Booking Terms
These terms apply to every stay booked directly with us, rather than through Vrbo, Booking.com or another platform. Please read them before you book.
1. About these terms
The property: Les Vaux, Saint-Pierre-d'Entremont, Orne, Normandy, France, a furnished holiday let (meublé de tourisme) sleeping up to 7 guests.
The parties: "we" and "us" means the owners, Mark and Suzanne Packer. "You" means the lead guest who makes the booking. You accept these terms for everyone in your party and must be aged 18 or over.
The contract: your booking is confirmed once you have accepted these terms in writing (email is fine) and we have received your deposit. We will then send a written booking confirmation showing your dates, party size, the total price, the payment dates and the tourist tax due.
Holiday use only: the property is let as short-term holiday accommodation. It is not your main or secondary residence, and the stay creates no tenancy rights.
2. Payment
Deposit: 40% of the rental price, paid on booking.
Balance: the remaining 60%, plus the tourist tax, paid no later than 30 days before arrival.
Bookings made 30 days or less before arrival: 100% of the rental price, plus the tourist tax, paid on booking.
Acompte, not arrhes: the deposit is an acompte (a firm part-payment), not arrhes. Once the booking is confirmed, both you and we are committed to it. If you cancel, section 3 decides what is refunded.
How to pay: by bank transfer or by the secure card payment link we send you. Payments are in euros, and any bank or exchange charges are yours.
Late balance: if the balance is not received by its due date, we will remind you. If it is still unpaid 7 days later, we may treat the booking as cancelled by you, and section 3 then applies.
Direct booking discount: your price includes any direct booking discount we have offered. The discount cannot be combined with other offers unless we agree in writing.
3. Cancellation
What we refund depends on when you cancel and whether your stay falls in the summer period (stays arriving between 19 June and 3 September).
Rest of the year:
More than 30 days before arrival: 100% of the rental price paid
14 to 30 days before arrival: 50%
Fewer than 14 days before arrival: no refund
Summer period:
More than 60 days before arrival: 100% of the rental price paid
31 to 60 days before arrival: 50%
30 days or fewer before arrival: no refund
How to cancel: tell us by email. The date we receive your email is the date of cancellation.
Tourist tax: if you cancel, any tourist tax you have paid is refunded in full.
Refund timing: we pay refunds within 14 days, using the method you paid with.
Shortened stays: no refund is due if you arrive late, leave early or do not arrive.
Travel insurance: we strongly recommend travel insurance that covers cancellation. These terms do not provide refunds for illness, travel disruption or other personal reasons.
If we have to cancel: if we cannot provide the property (for example after serious damage, flooding or another event outside our control), we will refund everything you have paid within 14 days. Our liability is limited to that refund, and we are not responsible for travel or other costs.
Right of withdrawal: under French consumer law (article L221-28 of the Code de la consommation), the 14-day right of withdrawal does not apply to accommodation booked for specific dates. Your cancellation rights are the ones set out above.
4. Damage deposit
We take a damage deposit of €500 for every stay and return it no later than 10 days after you leave.
How we take it: either as a hold (pre-authorisation) on your payment card or as a refundable bank transfer, as we confirm when you book. A card hold reserves the money without taking it.
When: a card hold is placed shortly before you arrive. If your card provider releases it before the 10 days are up, we may renew it, or ask you to pay €500 by bank transfer instead, refunded on the same timetable. A bank transfer deposit is paid with your balance.
What it covers: loss of or damage to the property, its contents or the grounds caused by your party or your dogs, beyond normal wear and tear. It also covers cleaning well beyond the normal changeover clean, and breaches of the house rules that cost us money, such as smoking indoors.
Claims: if we need to make a deduction, we will tell you within 10 days of your departure, explain the reason, and send photos and repair or replacement costs. We then keep only that amount and return or release the rest.
Costs above €500: you remain responsible for any loss or damage costing more than €500, and you agree to pay the difference within 14 days of our request.
Reporting damage: please tell us about any breakage or damage during your stay, so we can put it right before the next guests arrive.
5. Arrival, departure and minimum stays
Check-in is from 4pm and check-out is by 10am.
Rest of the year: minimum stay 3 nights, arrival and departure on any day.
Summer period (arrivals 19 June to 3 September): minimum stay 7 nights, arrival and departure on Saturdays only.
Bedrooms: at least 7 days before you arrive, please tell us which bedrooms you would like made up. We will prepare only those rooms.
Early arrival or late departure: only by prior agreement, and only if no other guests are arriving or leaving that day. Please ask in advance.
Late check-out without agreement: if you leave after 10am without our agreement and this delays the changeover clean, we may charge for the extra cleaning time.
Arrival details: we will send directions, access and key arrangements before you arrive. Please tell us your expected arrival time.
6. Tourist tax (taxe de séjour)
We collect the local tourist tax from you and pay it to the local authority. It is not included in the rental price.
Amount: the tax is charged per adult per night, at the rate set by the local authority for the year of your stay. Guests under 18 do not pay it.
When: the exact amount is shown on your booking confirmation and paid with your balance.
Changes: if the local authority changes the rate before your stay, we will charge the rate that applies on your arrival date.
7. House rules
These rules are part of your booking. Serious or repeated breaches may mean we ask your party to leave, with no refund.
Guests: no more than 7 adults and children may stay overnight. Infants under 2 do not count towards this limit, but please include them in your booking. Only guests named on your booking may stay, unless we agree otherwise in writing.
Dogs: well-behaved dogs are welcome by prior arrangement. Please tell us how many you are bringing when you book. Dogs must not be left alone in the property, and you must clear up after them in the house and grounds.
Sauna: adults use the sauna at their own risk and must follow the safety instructions in the property. Children must be supervised by an adult at all times. Do not use the sauna after drinking alcohol, or if you have a medical condition that makes it unsafe. The sauna runs on a timer with a daily limit on use.
River and grounds: the river runs beside the property. Children must be supervised near the water at all times.
No smoking: no smoking or vaping indoors.
Quiet hours: please keep noise down after 10pm, out of respect for the peaceful riverside setting and our neighbours.
Before you leave, please:
• load and start the dishwasher
• strip any used beds and gather the used towels
• remove your personal belongings and any leftover food and drink
• take the rubbish out
• if you used the sauna, switch it off at the mains box, wipe it down with the vinegar solution kept in the sauna room, and leave the door open
• if you used the barbecue, clean it, empty the bins and wipe down the outdoor worktops, so the garden kitchen does not attract wildlife
• turn off the lights, lock the doors and return the keys
8. General
Problems during your stay: tell us straight away so we can try to put things right. We cannot fix a problem we don't know about, and not telling us may affect any later claim.
Access: we or our caretaker will enter the property during your stay only in an emergency or for urgent repairs, with as much notice as possible.
Your belongings and insurance: you are responsible for your party's belongings and for your own travel and personal insurance.
Our liability: we are not liable for losses outside our reasonable control, such as utility failures, roadworks, weather or local events. Nothing in these terms limits liability that the law does not allow us to limit, including for death or personal injury caused by our negligence.
Your details: we use your details only to manage your booking, meet our legal obligations (including the tourist tax) and contact you about your stay. We do not share them with anyone else, except where the law requires it.
Whole agreement: these terms, together with your booking confirmation, are the whole agreement between us. Any change must be agreed in writing (email is fine).
Governing law: these terms are governed by French law, and the French courts have jurisdiction. This does not take away any protection you have under the mandatory consumer law of the country where you live.
Last updated: October 2026