Terms & Conditions

1. General

1.1 Barefoot Norfolk Limited T/A Barefoot Retreats is incorporated in England whose registered office is at 30 Market Place, Swaffham, Norfolk, United Kingdom PE37 7QH. Trading address is Church House, Overy Road, Burnham Market, Norfolk, PE31 8HH “Barefoot Retreats”

1.2 Customers renting property through Barefoot Retreats are referred to as “the Guest”

1.3 Barefoot Retreats does not hold any propriety interest in the properties but merely acts as agent for the owners of the property (hereafter referred to as “the Owner”). The rental arrangements are made by Barefoot Retreats on behalf of the Owners and the contractual relationship is directly between the Owners of the property and the Guest.

2. Duration and Times of Rental

2.1 Rentals are for a maximum of 4 weeks and commence at 4pm on the first day of the rental and end at 10am on the day of departure unless otherwise notified. This period hereafter is referred to as “the Holiday”

2.2 The period booked will be stated on the confirmation sent by email to the Guest when they book (the “Booking Confirmation”). The period booked cannot be exceeded unless Barefoot Retreats gives written approval. The Guest will be liable for any cost, of whatever nature, incurred because of an unauthorised extension.

3. Deposits

3.1 If a booking is made eight weeks or more before the Holiday is due to start, a deposit of 30% of the rent is payable. Excluding Kempstone Manor Farm whereby if a booking is made twelve weeks or more before the Holiday is due to start, a deposit of 50% of the rent is payable. If a booking is made for The Railway rooms that is eight weeks or more before the Holiday is due to start, a deposit of 50% of the rent is payable.

3.2 If a booking is made less than eight weeks before the Holiday is due to start, the full rent, plus any additional charges, including a non-refundable Damage Waiver Fee, must be paid at the time of booking, excluding bookings for Kempstone Manor Farm whereby if a booking is made less than twelve weeks before the Holiday is due to start, the full rent, plus any additional charges, including a refundable Cautionary Good Housekeeping Deposit, must be paid at the time of booking.  Please note that some of our larger properties may ask for a refundable Cautionary Good Housekeeping Deposit amount instead, this will be clearly shown and stated when relevant.

3.3 Should Barefoot Retreats not accept or reject a booking request, all sums of money paid by the Guest in relation to the Holiday will be refunded immediately.

3.4 All bookings are subject to a £25.00 booking fee, excluding bookings at The Railway.

3.5 For properties that are subject to the Damage Waiver Policy, there will be a non-refundable damage waiver fee charged at a set amount (defined per property)

4. Final Payment

4.1 Unless otherwise agreed by Barefoot Retreats in writing (and subject to clause 7 below) the price for the Holiday shall be the rent for the property as set out on the Barefoot Retreats website at the time of booking.

4.2 Subject to the Cancellation provision in Clause 5 below, as soon as the booking is received and accepted by Barefoot Retreats and the Guests are in receipt of the Booking Confirmation, the guest is liable for payment of the balance of the rent, along with any additional charges that may be due in relation to the holiday.

4.3 Payment of the rent and additional charges are payable to Barefoot Retreats eight weeks before the start of the Holiday (“the Due Date”), excluding bookings for Kempstone Manor Farm whereby Payment of the rent and additional charges are payable to Barefoot Retreats twelve weeks before the start of the Holiday (“the Due Date”). Non-payment by the Due Date may, at the sole discretion of Barefoot Retreats, be treated as notice of cancellation.

4.4 If payment is not received by the Due Date and in accordance with clause 4.3 above, Barefoot Retreats have treated the non-payment as a cancellation of the Holiday, the Guest will lose their booking and the deposit shall be non-refundable.

4.5 Barefoot Retreats shall not be responsible for sending reminders of the Due Date.

4.6 The dates of the Holiday may be changed providing the property is available for the new dates and the Owners accept the change. In this case, a £35 re-booking fee is payable to Barefoot Retreats.

5. Cancellation

5.1 Once a booking has been confirmed by Barefoot Retreats, the booking can only be changed or cancelled with the written agreement of Barefoot Retreats.

5.2 If as a Guest you wish to cancel the booking, you as the Guest must notify Barefoot Retreats in writing (the “Cancellation Notice”).

5.3 A booking can only be cancelled prior to the start of a letting.

5.4 In the event that a cancellation is made then a cancellation charge is payable depending on the number of days before the Holiday start date that Barefoot Retreats have received the Cancellation Notice. The Cancellation Charge (as a percentage of the rental cost of the holiday) is set out below:
0 to 56 days – 100% of balance required
57 days or more – Deposit retained
For bookings at The Railway the cancellation charge is as follows;
0 – 7 days – 100% of balance required
8 days or more – full refund, excluding the £35 administration fee.
Please note refunds can take up to 30 days to be processed

5.5 In the event of Barefoot Retreats receiving a Cancellation Notice, Barefoot Retreats will re-market the cottage for the cancelled holidays date. In the event of the cottage reselling for the full price, Barefoot will return the deposit or full balance minus a £35 cancellation administration fee. If the property resells for a lesser price, the Guest will be refunded the lesser price minus the £35 administration fee. Guests will receive any refund due, once their original booking date has passed.

5.6 Guest are required to take out cancellation and holiday insurance.

6. Damage Waiver/ Cautionary Good Housekeeping Deposit

6.1 For nearly every property, you will be required to pay a non-refundable Damage Waiver Fee, which is property specific and will be advised to you at the time of booking, as a Waiver to cover accidental damage, loss or loss of rental as a result of the conduct of the guest or members of the guest’s party, dog or any other person authorised to enter the property at the guest’s invitation or authority. Guests are liable for loss and damage caused to the owners’ property and contents to the full value of the owners’ loss even though the value of the loss exceeds the damage deposit.

6.2 If the selected property is not covered by a Damage Waiver Fee, you will be required at the time of making your final payment to provide us with a Cautionary Good Housekeeping Deposit of cleared funds, which is property specific and will be advised to you at the time of booking, as a deposit to cover accidental damage, loss or loss of rental as a result of the conduct of the guest or members of the guest’s party, dog or any other person authorised to enter the property at the guest’s invitation or authority. Please note this payment is returned within 5 working days of your departure. Guests are liable for loss and damage caused to the owners’ property and contents to the full value of the owners’ loss even though the value of the loss exceeds the damage deposit. For any damages whilst staying at The Railway, an additional night charge would be applied. Please note that this is dependent on bedroom booked.

For more information regarding the Damage Waiver Policy please click here.

At Barefoot Retreats, we are extremely privileged to be able to offer our guests the chance to stay in some of the most beautiful and individual private homes in North Norfolk. We do our utmost to acknowledge all damage to our properties, however, please be aware that any damage found on your arrival must be reported to the Office at your earliest convenience. If damage is present after your departure that has not been reported, you will be liable for this. We completely appreciate that accidents can happen, however we would be grateful if we are always made aware.

7. Price changes

Barefoot Retreats reserves the right to amend prices on the website due to errors or omissions, but such charges shall be notified to the Guest as soon as possible and the Guest shall be able to cancel the booking if the amended prices is significantly higher than the original price quoted.

8. Method of Payment

Payments may be made by electronic bank transfer, debit card or credit card. Cheques are accepted in extenuating circumstances and by arrangement and should be made payable to Barefoot Norfolk Limited. Any charges raised against Barefoot Retreats by their bank for handling dishonoured cheques, bank transfers or any other payments will be passed onto the Guest who is liable to reimburse Barefoot Retreats.

9. The Guests Obligations

9.1 To pay for any losses or damages to the property and contents caused by The Guest or a member of their party (reasonable wear and tear excluded) and inform Barefoot Retreats immediately so items can be replaced or repaired prior to the arrival of future Guests.

9.2 To take good care of the property and leave it in a clean and tidy condition at the end of the Holiday, with exception of linen to be laundered. A cleaning service is not provided during the holiday unless otherwise specified. Should the Owner or Barefoot Retreats be dissatisfied with the condition of the property upon the guests’ departure, the additional cleaning will be charged at £25 per hour and will be claimed from the Damage Waiver or taken from the Cautionary Good Housekeeping Deposit (property dependent).

9.3 On departure all windows and doors must be checked and securely locked. Keys must be returned to the key safe and the key safe locked properly. In the event that keys are not returned, then a charge will be incurred by you, the Guest to cover locksmith costs to change locks and replace keys.

9.4 To permit the Owners and Barefoot Retreats reasonable access to the property.

9.5 Not to part with possession of the property, or share it, except with members of the party shown on the Booking Form. All Guests at the property must be notified to Barefoot Retreats at the time of booking.

9.6 Not to sell or transfer the booking to another party without Barefoot Retreats agreement.

9.7 Not to exceed the total number of people stipulated in the property description – a cot may only be occupied by a child aged 24 months or less.

9.8 Not to cause an annoyance or become a nuisance to occupants of adjoining or neighbouring premises.

9.9 Not to smoke, vape or use an e-cigarette at any Barefoot Retreats property. Smoking/vaping/e-cigarettes are only permitted off-premises. Please ensure that all cigarette butts and ash are cleared and disposed of, by you, the guest, before departure.

9.10 The use of candles in the property is strictly prohibited.

9.11 Ensure that you, the guest, read and adhere to the fire safety information in the property house book upon your arrival.

9.12 Must not use a property’s electricity supply to charge any electric vehicles, unless the property has a specific EV charging point.

10. Liability

10.1 Barefoot Retreats will not be liable for any act, neglect or default on the part of the Owners or any other person not within their employ or otherwise under their control, nor for any accident, damage, loss, injury, expense or inconvenience, whether to person or property, which the Guest or any other person may suffer or incur arising out of, or in any way connected with, the rental unless Barefoot Retreats is responsible. In addition, the Owners and Barefoot Retreats accept no liability for loss of, or damage to the Guest’s possessions on the Owners property or land.

10.2 Nothing in these clauses excludes or limits the liability of Barefoot Retreats or the Owners: For death or personal injury caused by Barefoot Retreats or the Owners negligence. For any matter which it would be illegal for Barefoot Retreats or the Owners to excluded or attempt to excluded their liability.

11. Personal Belongings

If the Guest, or any members of your party leave any personal belongings behind at the property after departure, the Guest will be charged the cost of postage and packaging and an admin fee to have them returned. Any items found by the servicing company responsible for the property will be disposed of within 30 days if not claimed. All perishable foods will automatically be disposed of at the time of the changeover.

12. Pets

12.1 Pets are only permitted with the prior written consent of Barefoot Retreats and the Owners and where pets are permitted at certain properties: they are to be kept under control and exercised off the premises.

12.2 Pets are not permitted in the bedrooms or on the furniture and neither Barefoot Retreats nor the Owners can accept responsibility for their safety. Pets must not be left in the property unsupervised as this can result in considerable damage to the property and distress to the pet. An additional housekeeping charge typically of £25 or £50 (dependant upon the property) per week or short break will be made for each pet.

12.3 Where a property does not accept pets, Barefoot Retreats or the Owners cannot guarantee that there have been no pets previously kept at the property.

12.4 Any fouling of lawns, paths or outside surfaces shall be cleared up without delay, by the Guest. Failure to do this will result in additional charges being made which will not be claimed from the Damage Waiver and will not be recovered from the Cautionary Good Housekeeping Deposit (property dependent).

12.5 Please do not take pets to properties where Barefoot Retreats and the Owners have stated that pets are not permitted.

13. Non-availability of Property

If for any reason beyond the Owners control the property is not available on the date booked (owing, for example, to flood damage) all rent and charges paid in advance by the guest will be refunded. Please note that refunds may take up to 30 days to be processed.

14. Group Bookings

Barefoot Retreats reserves the right to refuse a booking from a) all male or all female parties of more than six people or b) groups of three or more single people under the age of 18, especially during Hunstanton Tennis Week which takes place in August of each year.

15. The Holiday

The Guest has the right to occupy the property for a holiday only (within the meaning of schedule 1, paragraph 9 of the Housing Act 1988). The letting does not confer a short hold tenancy or give rise to a relationship of Landlord and Tenant.

16. Complaints

16.1 All complaints must be notified to Barefoot Retreats as soon as reasonably practicable, as Barefoot Retreats may be required to carry out an on-the-spot investigation and if necessary, request the Owner to take remedial action. Guests have a legal obligation to mitigate their loss.

16.2 If Barefoot Retreats or the Owners are denied the opportunity of investigating the complaint within a reasonable time or denied the opportunity to put matters right during the Holiday, then the Guest will waive all rights. All complaints relating to the cleanliness of the property should be reported within two hours of entry to the property.

17. Breach of Contract

17.1 If there is a breach of any of these clauses by the Guest or any of their party, the Owners or Barefoot Retreats reserve the right to re-enter the property and end the Holiday and ask the Guest and their party to leave.

17.2 If there is a breach of any of these conditions by Barefoot Retreats or the Owners, then the Guests have the right to end the Holiday and leave.

17.3 Ending the Holiday by Barefoot Retreats, the Owner or the Guest does not affect that party’s other rights and remedies.

18. Data and Privacy

18.1 In making a booking we will ask for personal information such as your name, postal address, email address, telephone number and payment details. We may use the data to inform you about news and information we think may be of interest to you. We will not pass your information onto any third parties for the purposes of administration. By booking with us you are deemed to have consented to the use of personal information for this purpose.

18.2 Barefoot Retreats is committed to protecting your privacy. We will only use the information that we collect about you lawfully, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

19. Governing Law

Barefoot Retreats, the Owner and the Guest, agree that the law applying to this Contract will be English law and that we agree that the jurisdiction of the English Courts shall apply in any dispute or claim arising out of this agreement.

Updated 25th September 2023