(1) By completing the reservation form on this website you agree that you are signing a legal contract whose conditions are detailed in clauses 2 to 22 below, and that these clauses apply immediately even if you have not yet made any payment.

(2) Use of the accommodations . The use of the accommodation (the Premises) and all facilities provided therein by French Cottages is entirely at the risk of the person booking this accommodation (the “Lessee”), their family, their guests and visitors.

(3) We, French Cottages (the Lessors), shall not be liable for any damage or injury to the person or chattels of the Lessee, the Lessee's family, their guests, invitees, agents or employees or to any person entering the Premises or the building of which the Premises are a part or to goods or equipment, or in the structure or equipment of the structure of which the Premises are a part, and the Lessee hereby agrees to indemnify, defend and hold the Lessors harmless from any and all claims or assertions of every kind and nature.

(4)The Lessees and their friends and families agree that they may not sue the Lessors, the owners of the properties, their managers or cleaning staff for any accident, personal injury or theft of their possessions and the consequences thereof due to events occurring during their stay. Though all reasonable attempts have been made to make the properties as safe as possible, The Lessees agree to accept that safety standards in old French houses are not similar to those they may be used to and agree to hold the Lessors and property owners blameless in this regard.

(5)The Lessors will not be liable to refund part or whole of the rental fees paid because of incidents beyond the Lessors’ control such as strikes, highway blockages, weather, earthquakes, terrorism or other incidents of a similar nature.

(6) The Lessee agrees to advise all fellow guests and visitors to the Premises of these conditions.

(7) The Lessee agrees to exercise all reasonable care and responsibility with regard to the Premises and all furnishings; equipment, appliances, fittings and other appurtenances provided therein and shall guarantee that all other persons staying at or entering the premises shall do likewise. Should any damage or loss occur to the property or its contents, as a result of the actions of any guest or visitor, and judged by the Lessors to be in excess of normal wear and tear, then the Lessee shall immediately make good the cost of repair or replacement of the lost or damaged item(s). In the case where credit card details have been provided, the Lessee agrees that the reasonable costs of any such loss or damage may be charged to this card by the Lessors, provided the Lessors supply a receipt containing an explanation of these costs. The Lessee agrees to inform the Lessors, or the Lessor’s local manager, immediately any such loss or damage occurs.

(8) While the Lessors will do everything possible to ensure that the appliances provided in the property are in good working order, the Lessees agree not to hold the Lessors responsible for the failure of any such appliance. The Lessees agree to inform the Lessors promptly of any such failure and the Lessors will thereby endeavour to arrange as rapid a repair or replacement as is possible. However, the Lessors agree that if these attempts at repair or replacement are unsuccessful, this does not constitute grounds for complaint or compensation.

(9) Behaviour and Responsibility : The Lessees agree to the following:

(10) The Lessees agree to not act in a manner that disturbs the local amenity and peace of the surrounding neighbourhood. The Lessees also agree to protect the security of the premises they are occupying by ensuring all doors and windows are secured in their absence, no matter how brief, and all appliances other than those normally left in standby or operational mode (such as televisions, modems and alarms) turned off; alarms must be armed when available; and the entry code is not revealed to unauthorised persons or passers-by either deliberately or through carelessness (such as calling the code out to their partners in a loud voice). Strangers shall not be invited onto the premises without the express permission of the Lessors.

(11) The Lessees will not post a review on any internet site in an attempt to blackmail or extort the owners of the houses or of the business French Cottages for money or to force a full or partial refund for any reason. The Lessors have a zero tolerance policy regarding rudeness and vexatious complaint. The Lessees (or persons associated with The Lessees such as fellow guests) agree to indemnify the owners of French Cottages for all consequential damages, both monetary and psychological, should such damages occur as a result of such a posting. Should it be shown that the lessees have deliberately engaged in a programme of blackmail thereby causing psychological stress or harm to the Lessors, the Lessees agree to compensate the Lessors for said harm according to the full extent recoverable under the laws of Australia.

(12) The Lessees will hold the owners of French Cottages and the owners of the houses they are occupying blameless in the event of the change in the amenity of the locations the houses. This includes social changes such as the influx of undesirables and physical changes such as building works occurring in close proximity.

(13) The Lessees agree that any reviews and other public communications will not disclose the physical location of the properties or the rates charged by the owner or manager. Content of any reviews must be truthful and not misleading.

(14) Should the property be deemed by the Lessors or its elected representative as unfit for further occupation due to some fault or occurrence, The Lessees agree that they will be entitled, and only entitled, to a refund of an amount pro-rata to the number of days remaining in the stay minus cleaning fees and credit card fees. This refund will only be applied on the signing by both parties of our ‘Deed of Release’ document.

(15) Care of the Properties . The Lessee agrees that the Premises shall be maintained in a clean and tidy condition.

(16) On the day of departure, the house shall be restored to the same state of cleanliness and good condition as it was on the day of arrival. The Lessee may arrange with the manager for extra cleaning services, beyond the standard light clean provided for in the fee paid, to achieve this, but the cost of such extra services shall be borne by the Lessee and paid directly to the manager before departure. If the Premises are not left in a reasonably clean and tidy condition, then the Lessee agrees to pay for any extra cleaning services needed to return the Premises to this clean and tidy state.
 (17) The Lessee agrees to inform the Lessors of any extra persons or The Lessors staying at the Premises and not mentioned in any previous written or verbal agreement. The Lessee agrees to inform all persons staying in the property of these Terms and Conditions.

(18) The Lessee agrees to pay the extra charges that may be applied due to these extra persons or The Lessors.

(19) Cancellation or Change . CANCELLATION OR CHANGE POLICY: If for some reason the Lessee finds it necessary to cancel a booking, either completely or in part, the Lessee must inform the Lessor immediately. Booked weeks are not transferable to another time once confirmed. Shifting booked periods normally requires cancelling the week(s) no longer required then rebooking new weeks, paying a new first instalment on these new weeks. The instalment(s) for the original cancelled week(s) will then be refunded, if and when French Cottages rebooks them. If the cancelled week(s) are not rebooked, full payment for these cancelled weeks is still due.

(20) TRANSFERS OR DEFERMENTS: It is agreed that it is clearly understood that any change to the arrival and departure dates entails a cancellation of the original booking and the re-booking of the new period UNLESS the new period booked is in the same cottage and includes the original range of dates booked. Changes not qualifying as extensions according to the latter condition are then subject to our normal cancellation policy in clause 19.

(21) Travel Insurance Guarantee . The Lessees agree to ensure they will be covered by an adequate Travel Insurance policy for the entire duration of their stay in the properties owned or managed by the Lessors and that the Personal Liability coverage component of said policy must be at least $1.5 million Australian Dollars.

(22) NATURAL DISASTERS: Should dramatic events occur (such as War, Pandemics and other situations that used to be called "Acts of God") that effectively cause the Lessee to dishonour or cancel their booking, it will not be incumbent on the Lessors to refund in part or in full any payments made towards the accommodation services provided. In this case the Lessee agrees that they should seek remedy from their Travel Insurance Company for any losses occasioned.