Booking terms and conditions

Please read the following booking terms and conditions carefully. Your booking and payment for your short-term holiday rental constitutes acceptance of these.

Contract

The contract for a short-term holiday rental shall be made between you, the client(s), and Pittenweem Properties Ltd, as agents acting on behalf of the proprietor(s) of the individual properties. The Contract is only effective once the transaction has been approved by us via email or by telephone, the required payment has been received, and confirmation has been sent to you, the client(s).

Bookings and payment

Bookings can be made via our online booking system or by telephone if preferred.

When submitting a booking, you will be provided with details of the total rental costs for your chosen property on your selected dates. This will include a non-refundable booking fee of £25.00. A deposit of 25% of the rental, plus the booking fee, will be due at the time of booking. The balance of the rental, plus any supplement (dog fee, any add-ons etc.), is payable four weeks prior to arrival. At this time, a £100 Refundable Security Deposit (see conditions below) will also be charged. For bookings made fewer than four weeks in advance, the total amount is payable at the time of booking. Provisional bookings can only be held up to 48 hours, and will be cancelled if not confirmed within this time.

Payment methods

• On-line bookings—we accept most standard credit and debit cards, the use of which incurs no charge.
• Bank transfers (BACS)—please call or email us for details if you wish to make a BACS payment.
• By telephone—we can accept card payments by telephone.
• Cheques—cheque payments are also acceptable, payable to Pittenweem Properties Ltd. Please contact us for the postal address to send cheques to. Please include your name, holiday home address and arrival date on the reverse of the cheque.
• Cash—please do not send cash in the post.

Cancellation

We strongly advise all guests to ensure that they have adequate holiday/travel insurance in the event that you need to cancel your booking.

Any cancellation made by you, the client(s), for whatever reason, must be in writing or by email.
We will make every effort to re-let the property for the whole period of the booking. If we are successful in re-letting the property for the whole period, we will refund the rental paid, less the booking fee and an administrative charge of £25 per booking.

If we are able to re-let the property for part of the period booked, we will refund an amount equal to the monies paid less the rental for the period that is not re-let and less the booking fee and an administrative charge of £25 per booking.

If we are unable to re-let the property before the final payment is due, you, the client(s) still remain liable for the final payment on the due date as indicated in the Payment section.

If we are successful in re-letting the property for the whole or part of the period of the booking after you, the client(s), has made the final payment, you will be reimbursed in accordance with the refund conditions above.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the accommodation you reserve is suitable for your party.

Please check before booking that the accommodation will be suitable for you (e.g. any medical conditions, disabled access, sleeping arrangements, location etc.). Any changes or cancellations will be subject to the normal cancellation policy. No changes or refunds can be made on arrival and you will be liable for the full cost of accommodation booked.

COVID

As covid is a known event and therefore no longer an extenuating circumstance, our booking terms and conditions will be applied to any bookings which require to be cancelled due to coronavirus related reasons.

We strongly advise guests to obtain relevant travel insurance for their party.

Any bookings affected by Government imposed lockdowns which prevent us from hosting guests would be offered alternative dates within a 12 month window (additional costs may apply if re-booked for a different season) or refunded if no suitable alternative can be found.

Rental period

Your booking will commence from 4pm on the booked arrival day, and terminates at 10am on the arranged departure day. We will contact you prior to arrival regarding entry arrangements and you will be met at the property or provided with a keycode for self check in.

Whilst we do our best to accommodate early check-ins, these are strictly by prior arrangement and cannot be guaranteed.

We reserve the right to charge a late check-out fee for guests who have not vacated the property by 10am on the departure day. Any requests for a late check-out must be made at least 24 hours prior to departure date and will incur an extended check-out fee of £20 per hour (maximum two hours). Extended check-outs are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed. Where an extended checkout has not been authorised, our changeover teams are permitted to enter the property from 10am to allow preparation for the next booking.

Short-term lets licence

All properties comply with the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022 passed by the Scottish Government in January 2022.

When made available, all property pages will display their short-term lets licence number. (Applications must be submitted by 1 October 2023.)

See Fife Council for more details.

Occupancy

The number of guests permitted must not exceed that of the occupancy set out on our website and online listings. Guests are not permitted to bring airbeds or similar and sofas must not be used as a bed unless advertised as a sofa bed. Any child aged two and over counts towards the occupancy; infants under two and sleeping in a travel cot do not count towards the occupancy. Guests found to be exceeding the occupancy limits will have their booking terminated and be required to vacate the property.

Looking after the rental property

We take pride in ensuring that each rental is maintained to a high standard and want every guest to fully enjoy their stay. We appreciate your cooperation in looking after the home that you have rented.

You, the client(s), are responsible for ensuring that the property is left in as close to a condition that it was in on your arrival. Used towels should be placed in the bathroom. We respectfully ask that towels are not used to remove make up. Any towels/linens requiring replaced due to being unreasonably soiled by make-up will be charged for accordingly.

All refuse should be responsibly disposed of, specific instructions are provided in each property.

All members of your group must enter and leave the property in a way that does not disturb/upset our neighbours and must be respectful of the community in which you are staying.

Any damages must be reported as soon as possible. We appreciate that accidents happen but in order to make sure everything is ready for future guests we require your support in reporting any breakages. Should you be able to replace a broken item, please do let us know for our records. Any damages not reported will be replaced with the cost deducted from your security deposit.

If you find anything not to be working as it should during your stay, please do let us know. We will aim to have repairs carried out within 48 hours where possible or a replacement provided.

We cannot be held liable for breakdown of any facility beyond our reasonable control nor for misuse or negligence by you, the client’s, use of equipment.

Keys must be returned to the keybox on departure as requested. A fee of £35 will be retained from the security deposit for keys which are not returned. If keys have been lost, you, the client(s), must advise us immediately. If the locks require to be changed, you, the client(s) will be liable for the costs.

Refundable security deposit

A Refundable Security Deposit is applicable to all bookings and is held in case of breakages, loss or damage to items, or any excess cleaning or refuse disposal required at the end of occupancy. This, minus any costs incurred, will be refunded to the card you used to make the balance payment, or via BACS payment (as applicable), within 7 working days of departure. If you are able to replace any broken items, please let us know before you leave. Any lost property will be held for a maximum of seven days. Guests are responsible for arranging courier collection from our office in Anstruther. As there is no post office in Anstruther (where our office is located) we cannot arrange to post items on your behalf.

Recycling and refuse disposal

Please use the bins provided at the property and follow the instructions within each house folder. We appreciate guests’ support in recycling where possible. All bins within the property must be emptied before departure. Should there be excess refuse, you, the client(s), are responsible for disposing of this at the nearest recycling facility (location details provided within the property). Bins which do not close will not be collected by the council. A £10 fee will be charged for removal of excess waste. There is no glass collection within Fife Council. You, the client(s), must remove all glass bottles to the nearest glass recycling point in the village at the end of their stay. Any glass not removed will be charged a £10 fee.

Pets

Many of our properties are pet friendly and this will be clearly indicated on the property description. If you intend to bring a pet, this must be advised prior to your arrival day. A £20 fee per pet per stay will be charged (maximum two pets unless otherwise agreed). Pets must have their own crate/bed, and are not to be left unattended within the property. Pets must not be permitted on the furniture and are strictly prohibited from being allowed on or in beds. All outdoor areas must be foul free on departure. The pet fee covers any additional cleaning required, but we reserve the right to retain an additional fee from the security deposit if we have reason to believe the above conditions have not been adhered to.

Infant equipment

We are able to provide one high chair and one travel cot per property for no additional charge but these must be requested in advance. Bedding for the travel cot can be provided at the cost of £5 and must be requested in advance.

Smoking

All of our properties are STRICTLY NO SMOKING or VAPING and should we have reason to believe there has been any smoking within the property, an additional cleaning charge will be retained from the security deposit. Any guests smoking in the outdoor areas must remove all traces of smoking in a responsible way.

Fuel

Your rental includes the provision of heating and hot water. Where properties have wood burning stoves and open fires, a starter pack of logs/kindling will be provided (October-March inclusive) but clients are expected to purchase more as required. This can be ordered in advance through our website or we can advise on local places to source this. We respectfully ask that you do not waste electricity/heating by switching appliances off when not required. Most properties have smart meters now and fuel consumption can be monitored.

Charging of electric vehicles is strictly prohibited. There is not a vehicle charging point at the property and use of extension cables from the property for external charging is not permitted for insurance purposes. Details of the nearest charging points is provided within pre-arrival documentation.

Wi-Fi internet access

Where Wi-Fi/broadband is provided, this is for recreational purposes, and is not meant for business use. This service cannot be guaranteed at all times (subject to third party service providers) and the speed may vary depending on the package obtained by the owner. Neither the owner nor Pittenweem Properties Ltd will be held responsible, nor will compensation be given, as a consequence of loss of service or slow speed. Use of internet must be in line with family / parental protocols and all online activity and downloads will be the responsibility of you, the client(s).

Personal injury and loss of client(s) property

You, the client(s), or members of your party, cannot hold the proprietor(s) or Pittenweem Properties Ltd responsible for injury sustained, or the loss or damage to any belongings, during your stay. The proprietor(s) accept no liability for accident, injury, loss or damage sustained by any client(s), their family, visitors, animals, vehicles or personal effects, however caused.

Circumstances beyond our control

If, for any reason beyond our reasonable control, a property is not available or has been rendered unsuitable for holiday letting on the date booked, we will endeavour to offer alternate accommodation of an equal standard and size or offer alternate dates. If this is not possible, we will offer a refund of all monies paid by the client. There shall be no further claim against the proprietor(s) or Pittenweem Properties Ltd.

Should you have cause for complaint during your stay, please advise us immediately, and we will endeavour to rectify this. It is difficult to investigate complaints of any nature once you, the client(s), have returned home. Regrettably, therefore, it is unlikely that complaints can be accepted and investigated at the end of the rental period, or after you have departed.

Additional terms and conditions

In addition to the terms and conditions stated here, there may be specific terms and conditions which apply to the individual properties we manage. These will be prominently displayed in the Property Information Folders (or equivalent) within the properties, and constitute part of these general terms and conditions.

These terms and conditions supersede any terms and conditions applied by any third party booking sites.

EPC ratings

EPC stands for Energy Performance Certificate.

An EPC is a document that shows how energy efficient a property is. It is based on a scale from A to G, where A is the most efficient and G is the least efficient.

• A: 92–100 (Most efficient)
• B: 81–91
• C: 69–80
• D: 55–68
• E: 39–54
• F: 21–38
• G: 1–20 (Least efficient)

An EPC rating reflects how much energy a property consumes per square meter per year, as well as how much carbon dioxide it emits.

EPC ratings are based on the cost of energy for heating, hot water, lighting and ventilation, calculated based on standardised assumptions.