Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

General

Our Yorkshire Escapes office is based at Hammer Farm, Masham, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 4JF. Our telephone number is 01677 460196.

We are open 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

We are open on Bank Holidays unless stated otherwise. There is a 24hr answering machine in the office, so do leave a message and we will be in contact with you as soon as possible.

Making a Booking

Most of our properties are available to book online through our website. If the property is not available to book online, please send us an email or give us a call to secure the dates.

If your arrival date is within 10 weeks, you will be required to pay the full rental amount. If your arrival date is out with 10 weeks, a 35% deposit is due to confirm the booking with the remainder due 10 weeks before arrival.

Payment can be made by bank transfer or by debit/credit card. Please note you will be required to pay any additional bank charges for international payments. We do not accept AMEX. Please note there is an administration charge if you pay by card from the payment gateway provider.

For a Booking online we require the card details to be held on the system for the duration of your stay for the security deposit. We will automatically save the card details used for the initial deposit payment or the balance payment. This can be arranged when you place your booking.

The amount varies between properties, but it is between £250 – £1000. This is not charged but we will hold the amount on the card in the event of damage to the property or its contents. The card details will be deleted automatically from our system after your departure if no issues are before your stay which we will refunded after your stay.

A security deposit is required to cover the cost of any damage or breakages to or at the property, any additional cleaning. Please note that there is a charge if bed linen and/or towels are permanently stained by fake tan, make up or other.

If you happen to break glasses or crockery during your stay, we would ask you kindly contact us to make a payment for the damage. We reserve the right to hold the security deposit details if there is a dispute over damage, or we are awaiting bills/proof of damage.

You should receive an email booking confirmation within 24 hours of placing a booking. Please contact us if you have not received your confirmation by this time.

Cancellations

If you wish to cancel your booking, we will try to resell the dates to enable us to offer you a refund. If we cannot resell your dates, you will not receive a refund.

If you wish to cancel your booking if you or any member of your party have tested positive for COVID, there will be no refund of any monies paid.  

COVID cancellation: If your booking is affected by a National lockdown or restriction within government guidelines we will offer a change of dates or full refund.

The Booking Fee is non-refundable.

Insurance

We do not provide insurance at this time. We STRONGLY recommend that you take out travel insurance when making a booking. We also strongly recommend that the policy covers you for personal liability claims in the event that accidental damage is caused during your stay.

House Rules

GARDENERS – we do need to keep on top of the garden during the summer months so you may see a gardener during your stay.

TIME KEEPING – You can request to arrive later or depart earlier than the allocated times. However we cannot confirm early arrivals or late departures unless there are extenuating circumstances. We expect only the highest standards for our guests, which mean that the housekeepers need the entire allocated time to ready to property for your stay. There will be a charge for any delay in departure resulting in the cleaners not being able to access the property at departure time, they have a short amount to change over for the next guests and charge us from when they arrive at the property.

DÉCOR – No glitter, confetti, balloon water bombs, paper lanterns or fireworks. No sticking of decorations on walls, doors or windows. Please do not move any furniture.

OUR INSURANCE – No suppliers unless pre agreed with Yorkshire Escapes. No weddings, parties or events. The number of guests staying must be declared upon booking and any changes must be notified before arrival. Any guests over the legal capacity of the house will be asked to leave.

DELIVERIES – Please do not arrange grocery deliveries before your arrival time as we cannot be available to receive them.

LOST & FOUND – Should you leave items behind there will be an admin and postage charge for any returns.

PETS – For our properties that allow pets, you must supply your own pet bedding/towels. Pets are not allowed on furniture, should not be left unattended in the houses and must stay on the ground floor. You must ensure that all trace of the pet’s occupation at the property has been removed and clear up after them. Please ensure pets are on leads outside of the properties garden. There will be a deduction on guest’s damage deposit for dog mess that it not cleared away. Please close all gates to ensure any nearby livestock are secure. There is a £40 charge per dog which must be paid before arrival.

KEYS – There will be a charge for any lost keys.

All our properties are strictly non-smoking. If this is ignored, owners will charge a fee for fumigating a property – see security deposits above.

We have dog friendly properties. Our rules are that dogs are not allowed upstairs, on the furniture or in the bedrooms. We also ask that you clean up after your dog. Some properties do have more rules so do check the individual property page for more details.

House Information

Most of our properties provide feather bedding or feather cushions. Please make us aware in advance of your stay if you have any allergies. We can check with the owners to confirm if feather items are provided and if an alternative can be provided in advance of you placing a booking.

All of our properties have heating. To see what type of heating the property has, please visit the individual property page.

Please visit the individual property page to see if Wi-Fi is available. (You can also check our property pages to see if a landline is provided, if satellite TV is provided and, in some cases, what the mobile coverage is like.)

Bed linen, towels, all utilities and pre-arrival and departure cleaning is included.
Owners are expected to supply a starter pack of household items to include loo roll, tea towels, washing up liquid bin liners, soap, dishwasher tablets and washing machine tablets. Please note that if you have a long stay booked you will need to top up these items.

Please visit the individual property page to see if a travel cot and highchair is provided. Please note that bedding is not provided for the travel cot so you will need to bring this with you.

Welcome packs are at the discretion of each individual owner. To find out what is provided in the welcome pack, please contact the owner and/or housekeeper who will be able to advise. Their details can be found in the arrival arrangements.

We ask that you contact us on departure if something is broken during your stay so this can be fixed/replaced before the next guests arrive. For more serious/expensive items, the amount will be taken from your security deposit. Please ensure you notify the housekeeper or Yorkshire Escapes as soon as possible.

We want you to enjoy your stay in our properties as much as possible, so we try our best to ensure everything is perfect for you. However, sometimes things can go wrong or be missed. If you are unhappy or are experiencing problems during your stay, you must notify the owner and/or housekeeper immediately to give them a chance to resolve the matter for you. If you are to get hold of them please contact Yorkshire Escapes. Please do not leave it until you have returned home, as we are unable to help by that point.

Please contact Yorkshire Escapes and we will put you in contact with our Caterers or any other suppliers. Please notify us if you are using outside caterers for insurance purposes.
Some of our houses have hot tubs included in the price and some are an extra charge, please enquire.

Arrival and Departure

This will all be noted in the arrival arrangements which are emailed to you once the balance payment has been paid and within a week before your arrival. As postcodes can cover wide areas, please ensure you print the arrival arrangements and take them with you.
Some owners and/or housekeepers will meet you on your arrival. For other properties, the keys will be left in a key safe and we will send you the key safe code by email. This will all be noted in the arrival arrangements.
The code is sent out at least 48 hours before arrival. If you still haven’t received the code by this time, please contact us and we will provide you with the details.
Please contact the owner and/or housekeeper if you are lost enroute. The contact details can be found on your arrival arrangements. Please check you have the directions and access details before your departure to the property.
We want you to enjoy your stay in our properties as much as possible, so we try our best to ensure everything is perfect for you. However, sometimes things can go wrong or be missed. If you are unhappy or are experiencing problems during your stay, you must notify the owner and/or housekeeper immediately to give them a chance to resolve the matter for you. If you are unable to get hold of them, please contact Yorkshire Escapes. Please do not leave it until you have returned home as we are unable to help by that point.
Please contact the owner and/or housekeeper noted on the arrival arrangements regarding your missing item. They will be able to confirm if the item has been found. They will require your address so the item can be posted back to you. Please note, you will be expected to pay the postage and packing cost for the item to be returned to you.
We request feedback by email. We share your comments with the property owner and/or housekeeper and in some cases, your feedback will appear as a testimonial on our website. Please state if you would prefer for the comments not to be used on our website.