Habitat Escapes is the only Estate approved holiday letting agency operating on Lower Mill Estate and Silverlake and as such is the only company authorised to offer Estate approved organised activities, services and events including their own concierge service.

GENERAL
Quiet enjoyment and consideration for others

• Noise travels across water and to neighbours close by – please keep voices low when on decking/balconies.
• Be aware that the areas around other houses are private, do not walk around houses, or borrow /use equipment belonging to other properties.
• Be aware of ‘light pollution’ – turn lights low in the evening.
• No external amplified music – noise travels easily.
• Restricted internal amplified noise after 11pm. Terraced/attached houses – no music or excessive noise at all after 11pm. Please be especially considerate – children may be next door.
• No fireworks – there are local organised events around bonfire night.

Wildlife & estate facilities

• Please do not feed any wild animals or wildfowl.
• If you plan to fish please read the fishing rules first.
• Water activities on selected lakes only.
• We have a closed period on Somerford Lagoon, Lower Mill Estate, from 1st October to 31st March (to protect the wildlife) and no boats are allowed on the lake.
• Some paths are also closed during this period – please look for signs.
• No fireworks – the wildlife is easily scared.
• Dogs- please keep on lead within the villages and under control around the estate – please remove any fouling.

Safety & facilities

• Speed Limit is 10 mph – please be aware there are children playing and pedestrians throughout the estate – a walking pace speed is ideal.
• Please display valid parking permits and use your allocated parking space – any other cars must be parked in the designated overflow car park areas.
• This is a safe environment but please know where your children are going when exploring the estate.
• All properties booked through Habitat Escapes have the use of spa facilities free of charge. Please take care not to allow other people into the spa. Please leave the spa cards in the property when you depart. Failure to do so will result in a £25 charge per card.
• Please note the safety rules in the pools, saunas and play areas. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
• Please be considerate to others in the spa changing rooms, which can get crowded.

What might go wrong?

• Potential for loss of deposit for damage/noise/nuisance/breach of estate rules if you do not comply with the reasonable instructions of estate staff.
• Potential for ‘eviction’ if there is a serious or repeated breach of rules.
• Treat all estate staff with respect – be aware that the warden has the power to evict for breach of rules.
• You should not exceed maximum overnight occupancy as identified in your contract with the owner/agency 
• All our properties are privately owned. From time to time our properties change ownership and we may need to contact you to re-arrange or move your booking to an alternative property and or date.

1. CONTRACT
Habitat Escapes Limited (HEL) the owner of Habitat Escapes (HE) arranges short term lets of properties at Lower Mill Estate and Silverlake as agents of the owners of the properties. The contract is between the owners of the property and the guest i.e. the first named person on the booking confirmation. Any issues arising under the contract should be addressed to HE and HE will respond on behalf of the owners. The contract will be entered into when HE issue the confirmation form after payment of the balance of the rent, and will be subject to all the booking conditions. The guest must check the confirmation form carefully. The Guest Directory, which is available in your property or upon request to stay@habitatescapes.com, also forms part of this contract.

2. PAYMENT
2.1 Deposit: A deposit of 20% of the total rent is payable to reserve specified dates to stay at the property.
2.2 Balance: 80% of the total rent becomes payable 8 weeks before the start of the let. Should a booking be made within 8 weeks of the start of the let, the full deposit and balance must be paid together. Failure to pay the balance on or by the due date shall be construed as a cancellation by the Guest.
2.3 Damage deposit: A refundable damage deposit of £500.00 is due the day before arrival, our booking system will hold the payees card details through our secure SagePay system and release this hold on completion of the property departure check. The guest hereby agrees to give HE authorisation to make the appropriate charge from the security bond (see clause 2.4 below) in the event that the guest or anyone in their group staying at the property causes either excessive damage or incurs a need for extra cleaning or leaves the property without settling invoices for additional services or supplies received during their stay. The guest will be notified of HE’s intention to make a charge within 14 days after the end of the let. HE reserves the right to make a charge to the guest’s security bond for up to 30 days from the end of the let. If the property is left in a satisfactory condition and all invoices have been paid, no charge will be made and the damage deposit will be returned to you 2.4 Payment method: All payments must be made by debit or credit card. HE charges a fixed booking fee of £40 for each booking, in addition to the rental price.
2.5 Online Payments: All payments online are processed through SagePay, are encrypted and all cards details are held safely and securely.

3. CANCELLATION
Any cancellation made by the guest for whatever reason shall be in writing addressed to HE. On receipt of cancellation, HE will seek to re-let the Property for the period of the booking. If HE succeeds in re-letting the property for the whole of the period booked, it shall refund an amount equal to the money paid less an administration fee of £40.00 plus VAT per week or part thereof booked. If HE is unable to re-let the property at all, monies paid by the guest shall be forfeited to HE. It is strongly recommended that guests take out separate cancellation insurance.
The home owners reserve the right to cancel reservations, HE will endeavour to offer the guest alternative accommodation, if this is not suitable, a refund will be issued.

4. CHANGE OF DATES
HE may consider a request from a guest to change the dates of the booking after confirmation has been issued. Agreement will be given subject to all of the following conditions being met:
1) The property owner agrees to the charge.
2) The request is being received more than 12 weeks away from the commencement of the booking
3) The guest pays an administration fee of £40.00 plus VAT

5. VAT
VAT is included in the rental fee where applicable.

6. PERIOD OF HIRE
Rentals commence, unless otherwise notified, at 4:00pm on the day of arrival and terminate at 10:00am on the day of departure.

7. USE OF THE PROPERTY
The number of persons occupying a property must not exceed the maximum number stipulated in the brochure and on the website. The property will be used for personal, domestic purposes only and cannot be sub-let to third parties. The property shall not be used for any commercial purposes without the prior consent of HE. HE reserves the right to refuse entry to the entire party if this condition is not observed.

8. COMPLAINTS
Should there be any cause for complaint during the occupation of the property; HE must be notified immediately and prior to the guest’s departure. Failure to do so is likely to jeopardise a guest’s claim for compensation.

9. CARE OF THE PROPERTY
The guest(s) shall take all reasonable and proper care of the property and its furniture, pictures, fixtures and fittings in or on the property and leave them in the same state of repair and condition and in the same clean and tidy condition at the end of the let as at the beginning. In accordance with clause 2.3, HE reserves the right to charge the guest for any additional costs it, or the owner, has incurred. There will be a minimum £50 charge for each individual stain to carpets, flooring or upholstery and soft furnishings to cover the costs of specialist cleaning. Should you discover any damage or faults with the property during your stay you must notify HE immediately or risk being charged under the terms of the damage deposit.

10. GUEST PROPERTY
HE and the owners are not responsible for guest possessions left in the property. HE will return lost property to guests subject to reimbursement of the postage costs, as follows: £5 minimum charge / £10 for items requiring parcel postage.

11. PETS
Charged at £25 per dog for a weekend and £40 for a week per dog. Three dogs or more by prior discussion with HE

12. SMOKING
Smoking / vaping is not permitted inside the property. Please dispose of cigarette ends safely.

13. VISITORS
For security reasons HE must provide prior consent to guests wanting to invite visitors to the property during their stay.

14. PARTIES
HE does not accept bookings for hen or stag parties. Fireworks and playing loud music are not permitted.

HE does not accept bookings for workers/contractors, wishing to use our estates as a base - we are only licensed to host holidaymakers. 

15. LIABILITY
HE (for itself, its employees and agents) and the owner shall not, except if caused by our negligence or breach of these booking conditions, be under any liability to the guests or third parties for any accident, loss, injury, expense or inconvenience, which may be suffered, incurred, arise out of, or be in any way connected with the let. No term of the contract is enforceable under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 by a person who is not party to the contract. If the property which the guest has booked becomes unavailable or unusable for an unforeseen reason prior to the date of booking, then HE will use their best endeavour to find an alternative property or, failing which, reimburse the guest any monies paid.

16. WARRANTIES
HE has made best efforts to ensure that information contained in its brochure and website is accurate and fair. HE does not warrant and is not responsible for the accuracy of any verbal information given or statements made by its employees or agents.

17. RIGHT OF ENTRY
HE shall be allowed the right to entry to the property at all reasonable times for the purposes of inspection or to carry out any necessary repairs or maintenance.

18. TERMINATION
HE and/or the owner or his/her managers reserve the right to terminate this contract and request the immediate departure of all people from the property in the event of serious breach of the terms of this agreement. The breach may include but is not limited to the following events: a) serious damage to the property which may exceed the damage deposit, b) a criminal or illegal act c) unreasonable or abusive behaviour or d) excessive noise which could adversely effect the rights of HE or the owner being able to continue to operate the property for short lettings, or involve authorities or police in any form if complaint investigation.

19. ENGLISH LAW
The contractual obligations contained in the booking conditions are subject to the jurisdiction of the court of England.

20. HOLIDAY SAVINGS AND DISCOUNT CODES
All discount and promotional codes, cannot be used in conjunction with any other on-site promotions or limited-time offers.

21. NHS Heroes Discount
A 5% on stays for our NHS Heroes. Book your stay online and email stay@habitatescapes.com from your NHS email so we can apply the discount for you. Please note: NHS discount cannot be combined with any other promotional discounts/offers and must be claimed within 48 hours of your booking. The discount can only be applied to bookings made directly with Habitat Escapes, not through any of our affiliate partners.  

22. PROMOTIONAL OFFERS 

KIDS EAT FREE

Redeem your free meal by presenting your holiday booking information to our restaurant team. Offer is only applicable to food and does not include drinks. Offer is available for all children in the party and can only be used on Mondays and Fridays and cannot be used in between these days. Only applicable to 12 year olds and under. All adults at the table must order a meal from our à la carte or lunch menu to qualify for the offer. Please note this offer is only available at Ballihoo, Lower Mill Estate. 

23. SILVERLAKE INCLUSIVE EQUIPMENT HIRE

New for 2024, all Habitat Escapes bookings at Silverlake Dorset now include bike and water sports equipment hire. Other session-based activities are chargeable and require booking in advance. 

Guests can visit the Activity Hub between 1000-1200 daily to collect equipment and enjoy for up to 4 hours. Each guest is allowed one piece of equipment at any one time and is subject to availability. 

24. OUR PRICE MATCH

If you find one of our properties cheaper at either Lower Mill Estate, the Cotswolds or Silverlake, Dorset, on an alternative website to Habitat Escapes, we will price match the cost once we have fact-checked the price. You may be asked to provide a link to the property you wish to price match against. 

25. FLEXIBLE PAYMENT OPTION

A flexible payment option is available on all bookings that are more than 8 weeks before arrival. The full balance of your holiday is payable 8 weeks before your stay but can be paid in manageable payments from the date of booking to 8 weeks before. There is no restriction on the number of payments, making it easier for you to split the cost of your holiday and pay when it suits you.