pay by bank transfer, we will also send you payment instructions. Upon receipt of your deposit or full rental payment, we will provide you with your final booking details, which will include the full cottage address, maps, driving instructions in English, key collection details and contact details for the owners or cottage caretakers.

Access by public transport

Most of our cottages are located in secluded, naturally beautiful locations, away from public transport routes, so a car will be essential or highly recommended. It is often possible to get to the nearest town by plane, train or coach and then to hire a car for the final stretch of the journey. It is possible to arrive in some locations by public transport so talk to us to make sure you find a suitable place to stay.

Travelling with young children

A travel cot and high chair can often be provided by prior arrangement. Please check the cottage description carefully and remember to reserve a cot and/or high chair at the time of booking.

Internet Access

Mobile phone reception is generally available but not all providers cover rural Argyll. Please check with your service provider before your holiday to check that your mobile phone will operate in your chosen location. Some cottages also offer wireless internet access and where this is available it will be included in the description. Wi-Fi: In the event of any failure of this service where the problem originates elsewhere, or is an area problem or a service provider problem the owner will work with the wi-fi provider to restore service. No compensation is payable in the event of this service failing, being unavailable or too slow.

The small print

Please read our Booking Conditions