Commercial services terms & conditions

Holiday accommodation terms and conditions

If you make a booking, these booking terms and conditions are deemed to be accepted by you.

1. To be eligible to make a booking, you must be aged over 18 years.

2. By submitting a booking to us, you confirm that you and the guests agree to these booking terms and you will pay us all amounts due in respect of the deposit and total charges.

3. Please note that no rental contract creates any type of landlord and tenant relationship. A rental contract only creates a temporary licence to occupy. The contract confers on you a right to occupy the accommodation for a holiday only and, in terms of section 12 (schedule 4, paragraph 8) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1988 is not an ‘assured tenancy’.

Confirming your booking

4. Provided we have successfully processed your deposit (and any other payment, if required) and the property is available for the holiday period, we will send you an email (confirming your booking together with a link to these booking terms and other details relating to your booking. We call this the Booking Confirmation. Please note that you must check your emails regularly. If we do not hear from you within 24 hours of sending, we will take it to mean you are happy with these details.

5. Please check all the details in your Booking Confirmation promptly after receiving the Booking Confirmation and notify us as soon as possible, and in all cases within 24 hours of receipt of your Booking Confirmation, if you think there are any mistakes or errors with your booking. If you notice that it is you who has made a mistake, we may be able to amend your booking but you could incur additional costs. If we have made a mistake with your booking or if it contains any errors that are our fault, you will need to contact us with 24 hours of receipt of your Booking Confirmation to confirm your correct booking details to us. We can then reissue your Booking Confirmation. You will not incur any additional costs for this.

When we may cancel after a Booking Confirmation and costs involved

6. Even after we have sent you the Booking Confirmation, we, on behalf of the Owner, have the right to cancel a booking where we reasonably believe that:

• the booking is not legitimate
• you have broken, or are likely to break, any of the booking terms relating to a previous or current booking
• any information you have supplied is incorrect or insufficient
• you have behaved in an inappropriate, abusive or unlawful manner to us

If we cancel your booking in any of these circumstances, we will tell you in writing and we will not have any further responsibility to you.

7. We may also have the right to cancel a booking after we have sent you the Booking Confirmation, where the Owner notifies us that the property is unavailable for your intended holiday. If this occurs, we shall refund you the deposit and/or rental charges that you have already paid for the booking.

Descriptions of our properties

8. We make every effort to ensure that the descriptions relating to the properties are accurate and complete, including photos, facilities and occupancy. If we discover a serious mistake or error relating to this information, we will use reasonable efforts to correct this and will contact you if that information relates to a booking that you have already made.

9. The maximum occupancy in the property listing is the maximum occupancy allowed to stay at the property under all circumstances.

Wi-Fi and phone reception

10. We cannot guarantee the speed of any broadband at the property (or what you will be able to download or stream whilst there). If the description of the property does not state that Wi-Fi is included, it is not. Please be aware that internet and phone reception in rural areas can sometimes be poor.

Charges and payment

11. Before submitting your booking to us, you will be presented with or told the total charges payable for your booking, together with a partial breakdown of the total charges such as deposit and balance.

12. The deposit, which is 20% of the total amount payable, becomes non-refundable once your booking is confirmed by us with a Booking Confirmation. A 20% deposit is required within 24 hours to secure the booking. If you are paying a deposit rather than the entire total charges when making your booking, you will also be presented with the date by which you will need to make payment to us for the balance.

13. The balance is due 8 weeks before the start of the holiday, without further reminder from the Trust. The Trust reserves the right to declare the contract void, the deposit forfeit should the balance not have been received within the time limit and, further, to claim the balance of rent if the accommodation is not re-let. Please note that we may (but are not obliged to) contact you via the contact details you provide us with to remind you of the due date for payment of the balance. You should also take note of when the balance is due for your own reference.

14. If the date the balance would normally fall due for your booking has already passed, we will ask you at the time of the booking to pay the balance too. We currently accept various forms of payment including credit and debit cards, and Bacs.

15. You will be responsible for all guests staying at the property and the things they do (and do not do) during the holiday period. Properties may not be sub-let.

Pets and extra charges

16. Pets are only allowed at a property where this is expressly stated in the applicable property description.

17. You will be responsible for all damage caused by your and/or your guests’ pets. For any pets allowed in the property, you should remove all traces (inside and outside) from the property of pet occupation before you and your guests vacate the property at the end of the holiday period.

18. We may make an additional, reasonable charge for professional cleaning after your holiday period due to any pets that have stayed at the property where the guest has not cleaned up after the pet.

19. You must not allow pets on beds or on furniture within the property.

20. Pets must not be left alone in the property (which includes the garden and any outside areas) at any time.

21. Registered assistance dogs are allowed in all holiday properties, even where the property description states that pets are not allowed. You must notify us of the intended presence of any assistance dogs before booking so that we may make the Owner aware of this.

22. If you or your guests have an allergy to animals, please be aware that we and Owners cannot guarantee that an assistance dog, or other animals, have not stayed in a particular property recently. We, and the Owners, cannot accept responsibility for any health condition which may occur as a result of any animals having been present in a property. It is your responsibility to make specific enquiries before making a booking through us if you or your guests have an allergy.

Smoking

23. Smoking is not permitted inside any of our properties.

Amending a booking after the Booking Confirmation

24. If you would like to amend your booking after the Booking Confirmation, please contact us directly. There will be a £35 administration fee for amending a booking after the Booking Confirmation. Amendments cannot be made within 8 weeks of the booking date.

Cancellation and refunds

25. Cancellations made 6 months or more away from the start date of the holiday are eligible for a refund of payment excluding any deposit and a £35 admin fee. Cancellations made between 6 months and 6 weeks of the start date of the holiday are eligible for a refund of 75% of payment excluding deposit and a £35 admin fee. Cancellations made within 6 weeks of the start date are not eligible for any refund and are liable for payment in full.

Complaints procedure

26. If you have any issues during your visit, in the first instance please contact the ‘duty’ phone number which is set out in the welcome pack in the property. Should you wish to make a complaint, these should be marked FAO Head of Holidays, and sent via email to holidays@nts.org.uk

Events outwith our control/Force majeure leading to cancellation

27. We have a right to end the rental contract and cancel your booking if an event occurs beyond our reasonable control (ie an Unexpected Event). Examples of Unexpected Events include any law, guidance or action taken by a national or local government or public authority or any consequences of them; a fire or accident; epidemic or pandemic; act of God, flood, adverse weather conditions or other natural disaster; or any other event of any nature which prevents or is likely to prevent you and your guests from staying at the property for some or all of the holiday period.

28. If an Unexpected Event happens that results in your booking or rental contract being cancelled by us, you may select one of the following alternative options as part of our booking services under our booking contract with you. We will try and help arrange alternative accommodation for you and your guests of an equivalent type and standard in a similar location. However, we will not be responsible for any costs associated with arranging alternative accommodation, and arranging this may be subject to the payment of additional charges by you if the total charges for the alternative are higher than those actually available to you under the cancelled booking. We will always get your approval in advance of arranging any alternative accommodation and notify you of the additional costs; or we will refund you the rental charges.

Insurance

29. You are strongly advised to take out travel insurance with a reputable provider before booking to cover your booking. Any insurance should ideally cover you for the total cost of your booking. It is your responsibility to check that your insurance cover is sufficient for your own purposes and any likely risks that may affect you or your holiday.

Personal belongings and injury

30. You acknowledge that personal belongings and vehicles (together with their contents) belonging to you and your guests are left at the property entirely at your and their own risk. We accept no liability for any loss, damage or injury to you or your guests, or your or their personal property during the holiday period, except to the extent such loss, damage or injury is caused by our negligence.

31. Please ensure that you take all reasonable care in the use of the property and its contents including the security of the property. You will report any damages as soon as they occur. The Trust reserves the right to charge for all repairs, losses or replacements necessitated by the negligent act or omission of any of your party, guests or invitees.

32. Many of our properties include collections of significant historic value and we respectfully ask that you are considerate of this.

Events e-ticket terms and conditions of use

The possession of the ticket shall constitute acceptance by the holder of these terms and conditions. If the ticket is used in breach of these terms and conditions it will be void and the holder may be refused entry to or ejected from the venue.

1. Please bring your reference number and the credit/debit card you used to make the purchase to the event. We ask that the cardholder presents the card that the tickets were booked on as identification. Any other forms of i.d. or letters of authorisation are taken at your own risk and may result in entry being refused to the event.

2. If you lose your reference number please supply your full name and address details using our contact form and this will be re-issued.

3. Once purchased, tickets cannot be transferred, exchanged, refunded or returned unless the event is cancelled, moved to another date, or if details of the event are significantly changed after an order is placed (significant changes being a change of performance or artist (concerts only), venue or date of the show).

4. In the event of the cancellation of an event by an organiser/promoter including a cancellation due to circumstances beyond the National Trust for Scotland’s (NTS) control, NTS will only refund the face value of the ticket. No further claims will be considered. NTS will use its reasonable endeavours to contact purchasers either by phone, email or in writing (using the details provided at the time of ordering) and advise them to return the tickets. Please note, however, it is the customer's responsibility to check whether the event is going ahead at the scheduled date, time and venue, and NTS cannot guarantee that they will inform the customer of any changes to the event date, time or venue.

5. If an event is moved from its advertised venue and / or the date is changed, tickets already purchased may remain valid should the customer wish to attend the revised event. If not, NTS will refund the face value of the tickets. No further claims will be considered. NTS will use its reasonable endeavours to notify all purchasers by phone, email or in writing (using the details provided at the time of ordering) to advise on the validity of the tickets and the procedure for obtaining a refund. Refund requests will usually be accepted up until 1 week prior to the revised event, or 3 days after notification of the change (whichever is the later) unless otherwise notified. In the event of a change at short notice (within 1 week of the event) NTS will use its reasonable endeavours to notify purchasers of the conditions that apply, and offer a refund if these are not agreeable. Please note, however, it is the customer's responsibility to check whether the event is going ahead at the scheduled date, time and venue, and NTS cannot guarantee that they will inform the customer of any changes to the event date, time or venue.

6. If NTS is unable to fulfil an order for any of the reasons below the customer will be entitled to a full refund (but, for the avoidance of doubt, no further compensation) : NTS do not despatch your e-ticket and do not arrange for entry to the event on production of valid ID. NTS despatch the incorrect e-ticket e.g. for the wrong event / wrong type of tickets. Any other similar circumstances where NTS has acted with negligence or where we may have acted in breach of contract

7. A duplicate e-ticket and reference will only be issued if sufficient details are supplied using our contact form, these being name, full address and method of payment.

8. Customers are advised to check their e-ticket upon receipt.

9. It is the responsibility of the customer to inform NTS of any change of address, contact phone number or email address, both before and after receipt of the e-ticket. Please note that our preferred method of contact for customers booking online is by email, so care should be taken to provide a current, valid email address.

10. The NTS or venue management or the event promoter reserve the right to refuse admission to any person and to remove persons from the venue for any reason where necessary including, without prejudice to the foregoing generality, health and safety, environmental and security concerns and the NTS or venue management or the event promoter may from time to time and at their sole discretion carry out security searches and you agree to these searches being carried out. NTS would advise customers that no refunds will be offered to customers who are refused entry or ejected from a property or venue for reasons including late arrival, declining to be searched if appropriate, abusive, threatening, drunken or other antisocial behaviour (including smoking in no smoking areas), causing a nuisance, carrying offensive weapons or illegal substances, or making unauthorised audio, video or photographic recordings.

11. In the interests of public safety the NTS or the venue management or event promoter reserves the right to request you to leave the venue at any time for safety reasons or immediately after the event.

12. By ordering you agree that the e-tickets are for the personal use of you and your party only, and will not be resold or transferred. Any ticket re-sold or transferred will become void and the holder will be refused admission or ejected from the venue. Any resale or attempt to resell the tickets at a price higher than purchased will result in your orders being cancelled without prior notification. No tickets may be used for commercial and/or promotional purposes (such as competitions, promotions or hospitality packages) without the prior written consent of NTS.

13. If a customer orders more tickets than the maximum allowed, as indicated during the booking process, we reserve the right to cancel the order. The maximum applies per person/card/household.

14. In order to prevent fraud and to protect both parties, you may be asked to provide information relating to your booking at the point of entry so that we can verify your purchase. We reserve the right to cancel any order that further to investigation we deem to be possibly of a fraudulent nature.

15. This ticket is issued subject to the rules and regulations of the venue management, the venue, and any relevant licensing authority.

16. Admission to the venue is at the ticket-holder’s own risk. Neither the NTS nor the venue, venue management, nor event promoter shall be liable for any loss, damage, or injury sustained within the premises except for death or injury which is caused by the negligence of NTS, the venue, the venue management, the event promoter or their employees or agents.

17. Neither the NTS nor the venue, venue management, nor event promoter accept responsibility for property lost, stolen, or damaged at the venue.

18. Unauthorised photography or use of recording equipment is prohibited. No audio, visual or cinematographic equipment or device shall be brought into the venue. All recording and any transmission is prohibited. As a condition of entry you hereby assign (by way of present assignation of future copyright) the copyright in any photographs or recordings that you make at the event in breach of this prohibition to the NTS.

19. Knives, flags, fireworks, smoke canisters, weapons, banners, poles, umbrellas, and similar articles or dangerous or hazardous articles are not permitted within the venue, and any person in possession of any such articles may be refused entry or ejected.

20. Any person who refuses to comply with instructions from a steward or other person acting for the venue management and/or NTS may be ejected from the venue.

21. No animals (other than assistance dogs) or babes in arms will be admitted to the venue.

22. This ticket shall remain the property of NTS at all times.

23. Ticket holders acknowledge that their actual or simulated likeness may be reproduced in connection with the production, exhibition, advertising, or exploitation of any film, video, and/or audio recording of the event, and/or any element thereof in any and all media throughout the World.

24. Punctuality is essential