Booking conditions

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1. General

“Venetian Apartments” is the trading name of Venetian Apartments Limited. We arrange bookings of holiday accommodation as an agent for the owners of that accommodation (“the Property Owner”). When you book with Venetian Apartments you agree to the booking conditions stated here. Please ensure that you read them carefully.

2. Formation of contract

Before making a booking, you must contact us to obtain confirmation that your chosen property is available for the dates required. You must send us a completed and signed booking form and cheque or credit card for a deposit of 40% of the property rental (rental deposit) or the full payment if less then two months prior to departure within 8 days of receipt of confirmation of availability. A binding contract between the person who has signed the Booking Form and the Property Owner will be made when we issue a confirmation invoice as agent for the Property Owner. You are responsible for payment of the price of the holiday and the compliance of members of your party with these conditions. Bookings cannot be accepted from persons under 18 years of age at the time of booking and we reserve the right to refuse a booking without giving any reason. Venetian Apartments reserves the right to treat the booking as cancelled if any part of the balance of the holiday price remains unpaid by the due date. This also applies to bank transfers – all funds must arrive net of any bank charges at either end. It is the responsibility of the client to ensure charges are met.

3. Payment

The balance must be paid not later than eight weeks before departure. Failure to pay the balance on time will constitute cancellation and cancellation charges will become payable in accordance with paragraph 6. Receipts and directions to the property will be sent on receipt of the rental deposit. Some properties may have different arrangements for payment of the balance which will be explained at the time of booking.

If you book a holiday less than eight weeks before departure, the full holiday charge is payable at the time of booking unless otherwise stated.

Receipt and banking of any rental deposit shall not constitute acceptance of any booking.

All payments from foreign banks must be received net of bank charges: where bank charges are deducted we reserve the right to deduct those charges from either your final payment or from the security deposit.

4. The price

All prices are advertised in Euros and the rental period is weekly, unless otherwise stated. Prices are fixed in Euros. You will be advised of the prevailing exchange rate of that day in GBP sterling at the time of booking. If paying by cheque the amount quoted in GBP sterling will be the amount we ask you to send; if paying by credit card then we will take the equivalent in GBP sterling at the exchange rate of that day. This is the rate given to Venetian Apartments by our bank and the rate quoted by Venetian Apartments is the set rate. As we are an English company we are not able to control the final price in US dollars or any other currency. Please note for credit card payments made by Amex there is a 4% surcharge and payments by Visa and MasterCard there is a 2.5% surcharge. Maestro/Switch, Visa Debit and Visa Delta issued in the UK are not charged. If paying by Euro or GBP sterling bank transfer please note there is a charge of €10 (EUR) or £10 (GBP) to make a bank transfer.

Properties are let fully furnished and equipped. Some properties have different conditions for letting which are indicated before making the booking. We are entitled to vary the advertised selling price to reflect:

any adverse change in exchange rates;
any increase in the cost of services included in the booking;
the imposition of any tax, charge or levy whether in England or elsewhere which affects the booking.

Where price increases or decreases are known to us before you book, we shall inform you of the new price before you book. Where increases become effective after you have booked we reserve the right to recover these and will send you a supplementary invoice.

We will not surcharge you within 30 days of your departure. Any surcharge will not exceed 10% of the total price In return for this guarantee there will be no refund in the event of favourable currency movement.

5. Alterations or cancellation by the company

In the unlikely event that it is necessary to make an alteration to or cancel the holiday accommodation specified in the holiday confirmation form we will inform you as soon as possible and, if requested, we will try to arrange alternative holiday accommodation of a similar type and standard and in a similar location as that originally requested. If the alternative holiday accommodation is not acceptable, we will refund in full all monies paid and shall be under no other liability.

6. Cancellation by holidaymaker

Any cancellation by you (for whatever reason) must be in writing addressed to us at the address stated on the contact section of our website. The effective date of cancellation is when written notification is received by us.

If you cancel your booking or if the booking is cancelled by us due to non payment we shall be entitled to the following percentage of the holiday cost:

8 weeks or more before departure: rental deposit
8 weeks or less before departure: 100%.

All cancellations for whatever nature are treated under the same conditions. We are not able to rearrange dates outside of previously confirmed rental period ( see paragraph 7) or make special arrangements under any circumstances. If you choose on the course of your holiday to abandon the arrangements made by Venetian Apartments on your behalf and instead make your own arrangements, the company accepts no liability and no refunds will be made for the services you choose not to take.

We do advise you to arrange travel insurance prior to departure for which we can send an invoice of your booking details on receipt of written cancellation from you.

7. Amendments by holidaymaker

Upon receipt of your booking confirmation invoice, please check the details to make sure they are correct. If after your booking has been accepted you require us to amend it in any way, or to re-invoice you, we reserve the right to charge an amendment fee of £15 per Booking Form. We reserve the right to treat a change of property and/or holiday dates as a cancellation of one holiday and the booking of another. Should you wish to reduce the number of nights of your stay in the same property during the same period previously confirmed, this can be possible (subject to confirmation from owner); however the price cannot be adjusted under any circumstances.

8. Information

While we make every effort to ensure that descriptions supplied by property owners are accurately reproduced, we cannot accept responsibility for errors contained therein or the results thereof. You must accept that minor differences between the photograph, illustration and/or text used and the actual property may arise. Property owners reserve the right to make modifications to the property specification that are considered necessary in the light of operating requirements. In the interests of continued improvement, property owners reserve the right to alter furniture, fittings, amenities, facilities, or any part of any activities, either advertised or previously available, without prior notice. If material changes occur after your booking has been confirmed we will advise you if there is time before departure. Venetian Apartments does not accept liability for any disappointment which the client may feel as a result of unrealistic expectations.

9. Number of people using the holiday accommodation

The number of persons using the holiday accommodation must not exceed the maximum number stated in the relevant property description without prior written agreement. In the event that the maximum number is exceeded without such agreement, the Property Owner reserves the right to refuse or revoke the booking or ask for an extra charge (at their sole discretion).

If the client wishes to ‘entertain’ over the maximum number of guests specified in our literature, permission must be granted from the owner prior to arrival in the apartment. We regret that as these are privately owned apartments such arrangements cannot be made without the consent of the owner and we will have to follow the judgment of the owner. Should any client ‘entertain’ without consent at any time the owner has the authority to evict the client and no compensation can be sought. In cases where dinner parties have been confirmed Venetian Apartments and the owner must be kept aware of the exact number of guests and this must not be exceeded otherwise the above penalties will be enforced. Please note consideration to other residents in the building and not to exceed general noise levels after 11.00pm (i.e. inside, on terraces, gardens or courtyards or on stairways).

10. Access

The Property Owner or his/her representative shall be allowed access to the holiday accommodation at any reasonable time during any holiday occupancy for the purposes of inspection and maintenance.

11. Arrival and departure

You must arrive between 4.00pm and 8.00pm on the holiday start date, and the accommodation must be vacated by 10.00am on the last day. Late departures after this time are not able to be accommodated due to cleaning that is involved. At the descretion of the owner luggage may be able to be left for later collection. This is to be agreed before the start of the holiday.

If you are scheduled to arrive after 8.00pm, this will cause problems for local key holders. For some apartments a charge of €65 for arrivals after 8pm at the apartment are applicable. You must check with Venetian Apartments before booking to see if this is possible. With all the best will some late arrivals quite simply cannot be catered for.

12. Water Taxis

Please also note that on occasions due to adverse weather conditions, accidents or heightened security at the Marco Polo airport authorities may block off areas of the lagoon resulting in the water taxi company (Laguna Taxis) having to take you further by land taxi (normally Santa Marta or Piazzale Roma) to meet a water taxi to take you the rest of your journey on water. If we have prior warning of this possibility then we will advise you immediately and offer you the choice to cancel your journey in the water taxi and have a refund in full. In some circumstances there may unfortunately not be prior warning and we will have to follow the experienced judgement and direction of the staff of Laguna Taxis. Laguna Taxis will do their utmost to take you as requested by water, but if unfortunately the decision is made to travel by land then no recompense can be made and Venetian Apartments is under no other liability.

You will be taken to the point closest to your chosen apartment. On arrival at your destination you should also be aware that local conditions could affect your dropping off point. In all cases the taxi driver will take you to the closest point but this can be affected by high tides/acqua alta making certain bridges impassable, canal work, festive days and canal 'one way' systems. Similarly compensation cannot be sought for elements beyond the our control and Venetian Apartments is under no obligation.

13. Your responsibilities

You must keep the holiday accommodation and all furniture, fittings and effects in the same state of repair and condition as at the commencement of the holiday, and leave the holiday accommodation in the same state of cleanliness and general order in which it was found. You are responsible for all damage or loss which occurs to the property or its contents during your occupation, and will be responsible for paying appropriate compensation to the Property Owner direct or to us as agent for the Property Owner in the event of breakages or damage, excluding liability for any damage caused other than by the hirers (or their invitees), and also such as would amount to reasonable wear and tear. A Security Deposit credit card authorisation is held against all bookings and will be debited in the event of any claim as referred to in the clause. We reserve the right to make deductions once price of final damage has been calculated regardless of time elapsed.

14. Complaints

In the unlikely event that you are disappointed with the holiday accommodation, you must first contact the Property Owner or local representative who will try to solve the problem. Where this is not possible, you should contact us on the Emergency number provided or on the office land line. If after that you still feel that the problem has not been resolved to your reasonable satisfaction you should within 7 days of returning from holiday, put your comments in writing to us and we will forward them to the Property Owner. We are unable to take into consideration any complaint lodged after the completion of the holiday. If for some unfortunate reason you leave the apartment and terminate the contract then Venetian Apartments is under no other liability and no recompense can be sought. If alternative accommodation has been offered by Venetian Apartments (normally an upgrade at no extra cost) and the client does not wish to accept then Venetian Apartments is again under no liability and will cancel the accommodation and contract.

15. Liability of Venetian Apartments and the property owner

Neither we (as agent for the Property Owner) nor the Property Owner shall be responsible for the death of or personal injury of any holidaymaker unless this results from the proven negligence of ourselves or our employees.

We shall not be liable for any loss, breach or delay due to any cause beyond our reasonable control including though not limited to act of God, explosion, flood, tempest, fire or accident, war or threat of war, civil disturbance, acts, restrictions, regulations, bye-laws, or measures of any kind on the part of any governmental or local authority, strikes, lock-outs, or other industrial actions or disputes or adverse weather conditions. In any such case we shall be entitled to treat the contract as discharged. In the event of such discharge our liability shall be limited to the return of sums paid to us less an administrative charge of £20.00 to cover our reasonable expenses.

We cannot be held responsible for breakdown of mechanical equipment such as pumps, boilers etc, nor for failure of public utilities such as water and electricity.

Neither we nor the Property Owner is responsible for noise or nuisance or disturbance caused by third parties and/or originating beyond the boundaries of the holiday accommodation rented under these conditions. Compensation for a third party activity will be at the descretion of the owner and Venetian Apartments is under no obligation.

16. Law

All contractual obligations arising out of these booking conditions shall be deemed to come into existence in London, and be subject to English law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.