FAQs

Arrival and departure times are set so that house staff have ample time to ready the house to a high standard for the arrival of each guest. There are occasions when it may be possible for arrival and departure times to be adapted such as during quieter times of the year at smaller properties but each request is at the discretion of the property owner and taken on a case-by-case basis. Any such request must be raised and confirmed in advance.

A full changeover on departure is included in the cost of your stay. We politely request, on behalf of our owners, that the home is left in a tidy and respectful condition. As an example, surfaces are to be cleared and the dishwasher loaded. Please ensure all lights are off with the doors and windows locked as you leave. If you have chosen to enjoy your holiday home with your much-loved pet, please may we also ask that any waste is disposed of appropriately.

Rest assured that each Cornish Stays property should have the following basic supplies to make your stay more comfortable: bed linen, towels, a starter supply of logs (where required), tea, coffee, store cupboard essentials (such as cooking oil, sugar, salt, pepper), toilet roll, cleaning products, refuse and recycling bags, dishwasher tablets, tea towels. Some properties offer additional items.

Of course! We are happy to offer a private chef service, mid-week cleaning, bespoke welcome or local Cornish hamper gift ideas for any occasion. We cannot guarantee that a service will be available so please try and book this in advance directly from the following pages

Cancellation of a booking is a termination of your contract with the property owner; because of this, we have to treat your instructions to cancel your accommodation as your final decision. Following receipt of your cancellation, we will immediately make the dates available for re-sale in an effort to mitigate the cost to you of cancellation. We cannot guarantee that the dates will be re-sold, nor can we guarantee that re-sold dates will be at the same price as your original booking, as such we urge you to consider cancellation of your accommodation as a last resort. We suggest that you also purchase holiday cancellation insurance, just in case. Our full cancellation terms can be found here: cornishstays.co.uk/cancellation-policy

Firstly, it is extremely unusual that we will need to change your accommodation booking once we have accepted it. If however your booking is changed for any reason, we will tell you as soon as we are able. On very rare occasions, circumstances outside of our control may mean that we have to move you to an alternative property We will go above and beyond to ensure that the replacement property will be of equal or better standard to the property you originally booked, but if we are unable to provide an acceptable alternative accommodation you may be entitled to cancel your booking with us and receive a refund.

Cornish Stays’ properties are much-loved private homes and our owners have lavished much time, effort and investment in creating beautiful spaces for their guests to enjoy. It is therefore crucial that we request a deposit which protects the owners, their personal belongings, and the beautiful homes they share with guests. The deposit is your acceptance that you understand that you are responsible for the property during your stay and that if damage does occur, you will be accountable for covering the cost of repair. Our owners do understand that accidents happen, therefore usually do not seek recompense for minor damage say of a broken glass. We do ask that you notify us should any damage happen so that it can be remedied in time for the next guests. We endeavour to return the deposit to you as soon as possible after you leave the property (This is usually processed within 14 working days unless the house keeper has flagged an issue to us).

Cornish Stays do not offer holiday insurance, we do however think that it is prudent to do so. A good travel insurance policy is likely to cover cancellation of your booking due to most reasons genuinely beyond your control; some insurances even cover cancellation due to adverse travel and road conditions. This is an attractive feature as neither Cornish Stays nor the Owner will be liable for events outside our control that prevent you accessing the property. We also strongly recommend that your insurance policy covers you for personal liability claims just in case accidental damage is caused during your stay.

We understand that you might not want to leave your four-legged friend at home when you’re looking for the perfect escape, and we encourage our owners to accommodate pets at their properties wherever possible. Our owners homes are not standard rental properties and for this very reason, the pet accommodation charge reflects this. The number of dogs that can be accommodated will vary dependent on the property size and owner preferences, so please check the details on your preferred property page where you’ll also find additional accommodation charges detailed. If you have a pet other than a dog you’d like to accommodate, just let us know and we’ll do our very best to cater for your requirements. We welcome responsible pet owners at the properties that we market and request that you take good care of the home. Whilst the majority of properties within the portfolio have outside space for your dog to enjoy, we cannot guarantee that dogs won’t be able to escape from those with enclosed gardens.

We’re confident in the quality of the properties that we market, but it is very important to us that you provide us with honest feedback at the end of your stay. This ensures that both Cornish Stays and our property owners are maintaining the quality of the properties that we market, and implementing any suggestions that might serve to improve the property and facilities on offer.

Friends are able to visit you in the property. However, friends are not allowed to stay overnight unless they have been pre-notified to us on the property Booking as members of your party. This is an insurance and safety issue and is non-negotiable; clients will be asked to vacate a property if they do not adhere to this condition of their stay.

This is detailed in the confirmation email you will receive 21 days before your arrival date along with other useful information regarding your stay. It will be sent again 24 hours before you arrive.

Yes, a number of our properties include an electric car charging facility – Please note, electric car chargers at some properties require an additional payment to be made per use at the point of charging. Full details can be found in the section of each property page and instructions will be provided on the Guest Information when you arrive.

All our properties offer broadband. However, broadband speed and service is variable and can vary, especially in remote or rural areas where it may not operate at high speeds.We are unlikely to accept a booking that is wholly reliant on the uninterrupted provision of WiFi; if this is likely to cause an issue for you, then please contact us before confirming your booking.

Yes, the rental price includes the cost of electricity, gas, water and use of property equipment and amenities. Please note, should your chosen property be equipped with an electric car charger, there may be the requirement for an additional payment to be made to use the device on a ‘pay at point’ basis.

Some of our holiday home owners use external CCTV cameras to ensure their property is safe and secure year-round. These only ever cover points of access such as driveways, key safes and/or main entrances/exits. We don’t allow any internal cameras at our holiday homes.

We work closely with our property house keepers and owners to ensure that they make every effort to ensure highest of standards. Occasionally, things may not meet our own exacting standards. If this is the case we want you to let us know as soon as possible and ideally within 24 hours. This will enable the property owner or house keepers to investigate the issue and to do their very best to take any remedial action necessary. If you do not tell us (or the owner or housekeeping team) the issue cannot be addressed and we will assume that everything is perfect for you.

Cornish Stays LTD is a Marketing and Bookings agency only that has its own private business and public liability insurance. Please contact us if you require details of this.

All of our property owners have their own individual self catering holiday home specialist insurances in place.