Terms and conditions for a holiday let

A holiday let hands the keys to your property to strangers for a week. The terms are what protect the property: who may stay and how many, what the deposit covers, how a booking can be cancelled and what you keep, what guests must not do, and what happens when they do it. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Owners and managers of holiday cottages, apartments, lodges and second homes in England and Wales let directly through your own website and by email, and through platforms that apply their own terms to bookings made through them. These are your direct booking terms, which also govern the stay itself.

What matters in holiday let terms

The booking, the deposit and cancellation

Accommodation for specific dates is excluded from the fourteen-day cancellation right by regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, so your cancellation scale governs and must be fair under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. A deposit that reflects the dates being held, a balance due before arrival and a scale that keeps more as the stay approaches is the usual shape, with a refund where you relet the dates. The terms should also say what happens if you have to cancel: a full refund and no more.

Occupancy, parties and house rules

The terms should fix the maximum number of guests, prohibit parties and events unless agreed, and give you the right to refuse entry or end the stay without refund where the booking was misrepresented or the rules are broken. House rules on noise, smoking, pets, hot tubs, barbecues and parking should be part of the terms, not a separate sheet left in the property, so that they bind the guest from booking.

Damage, the security deposit and cleaning

The terms should say that guests are responsible for damage, breakages and excessive cleaning, that a security deposit or pre-authorisation is taken and returned less deductions within a stated time, and how deductions are evidenced. Against consumers the deductions must reflect actual cost. An inventory and a check-in condition report are what turn a dispute into a deduction.

Guest safety and the owner's obligations

You owe your guests a duty of care in the property and must meet the fire safety obligations under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the annual gas safety check under regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 for the furniture provided; the terms cannot exclude liability for injury caused by your negligence. What they can do is require guests to use the property and its equipment as instructed, to supervise children near stairs, pools and hot tubs, and to report hazards, and they can say that guests' belongings and vehicles are left at their own risk.

Arrival, departure and the things that go wrong

The terms should set check-in and check-out times and the charge for late departure, say what happens if the property becomes unavailable through no fault of yours (a refund or alternative accommodation), and how problems during the stay are reported and dealt with. They should describe what is provided (linen, towels, fuel, wifi) and what is not guaranteed, because a broken wifi router is the commonest complaint and the terms should say what a guest is entitled to for it.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

A group of twelve turned up for a booking made for four. Can I turn them away?

If the terms fix the maximum occupancy and give you the right to refuse entry or end the stay where the booking was misrepresented, with no refund, you can. Without that term you are negotiating on the doorstep.

Do my terms apply to bookings through a platform?

Bookings through a platform are governed by the platform's terms, which usually take priority. Your own terms apply to direct bookings and can be presented to platform guests as house rules for the stay, which is why the rules belong in the terms themselves.

Can I keep the whole balance if a guest cancels a week before?

The terms can provide for that where the dates cannot be relet, and a fair scale usually keeps most or all of the price for a late cancellation. A promise to refund what you recover by reletting makes the scale easier to defend.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a bed and breakfast
• Terms and conditions for a glamping or campsite business

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.