Coronavirus FAQs

As each government is constantly changing and adapting the laws and guidance that could affect customers’ holidays it is very likely that changes may be announced on the news before we have been made aware of the full details. In these circumstances, our team will work quickly to ensure all options are available to you as soon as possible.

Once the government have made their official announcement please allow us time to review the details. We will update these FAQs as soon as possible after that, which will set out your options. Therefore, please wait to see our FAQs on the announcement before contacting our call centre.

Throughout the pandemic we have done what we can to balance the interests of our guests and our holiday property owners, coming up with policies that we believe are fair in order to look after everyone in such unprecedented circumstances.

Despite the constant changing of restrictions, different regional rules and the mix of law and guidance we have always tried to ensure our policies are fair for all parties involved.

Our guiding principles when setting our policies are:

1. If the guest cannot go on their holiday due to a legal restriction from any of the UK’s governments then a guest will have the option to choose a transfer of their dates, a voucher for the full amount they have paid or a full refund for the amount they have paid.
2. If a guest chooses not to go on their holiday due to guidance from any of the UK’s governments then they can request a transfer of their dates if they wish, or we will do our best to facilitate a good outcome through one of our other policies. Unfortunately, in the case of government guidance, a full refund may not be possible.

Where possible, we are asking all guests to consider transferring their booking to a later date if they cannot, or do not wish to travel. This will ensure that guests still get the holiday they had intended but the owner of the property also gets the booking they had expected when the cancellation has occurred through no fault of their own, and often at short notice.

You can check your postcode, or the postcode of your property using the government postcode checker.

You can see the various protection levels in Scotland and the regions they apply to by visiting the Covid local protection areas information page.

You can visit the UK government coronavirus information website here.

The UK government has introduced a period of national lockdown between Thursday 5th November and Wednesday 2nd December.

We would ask that if you have a booking that is affected in this way transfer your booking to a later date if you can. Whilst the holiday may not take place on the dates you had originally intended, a transfer of the booking will ensure you still get the holiday you had intended but the owner of the property also gets the booking they had expected when the cancellation has occurred through no fault of their own, and often at short notice.

Your Options

All of the options below are available from logging in to your online customer account and selecting the Amend Booking button against the relevant booking. This will only be possible AFTER you have received your email from us. If you cannot see these options within your account, please contact our customer services team.

Option 1: Transfer your booking to a later date
You will be able to transfer your booking to a later date if you wish to do so, select the transfer option from within your online customer account and follow the instructions on the page.

Our team will process this as quickly as we can and get back to you once this is confirmed.

Option 2: Take a voucher for the full amount you have paid
You can opt to take a voucher for the full amount you have paid. If you wish to do this, please select the option from within your online customer account and the voucher will be credited to your account within 24 hours

Option 3: Cancel your booking for a full refund
If none of the above options are suitable, you will have the option to cancel your booking and receive a refund for the full amount you have paid. You can do this by selecting the option from within your online customer account.

You can see the latest English local lockdown guidance here.

Whilst the UK government has not made it illegal to travel to a holiday cottage in a “very high” (tier 3) lockdown location (unless you are travelling as more than one household) they have asked people not to travel into the area and we are asking guests to act responsibly and in line with the government guidance.

We would ask that if you have a booking for a property in a tier 3 region you transfer your booking to a later date if you can. Whilst the holiday may not take place on the dates you had originally intended, a transfer of the booking will ensure that you still get the holiday you had intended but the owner of the property also gets the booking they had expected when the cancellation has occurred through no fault of their own, and often at short notice.

Where possible, we will contact you if your booking is affected in this way via email. However, if you have checked the government postcode checker or the relevant government website and you are impacted and you have not heard from us, please contact our customer services team.

Your Options

All of the options below are available from logging in to your online customer account and selecting the Amend Booking button against the relevant booking. If you cannot see these options within your account, please contact our customer services team.

Option 1: Transfer your booking to a later date
You will be able to transfer your booking to a later date if you wish to do so, select the transfer option from within your customer account and follow the instructions on the page.

Our team will process this as quickly as we can and get back to you once this is confirmed.

Option 2: Take a voucher for the full amount you have paid
You can opt to take a voucher for the full amount you have paid. If you wish to do this, please select the option from within your online customer account and the voucher will be credited to your account within 24 hours.

Option 3: Cancel your booking for a full refund
If none of the above options are suitable, you will have the option to cancel your booking and receive a refund for the full amount you have paid. You can do this by selecting the option from within your online customer account.

You can see the latest English local lockdown guidance here.

Whilst the UK government has not made it illegal for guests to travel out of a “very high” (tier 3) lockdown location (unless you are travelling as more than one household) they have asked people not to travel out of the area and we are asking guests to act responsibly and in line with the government guidance.

We would ask that if you have a booking due to depart before 11th November and you live in a tier 3 area, you transfer your booking to a later date if you can. Whilst the holiday may not take place on the dates you had originally intended, a transfer of the booking will ensure you still get the holiday you had intended but the owner of the property also gets the booking they had expected when the cancellation has occurred through no fault of their own, and often at short notice.

Where possible, we will contact guests affected in this way via email. However, if you have checked the government postcode checker or the relevant government website and you are impacted and you have not heard from us, please contact our customer services team.

Your Options

All of the options below are available from logging in to your online customer account and selecting the Amend Booking button against the relevant booking. If you cannot see these options within your account, please contact our customer services team.

Option 1: Transfer your booking to a later date
You will be able to transfer your booking to a later date if you wish to do so, select the transfer option from within your online customer account and follow the instructions on the page.

Our team will process this as quickly as we can and get back to you once this is confirmed.

Option 2: Take a voucher for the full amount you have paid
You can opt to take a voucher for the full amount you have paid. If you wish to do this, please select the option from within your online customer account and the voucher will be credited to your account within 24 hours.

Option 3: Cancel your booking for a full refund
If none of the above options are suitable, you will have the option to cancel your booking and receive a refund for the full amount you have paid. You can do this by selecting the option from within your online customer account.

You can see the latest English local lockdown guidance here.

You should still be able to travel as normal to locations in England in a “high” (Tier 2) area as long as you are travelling within a single household or support bubble and you are not subject to local restrictions preventing you from leaving the area you live. It is important you follow any guidance relevant to the location you are travelling from too.

If you are unable to travel because your party does not comply with the restrictions on party make-up please contact our customer services team to discuss your options.

If you are unable to travel because you live in an area with local restrictions preventing you from travelling please see the relevant FAQ in relation to the area you live, which will set out your options.

You can see the latest English local lockdown guidance here.

You should still be able to travel as normal if you live in England in a “high” (Tier 2) area as long as you are travelling within a single household or support bubble and you are not travelling to an area that has local restrictions preventing you from travelling there. It is important you follow any guidance relevant to the location you are travelling to.

If you are unable to travel because your party does not comply with the restrictions on party make-up please contact our customer services team to discuss your options.

If you are travelling to a property in an area with local restrictions please see the relevant FAQ in relation to the area the property is in, which will set out your options.

You can visit the Welsh Government coronavirus information website here.

If you live in Wales and are due to go on holiday in Wales you can travel as a single household. It is important you follow any guidance relevant to the location you are travelling to. If you are unable to travel because your party does not comply with the restrictions on party make-up please contact our customer services team to discuss your options.

If you are due to travel outside of Wales or you are planning to travel into Wales this is not permitted for the time being.

If you have a booking that is affected in this way, we would ask that you transfer your booking to a later date. Whilst the holiday may not take place on the dates you had originally intended, a transfer of the booking will ensure you still get the holiday you had intended but the owner of the property also gets the booking they had expected when the cancellation has occurred through no fault of their own, and often at short notice.

Your Options

All of the options below are available from logging in to your online customer account and selecting the Amend Booking button against the relevant booking. If you cannot see these options within your account, please contact our customer services team.

Option 1: Transfer your booking to a later date
You will be able to transfer your booking to a later date if you wish to do so, select the transfer option from within your online customer account and follow the instructions on the page.

Our team will process this as quickly as we can and get back to you once this is confirmed.

Option 2: Take a voucher for the full amount you have paid
You can opt to take a voucher for the full amount you have paid. If you wish to do this, please select the option from within your online customer account and the voucher will be credited to your account within 72 hours.

Option 3: Cancel your booking for a full refund
If none of the above options are suitable, you will have the option to cancel your booking and receive a refund for the full amount you have paid. You can do this by selecting the option from within your online customer account.

You can see the latest Scottish local lockdown guidance here.

The Scottish government have stated that there should be “no non-essential travel into or out of the level 4 area”. Accommodation such as self-catering is also only deemed to be allowed to open if it is essential (e.g. work related).

We would ask that if you have a booking due to depart during the period that your property will be within tier 4 measures, you transfer your booking to a later date if you can. Whilst the holiday may not take place on the dates you had originally intended, a transfer of the booking will ensure you still get the holiday you had intended but the owner of the property also gets the booking they had expected when the cancellation has occurred through no fault of their own, and often at short notice.

Where possible, we will contact guests affected in this way via email. However, if you have checked the Covid Protection levels by area and you are impacted and you have not heard from us, please contact our customer services team.

Your Options

All of the options below are available from logging in to your online customer account and selecting the Amend Booking button against the relevant booking. If you cannot see these options within your account, please contact our customer services team.

Option 1: Transfer your booking to a later date
You will be able to transfer your booking to a later date if you wish to do so, select the transfer option from within your online customer account and follow the instructions on the page.

Our team will process this as quickly as we can and get back to you once this is confirmed.

Option 2: Take a voucher for the full amount you have paid
You can opt to take a voucher for the full amount you have paid. If you wish to do this, please select the option from within your online customer account and the voucher will be credited to your account within 24 hours.

Option 3: Cancel your booking for a full refund
If none of the above options are suitable, you will have the option to cancel your booking and receive a refund for the full amount you have paid. You can do this by selecting the option from within your online customer account.

You can see the latest Scottish local lockdown guidance here.

The Scottish government have stated that there should be “no non-essential travel into or out of the level 4 area”.

We would ask that if you have a booking due to depart during the period that your property will be within tier 4 measures, you transfer your booking to a later date if you can. Whilst the holiday may not take place on the dates you had originally intended, a transfer of the booking will ensure you still get the holiday you had intended but the owner of the property also gets the booking they had expected when the cancellation has occurred through no fault of their own, and often at short notice.

Where possible, we will contact guests affected in this way via email. However, if you have checked the Covid Protection levels by area and you are impacted and you have not heard from us, please contact our customer services team.

Your Options

All of the options below are available from logging in to your online customer account and selecting the Amend Booking button against the relevant booking. If you cannot see these options within your account, please contact our customer services team.

Option 1: Transfer your booking to a later date
You will be able to transfer your booking to a later date if you wish to do so, select the transfer option from within your online customer account and follow the instructions on the page.

Our team will process this as quickly as we can and get back to you once this is confirmed.

Option 2: Take a voucher for the full amount you have paid
You can opt to take a voucher for the full amount you have paid. If you wish to do this, please select the option from within your online customer account and the voucher will be credited to your account within 24 hours.

Option 3: Cancel your booking for a full refund
If none of the above options are suitable, you will have the option to cancel your booking and receive a refund for the full amount you have paid. You can do this by selecting the option from within your online customer account.

You can see the latest Scottish local lockdown guidance here.

The Scottish government have stated that there should be “no non-essential travel into or out of the level 3 area”. There is also guidance that advises non-essential (leisure/tourism) use only by locals.

We would ask that if you have a booking due to depart during the period that your property will be within tier 3 measures, you transfer your booking to a later date if you can. Whilst the holiday may not take place on the dates you had originally intended, a transfer of the booking will ensure you still get the holiday you had intended but the owner of the property also gets the booking they had expected when the cancellation has occurred through no fault of their own, and often at short notice.

Where possible, we will contact guests affected in this way via email. However, if you have checked the Covid Protection levels by area and you are impacted and you have not heard from us, please contact our customer services team.

Your Options

All of the options below are available from logging in to your online customer account and selecting the Amend Booking button against the relevant booking. If you cannot see these options within your account, please contact our customer services team.

Option 1: Transfer your booking to a later date
You will be able to transfer your booking to a later date if you wish to do so, select the transfer option from within your online customer account and follow the instructions on the page.

Our team will process this as quickly as we can and get back to you once this is confirmed.

Option 2: Take a voucher for the full amount you have paid
You can opt to take a voucher for the full amount you have paid. If you wish to do this, please select the option from within your online customer account and the voucher will be credited to your account within 24 hours.

Option 3: Cancel your booking for a full refund
If none of the above options are suitable, you will have the option to cancel your booking and receive a refund for the full amount you have paid. You can do this by selecting the option from within your online customer account.

You can see the latest Scottish local lockdown guidance here.

The Scottish government have stated that there should be “no non-essential travel into or out of the level 3 area”.

We would ask that if you have a booking due to depart during the period that your home location will be within tier 3 measures, you transfer your booking to a later date if you can. Whilst the holiday may not take place on the dates you had originally intended, a transfer of the booking will ensure you still get the holiday you had intended but the owner of the property also gets the booking they had expected when the cancellation has occurred through no fault of their own, and often at short notice.

Where possible, we will contact guests affected in this way via email. However, if you have checked the Covid Protection levels by area and you are impacted and you have not heard from us, please contact our customer services team.

Your Options

All of the options below are available from logging in to your online customer account and selecting the Amend Booking button against the relevant booking. If you cannot see these options within your account, please contact our customer services team.

Option 1: Transfer your booking to a later date
You will be able to transfer your booking to a later date if you wish to do so, select the transfer option from within your online customer account and follow the instructions on the page.

Our team will process this as quickly as we can and get back to you once this is confirmed.

Option 2: Take a voucher for the full amount you have paid
You can opt to take a voucher for the full amount you have paid. If you wish to do this, please select the option from within your online customer account and the voucher will be credited to your account within 24 hours.

Option 3: Cancel your booking for a full refund
If none of the above options are suitable, you will have the option to cancel your booking and receive a refund for the full amount you have paid. You can do this by selecting the option from within your online customer account.

You can see the latest Scottish local lockdown guidance here.

You should still be able to travel as normal to locations in Scotland in a level 2 region as long as you are travelling as a single household or as a group of 6 from up to 2 households and you are not subject to local restrictions preventing you from leaving the area you live. It is important you follow any guidance relevant to the location you are travelling from too.

If you are unable to travel because your party does not comply with the restrictions on party make-up please contact our customer services team to discuss your options.

If you are unable to travel because you live in an area with local restrictions preventing you from travelling please see the relevant FAQ in relation to the area you live, which will set out your options.

You can see the latest Scottish local lockdown guidance here.

You should still be able to travel as normal if you live in Scotland in a level 2 region as long as you are travelling as a single household or as a group of 6 from up to 2 households and you are not travelling to an area that has local restrictions preventing you from travelling there. It is important you follow any guidance relevant to the location you are travelling to.

If you are unable to travel because your party does not comply with the restrictions on party make-up please contact our customer services team to discuss your options.

If you are travelling to a property in an area with local restrictions please see the relevant FAQ in relation to the area the property is in, which will set out your options.

Following the recent announcements from all three governments across the UK regarding parties of over 6, we have set out below all of the options that are available to you if your booking is departing up until the 31st December 2020 and it is affected by the new legal restrictions.

As you may have seen, there are slightly different approaches in England, Scotland and Wales, particularly whether children count towards the 6 person limit and how many households can gather together. We would recommend that before deciding to take one of the options below you carefully read the relevant guidance which can be found:

Our current understanding is the following:

• Here for England
• Here for Scotland
• Here for Wales

Once you have reviewed your position, please let us know what you intend to do by following the instructions under the options below.

Your Options

All of the options below are available from logging in to your online customer account and selecting the Amend Booking button against the relevant booking. If you cannot see these options within your account, please contact our customer services team.

Option 1: Inform us your booking can still go ahead
You may still be able to travel if your booking complies with the legislation in the devolved country you are travelling to or your party size now fits within the limit (some guests have amended their party size to be compliant). You can inform us that this is the case by selecting the first option from within your online customer account.

Option 2: Transfer your booking to a later date
You will be able to transfer your booking to a later date if you wish to do so, select the transfer option, read the instructions and select the new dates from the calendar.

Our team will process this as quickly as we can and get back to you once this is confirmed.

Option 3: Take a voucher for the full amount you have paid
You can opt to take a voucher for the full amount you have paid. If you wish to do this, please select the option from within your online customer account and the voucher will be credited to your account within 24 hours.

Option 4: Cancel your booking for a full refund
If none of the above options are suitable and you can't lawfully travel, you will have the option to cancel your booking and receive a refund for the full amount you have paid. You can do this by selecting the option from within your online customer account.

The government plans to review this policy and we will review our approach to this in line with any changes that they make.

We would ask that if you cannot go ahead with your booking, that you transfer your booking to a later date if you can. Whilst the holiday may not take place on the dates you had originally intended, a transfer of the booking will ensure you still get the holiday you had intended but the owner of the property also gets the booking they had expected when the cancellation has occurred through no fault of their own, and often at short notice.

If your chosen holiday property is legally unavailable, we will contact you via email. You do not need to contact us until this has happened. Our teams will be unable to help you until we have contacted you.

If your booking is affected we will contact you via email.

This email will set out all of the options you have as well as the instructions on how to amend your booking.

If you select the “amend booking” button in your account prior to receiving this email, it is possible that you will not see all of the options available to you.

Guests travelling from different countries may be subject to different laws and guidance within their own country, or at times, different laws or guidance when they enter the UK.

Guests should ensure they have checked the travel restrictions from their own government in their location before deciding to book. Once a booking has been made, it may not be possible to change it in the future should travel laws and regulations between countries change.

If a government restriction is put in place that may affect some of our customers bookings, we may, at times, ask you to confirm that your party is compliant and legally able to travel (For example, the “rule of 6”).

If you confirm to us that your party is okay to travel (either at the time of booking, or retrospectively for bookings made before government restrictions are put in place), it will then mean you are confirming your party plan to travel with awareness of the current legal position and you will not have the other options available to you unless that legal position changes.

Working examples:

1. A guest with 7 people on their booking who confirm their booking can go ahead due to their party being from one household will not be able to cancel and obtain a full refund closer to the holiday date if they simply change their mind.

2. A guest with 7 people on their booking who confirm their booking can go ahead due to their party being from one household, but are later subject to different lockdown measures that mean they cannot legally travel will have all of the options available to them again that are relevant to that new legal restriction.

You can request a transfer of your dates by logging in to your online customer account and selecting the amend booking button and scrolling to the bottom of the page.

Our Transfer Team will then work to try and arrange this with the owner of the property for you and will be in touch in due course to let you know the outcome. We are working through transfer requests in departure date order, so please do allow for a delay if your request is for a booking further in the future.

While most transfer requests can be approved, there are occasions where in working with the Property Owner this is not possible for various reasons. If this is the case, our team will be in touch to inform you of your new options.

If you have chosen to transfer your booking, you have 24 hours in which to make further changes. Once this period has passed, it is not possible to change the resolution of the booking and the agreed new date will be final. Please contact our customer services team if you need to do this.

We are working through any transfer requests in holiday date departure order as quickly as we can. For all transfer requests, we work with the Property Owner to facilitate this before confirming with the guests.

Due to the high volume of demand for our customer services team we may take a little longer to respond to you than we would normally like. However, you should find out if your transfer request has been successful within 10 working days.

If you choose to take a voucher with us instead of cancelling your holiday, we very much appreciate your decision and look forward to welcoming you on your holiday once you decide to book it again with us.

However, we do understand that for some customers, situations may have changed and customers who decided they wanted a voucher at the time, may now wish to have a refund. Unlike a transfer, which cannot be changed as a new booking has been created, as long as the voucher has not yet been redeemed, you can exchange this for a cash refund. If you wish to do this, please contact our customer services team.

You can see in the above sections the different rules that apply depending on why a guest cancels their booking. As a general rule, if there is a legal restriction that prevents you from being able to go on holiday, one of your options will include a full refund.

However, if you cannot travel due to your circumstances or no longer wish to travel you can cancel your booking by logging into your online customer account and selecting the “amend booking” option.

As per our standard booking terms, guest’s deposits and the booking fees are non-refundable.

However, due to ongoing uncertainty and the continual changes to government guidance around coronavirus, if a guest cancels their booking that was due to depart in 2020, they were not entitled to a full refund, and the property is re-let, we will refund the guest the money they have paid up to the maximum amount we re-let the property for. Please see our new Coronavirus Customer Re-Let Policy for more information.

Please login to your online customer account and select the “amend booking” option for more information.

If you wish to cancel your booking you can do so by logging in to your online customer account. Additional information regarding your specific circumstances will be available to you from within these pages.

You should continue to pay your balance when it is due and you can be safe in the knowledge that if you cannot go on your holiday due to a legal restriction, you will have the option of a full refund. Customers can pay their outstanding balance by logging into their online customer account. Due to the volume of enquiries we are currently receiving we would appreciate it if all customers could make this payment online.

If you have transferred your booking to a more expensive date at the same property, you will be required to pay the difference in price for the new week. If you have transferred to a less expensive date, the difference will be refunded to you.

Our team are working hard to process all payments as quickly as possible. Any refunds due as a result of a legal restriction, should be paid within 10 working days of the cancellation taking place. However, we are experienced unprecedented levels of cancellations and therefore your refund may take longer to process.

Any refunds due to guests under our re-let policy will be paid no later than 14 days after the holiday was due to depart. However, we are experienced unprecedented levels of cancellations and therefore your refund may take longer to process.

The safety of our guests, owners, housekeepers and the local communities are of paramount importance to us. Because of this, some of our owners have adapted their arrival times to allow for a new cleaning regime to take place. If this is the case, you will receive this information prior to your stay.

All of our properties are already cleaned to a high standard and in light of the current situation we have been working closely with our owners to ensure they are ready to re-open, including providing detailed cleaning guidance (using risk assessments and cleaning checklists developed by the Professional Association of Self Caterers), and encouraging owners to implement changeovers and key collections processes that minimise contact. You will be provided with your cottage owners contact details in advance of the stay so that you can ask any further specific questions.

We sincerely hope that does not happen but in the, hopefully, unlikely event it does please ensure you follow the appropriate Government advice. Please note this may be different depending on the country you are staying in. The UK government guidance for holiday homes in England can be found here. You will see that if you or a member of your party falls ill at a property, you should self-isolate and request a test. If you are confirmed to have Covid-19 you should return home if you can. When contacting the NHS please specifically mention that you are staying in a holiday home. If you are advised by NHS to remain at the property, we will work with the owner to facilitate this as best we can and you will be required to pay the rates due for an additional stay and any other costs that relate to the additional stay.

Shops, attractions, pubs and other establishments are always subject to changes in their opening times and availability. It is not possible for anyone to predict the availability of such amenities and customers should always check directly with particular businesses if these are crucial to their holiday plans.

We know that customers want to do their best to help the local communities that they are visiting whilst they are on holiday. That is why we have put together our Responsible Holidays Charter where you can find ideas from us on how to holiday responsibly and sustainably with additional information in light of coronavirus.

If you have purchased insurance through holidaycottages.co.uk or another of The Travel Chapter brands, your insurance is provided by Towergate. Your insurance documents were provided to you at the time of booking.

If you purchased travel insurance through holidaycottages.co.uk before 17th March 2020, then you should be covered if: you are diagnosed as having coronavirus, or you are required to self-isolate, or if you or a member of your household has contracted the illness, provided that the holiday date coincides with the period of self-isolation and you obtain a case reference from NHS111, please see further information online. Please contact Towergate to discuss your circumstances further.

Policies purchased after Monday 17th March 2020 will not cover claims relating to coronavirus.

If you transfer your booking using our Special Customer Amendments Policy, please note we have been informed that Towergate will allow the policy to be transferred to the amended booking, but that it will not cover any future claim relating to coronavirus.

For policies purchased before 1st January 2020 contact: [email protected]

For policies purchased on or after 1st January 2020 contact: [email protected]