Refunds and cancellations

How cancelling a booking works, what you get back, and how long it takes.

Cancellation terms are set per property rather than across the whole site, so the terms that apply to your booking are the ones shown with your quote. The six policies a property can carry are listed below. If you are not sure which one applies to a booking you have already made, your account manager will tell you.

This page explains how it works in practice. The position that binds a booking is clause 8 of our Terms and Conditions.

The short version

Cancellation terms are set per propertyEach property carries its own terms. They are shown to you with the quote, before you book, so there is nothing to discover afterwards.
Cancel through your account managerTell the person handling your booking rather than contacting the property owner. Your contract is with us.
Refunds go back the way you paidCard payments are refunded to the card. Bank transfers are refunded by transfer, which is done by hand and takes longer.
Changing is usually easier than cancellingTeams extend, shrink and move all the time. If the dates or the headcount have changed, tell us and we will look at amending rather than cancelling.

The six cancellation policies

Non-refundable windowWhat that means
Very Strict30 daysCancel within 30 days of the arrival date and the booking is not refundable. Usually applied to long stays.
Strict14 daysCancel within 14 days of the arrival date and the booking is not refundable.
Semi-Strict7 daysCancel within 7 days of the arrival date and the booking is not refundable.
Semi-Flexible5 daysCancel within 5 days of the arrival date and the booking is not refundable. This is the default where a property owner has not chosen one.
Flexible2 daysCancel within 2 days of the arrival date and the booking is not refundable.
Freedom5pm the day beforeCancel free of charge up to 5pm on the day before arrival.

Which policy applies to your booking. The one shown to you at the point you accepted the quote. If the listing is changed afterwards, your booking keeps the terms you accepted.

If a property has no policy set, Semi-Flexible applies, so there is always a policy in force on every booking.

What else affects the figure

The terms allow a cancellation fee of 250 poundsWhere we both agree to cancel a booking, clause 8.7 allows a fee of 250 pounds on top of the property policy and any length of stay charges. Your account manager will confirm the figure in writing before anything is processed.
Long stay rates assume the length you bookedRates can carry a length of stay discount. If you cancel part way through a period you were quoted for, the rate may be recalculated without that discount. Clause 8.6.
Bespoke sourced properties work differentlyWhere we source a property specifically for you, the minimum term is 6 months. After that you give one calendar month notice, and amounts due to the end of the notice period are billed as usual and are not refundable. The six policies above do not apply. Clause 8.2.
Cancelling during a stay needs noticeGive notice in line with the policy on the property. Payments for dates beyond the notice period are refundable, subject to damage checks at the end of the booking. Clause 8.4.
Unpaid dates inside the notice period are still payableOn a booking running over several months, any dates inside the notice you have to give are invoiced to you, payable within 2 working days. Clause 8.5.

Two things that work in your favour. If a property becomes uninhabitable, or a force majeure event stops the booking going ahead, the cancellation policy does not apply and we refund the nights we cannot provide. And if we cannot resolve a reported issue within 5 working days, you can move to another property or cancel with a refund of the remaining days. Clauses 8.3.1, 11 and 22.

Questions we get asked

Cancelling, amending and refunds.

  • Contact your account manager with the booking reference, in writing. Do not contact the property owner directly, because your contract is with us and we handle it with them.

Need to change or cancel a booking?

Speak to your account manager, or call us on 020 3743 8989 and we will put you through to the right person.