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Holidaymaker FAQ - How To Use The Site |
Holidaymaker FAQ - How To Use The SiteLooking for the best holiday accommodation for your next break? Search by location, dates and group size by going to 'Search' where you can fill in your specific accommodation requirements and find suitable properties straightaway. If you need a bit of inspiration browse our Homepage or look for great Events and Holiday Ideas. When you have found properties you're interested in, click on the 'Contact owner' button found at the top and bottom of the advert page. This will send an email directly to the property owners - happy holiday hunting! We’ve answered your most common questions below – just click on a question to be taken to the answer! 1. Using the site
2. Booking and payments
3. Holiday queries and complaints
What does Holiday Lettings offer?Holiday Lettings is an advertising website which features holiday properties all over the world. The adverts on our site are set up and run by the property owners, allowing you to search and find the best holiday deals and enjoy a unique and independent break by booking directly with the property owners. How do I use the Holiday Lettings site?You can search for a great property for your holiday by going to our Search pages and filling in your requirements:
Advanced searching - The range of check boxes should help you find properties that fit your requirements, from those with a Jacuzzi to ski properties. If you have a particular request that isn't listed here, you can type it into the 'Keyword' box. If your search comes up with no results, we will suggest alternatives. Check your spelling and if possible widen your search. If you get lots of results back you can click on ‘Refine Search’ to narrow down your results by adding more information to your search. When you are looking at a list of suitable properties according to your search you can also order it by Price, Size and Location. These controls are on the top right of the list. We also have a host of Holiday Ideas if you need some inspiration and some wonderful Events all over the world to make your next trip a little different. Once you have found a property that you are interested in, click on ‘Contact owner’ to get in touch with its owner. How can I save the details of places I’m interested in?When you have found a holiday home, or several, that you are interested in, you can set up your own shortlist on the site. The shortlist keeps the details of these properties for you so if you need to show someone else the possible accommodation choices, or go away to book your flights you don’t have to search the site again every time you return. To create a shortlist, you need to click on the 'Add to Shortlist' button found at the top of an advert, in the 'Contact details' section at the bottom of an advert, or on its summary on our Search Results pages. You will need to give us your email address and a password so we can save your shortlist for you. You can then save the properties you're interested in and access them by clicking on the Your Shortlist link from the Homepage when you come back to the site. The shortlist can be shared with others – just give them the link to your personal shortlist and the rest of your group can see the holiday homes you’re considering. Even better, when you have a number of properties on the shortlist you can save time by filling in just one contact form to e-mail all the owners in one go. Is there a quick way to show someone else a property I’m looking at?Yes, if you want to forward the details of a particular property to a friend or someone else in your group, click on the ‘Send to Friend’ button found at the top and bottom of the advert page. You then need to give us your friend’s name and email address and your own. They will receive an email directing them to that specific advert page. How can I tell if a property is available?Most advert pages use an Availability Calendar to show when the property is available and when it is booked. To view the calendar, click on ‘View Availability’ at the top of the advert page or under Availability notes. Any dates marked in green are available, those in red are booked and those in grey are unknown. It is a good idea to check the calendar before contacting an owner if your dates cannot be changed and you didn’t specify dates in your original search. You can also see when a calendar was last updated on this page. I’ve got some questions about the property – who do I ask?If you want any more information about a property, fill in the contact form at the bottom of the advert page and ask the owner directly. Give your email address and a phone number if possible so the owner can get back to you promptly. Most owners also display a phone number in the ‘Contact details’ box at the bottom of the page. If you would rather chat to the owner in person then give them a call – make sure you note any time differences though as an American owner may not wish to hear from you at 3am their time! What about getting there?Property owners are usually best placed to give you all the travel advice you need - from low cost airfares to driving directions. We think that no one gives better information than someone who knows the area. We also have a Travel Service Directory to help you source flights, transport companies, car hire and travel insurance should you need any of these services. How do I make a booking?The great thing about our site is that you can book directly with property owners. When you see a property you are interested in - or put several onto Your Shortlist - you can email the owners directly. Fill in the contact form at the bottom of the advert and wherever possible give details about your preferred dates, group size and special requirements, and alternative contact phone number or e-mail. From then on you can correspond directly with them. We do not intervene in the booking procedure. It's a personal and flexible way of finding the best property for your holiday! Who do I pay?The property owner will email or call you back to let you know if your dates are available and hopefully, answer any of your questions about the property. You can then agree and confirm a booking with them directly. The standard procedure is for the owner to send a booking contract with the agreed dates and price for you to sign and return along with a deposit. Booking details vary from owner to owner, but most will ask for this booking deposit to confirm the booking with the balance of payment to follow closer to the holiday dates. Holiday Lettings does not intervene in payment and booking procedures, and once you are in touch with an owner you should agree the booking and rental conditions between you. The owner hasn’t replied – what should I do?If an owner has not replied to your email within 3 to 5 days then look for a phone number in the ‘Contact details’ box on their advert page and try calling them. It is also worth checking that the email address which you supplied to them was correct, and sending a second message if it was not. If you still cannot reach them, email us on support@holidaylettings.co.uk and we will do all we can to contact them on your behalf. As the booking is handled between you and the owner, we regret that we cannot help further if they are unreachable. We would then suggest looking for other properties on the site and are happy to help you with this if possible How can I be sure the property and owner are genuine?
Why is the owner asking for a security deposit?We encourage all owners to ask for a security deposit with every booking as this is the simplest way to cover unexpected costs they may incur as a result of your stay. If you lose keys, or if you accidentally break a lamp or garden chair the easy solution is for the owner to use the security deposit to cover this expense and refund the rest of the security deposit to you as appropriate. Details of the security deposit (payment, conditions and refund) should be laid out in the booking contract. Can I cancel my holiday booking through you?If for any reason you need to cancel your holiday, please contact the owner who you have booked with directly. As Holiday Lettings does not take part in the booking process, the cancellation has to be negotiated between you and the owner. Most owners have booking contracts that specify what will happen in the case of a cancellation. I’m about to go on holiday, do I get keys and directions from you?As the booking is made directly with the owner, all arrangements for directions and key exchange are handled directly between you and the property owner. Contact them directly by phone or email to clarify arrangements if they are at all unclear. I booked a holiday property, but now I can’t see it on your site – where has it gone?As an advertising service we remove adverts from the site for a number of reasons. Most often this will be at owner’s request because the property is fully booked, or because they have decided that they will not rent it out beyond the present season. We may also remove adverts whilst we await an overdue subscription payment for the advertising. If you cannot find the property you have booked on the site, do feel free to contact us and we should be able to reassure you as to why the advert has been removed. There is a problem with our accommodation – who do I contact?If you arrive at a property and have a problem, please contact the owner directly. Some owners give the number for their local contact or a property manager for their guests to call in case of problems. Advise an owner of any problems you have as soon as you can to enable them to resolve the issue for you. How can I give feedback about a property?To pass on your comments about a property, contact the owner directly by phone or email. If you wish to inform us about a property not meeting your standards or if you and the owner have any difficulties which you cannot resolve between the two of you, you can reach our customer support team on +44 (0)1865 312000 or support@holidaylettings.co.uk |
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