FAQs
Here you'll find answers to our frequently asked questions. If you still can't find the information you need, please contact our team who will be happy to help.
Booking your stay
Yes - each of our properties are subject to an annual pricing review and rates are agreed between ourselves and the property owners. The rates reflect the exceptional quality of the properties, our tailored concierge service and the fantastic facilities on offer, so you'll never see discounts or special offers listed on our website.
Our typical changeover days are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, except for a small selection of properties, which have two changeover days during peak periods (Friday and Monday). Out of season, we're often able to accommodate arrivals on alternative days that aren't shown online. Please contact our team to discuss this further.
A small selection of our properties offer short breaks year-round. However, short stays are typically only available across our portfolio during quieter periods. Peak times of the year are reserved solely for longer stays of seven nights or more.
The 4:30pm arrival and 10am departure times are set to ensure the housekeeping teams have enough time to professionally clean, carry out maintenance and prepare the house to the highest possible standard.
Early or late arrivals and departures are only available at the housekeeping companies’ discretion and should be agreed with them directly. Often, they don’t know whether this is possible until the day of arrival, as it depends on the condition the property is left in by the departing guests.
Should you wish to book a property but need a little more time to confirm the final details, we can place a property on a 24 hour hold for you. Please note that once the hold has expired, the dates will automatically release and be available for booking on our website.
We require names and ages of all guests for insurance and fire safety records. Some properties might also have specific restrictions based on the age of guests, which will be listed on the relevant property page.
Only guests named at the time of booking or added to the booking details before arrival are authorised to stay at the property. This should include any guests that may be joining or departing partway through the stay.
When you confirm your booking and provide your party details, you’ll be asked to select the total number of infants, children and adults in your group. We class an infant as 0-2 years old, a child as 3-15 years old, and an adult as 16+.
The majority of our properties accept an additional two infants in travel cots (aged two and under). Properties where this varies will be noted on the 'need to know' tab. If you require further information or clarification, please contact us to discuss your requirements before booking.
Unfortunately, our properties don’t accommodate more than the stated maximum number of guests (not including infants in travel cots at most properties). This is for our guests’ general comfort and enjoyment of the property, as they’re furnished and equipped to the maximum guest numbers shown, along with fire safety requirements.
While Perfect Stays® don't offer holiday insurance, we strongly recommend that all guests secure suitable insurance to cover the full cost of their stay. This helps to protect you in the event of any unforeseen circumstances that may result in a need to cancel the booking. For our full cancellation policy, please see our Terms and Conditions.
Payments and security deposits
Unfortunately, we don't accept American Express. Due to lengthy processing times, payments via this method proved costly and inconvenient for both Perfect Stays® and customers.
In order to comply with strict Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS), Perfect Stays® don't store guests’ card details. In order to process auto-payments to your card, the card processing system saves authorised encrypted codes which allow us to do this.
The refundable security deposit is a property-specific sum of money that the owner requires to be held and is due to be paid as cleared funds one week before arrival. This is refunded within 14 days of departure, subject to no charges made against it.
The refundable security deposit serves as an assurance to the owner of the property that should any damage or loss occur during, or as a result of a guest's occupancy, that recompense will be sought. The security deposit doesn't limit liability if damage is in excess of the amount held.
Perfect Stays® acts as the mediator between the guest and owner to ensure any incidences of damage or loss are dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible. The security deposit isn't concerned with general wear and tear.
To comply with strict Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS), Perfect Stays® don't store guests’ card details. For this reason, refundable security deposits must be taken as cleared funds.
Whether you pay your security deposit by debit card, credit card or BACS, the money goes straight into our secure client accounts.
After your stay, your funds are refunded back to the card they were paid from within 14 days of departure.
If you pay your security deposit by BACS, you’ll need to provide us with your bank details so we can refund your funds after your stay.
A booking isn’t finalised until both the remaining balance and the refundable security deposit have been received. It’s a strict term of our booking process that the refundable security deposit must be paid one week before arrival at the latest, to ensure this payment has been received, processed and your booking documents sent to you ahead of your stay.
We have recently updated our policy to reduce the time in advance that the security deposit must be paid, from six weeks to one week, to improve the process for our guests.
If you don't want the auto-payment taken from the card you originally booked your holiday with, you can pay the balance and/or security deposit for your stay via a different card by calling our team and making payment over the phone, or by making a payment via your online Perfect Stays® account. You can also make payment by BACS.
The alternative payments must be made in advance of your due date(s). If we haven't received your payment(s) prior to your balance due date, the payments will automatically be processed from the card you originally made your booking with.
Yes, payments can be made via a BACS transfer, the details of which will be provided upon request. Guests will be responsible for any bank charges both on transfer into our bank or on refund if it's for a security deposit. All payments made by BACS transfer are held in our secure client account. If you’re paying your security deposit by this method, no interest is earned on these funds. Please note, we don't accept international BACS payments.
The lead guest is responsible for making one payment to secure the booking and making the final balance payment and security deposit. Each payment we take during the booking process needs to be taken in one amount. We recommend all paying parties transfer the appropriate funds to the nominated lead guest before any payments are made to Perfect Stays®.
Whether you pay for your holiday and/or security deposit by card or BACS, your money is held in our secure client accounts.
In the unlikely event that Perfect Stays® cease to trade, all funds in our secure client accounts would be paid back to the guest – this would be managed by our bank, NatWest.
Our properties
Every guest can expect to find a welcome hamper upon arrival, including fresh goods such as bread, milk, breakfast items, scones/cake, sundry items, and cupboard essentials including tea and coffee.
Each property also provides Wi-Fi, high quality linen and towels, logs (where relevant), dishwasher tablets, tea towels and hand wash. More personalised items, such as additional toiletries and laundry detergent, aren't included.
Our minimum standards ensure you have everything you need for a memorable stay, but some properties may provide alternative or slightly varied items, so please request detailed information from our team before your stay, if required.
Yes, a number of our properties include an electric car charging facility - a full list of suitable properties can be found here.
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 'Need to Know' section of each property page and instructions will be provided on the Guest Information Tablet when you arrive.
Should you require any further details, please don't hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team on 01208 895570.
The health and wellbeing of our guests, property owners, service providers and employees will always remain our top priority. While cases of COVID-19 have reduced from the heights of the outbreak, we understand that it's still a serious concern for many families.
Rigorous cleaning protocols
Our property owner’s housekeeping teams adhere to stringent cleaning schedules, ensuring thorough cleaning of our properties. Special attention is given to high-touchpoint areas and hard surfaces, maintaining the highest cleanliness standards.
Adherence to the latest guidelines
While there are currently no specific government restrictions in place regarding COVID-19, we continually monitor and follow the latest government advice. We are fully prepared to implement necessary measures to curb the spread of the virus as required.
Your cooperation matters
If, during your stay, you test positive for COVID-19, we kindly request that you inform us immediately. Your prompt communication allows us to take appropriate steps to ensure the proper sanitisation of the property before the arrival of subsequent guests.
Your trust in us is deeply valued, and we remain dedicated to providing a safe and enjoyable experience during your stay.
In any cases where you encounter a problem, please contact the property manager as soon as possible. You'll be able to find their details on your booking documents and on the guest information tablet in the property. There's a 24/7 emergency contact number that goes straight through to the local property manager, so guests can rest easy that there’s always someone on the end of the phone if issues arise.
Each property owner has a local manager and housekeeping team on hand to prepare and clean the property, whilst also being available to resolve any potential issues during your stay.
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, and if a property has an external camera that overlooks a social space, we ask our home owners to ensure its switched off and covered when guests are staying.
If there’s external CCTV installed at one of our holiday homes, this will be made clear in the property-specific guide, which is sent ahead of your stay. If you require further information about one of our properties before booking, please contact our team.
We count a ‘bathroom’ as a room with a toilet and a shower and/or bath. Some properties might have additional WCs and/or standalone wet rooms, but these aren’t officially counted as bathrooms. Detailed information on each property’s layout and what’s included can be found under the ‘floorplan’ tab on the individual property pages. If you require further information or clarification, please contact us to discuss your requirements before booking.
We count a ’bedroom’ as a room with a permanent bed. Some properties might have multifunctional rooms that come with sofa beds (e.g. TV or games rooms). However, even though these rooms are suitable for guests to sleep in, they don’t officially count as bedrooms. Detailed information on each property’s layout and what’s included can be found under the ‘floorplan’ tab on the individual property pages. If you require further information or clarification, please contact us to discuss your requirements before booking.
Properties with a ‘ground floor bedroom’ have a bedroom and bathroom on the same level as the main entrance.
Please note, there may be steps from the parking area to the main entrance. Likewise, not all properties with ground floor bedrooms and bathrooms have social spaces on the same level.
At a small number of properties, the ground floor might be split, with up to five internal steps. If this is the case, it’ll be made clear in the property’s floorplan information.
If you or any of your guests have specific accessibility requirements, and you’d like to make an informed decision on whether a property is suitable for you, please speak to our team. They’ll be able to provide further information on individual property layouts and access from the parking area.
Changes to your booking
Once the non-refundable booking deposit has been paid, the booking is confirmed. In very rare and exceptional cases, the owner may be willing to allow a booking to be moved to an alternative date within the same calendar year, however, this is at the owner’s discretion and can't be guaranteed.
Unfortunately, bookings can't be moved from one property to another without forfeiting the non-refundable booking deposit. If the rental cost has been paid in full, the relevant charges will apply, as stated in our Terms and Conditions.
ATOL stands for Air Travel Organiser’s Licence and relates to any UK travel company that provides air holidays and flights.
ABTA is the Association of British Travel Agents which is an organisation that ensures quality service through its code of conduct and financial protection for holidaymakers in the event a travel company goes out of business.
Perfect Stays® isn't a travel agency or airline and therefore isn't a member of either body. We are, however, a member of the Holiday Home Association.