SERVICES OFFERED
Independent Villas aims to make available the constituent elements of a villa or apartment holiday, along with discounted green fees and sporting facilities at a competitive price, coupled with personal service for the independent holiday maker. Services offered are villa, apartment and hotel accommodation, and access during office hours to an overseas representative during your stay abroad. In addition, we offer car hire, taxi transfers and travel Insurance. The holiday elements provided by Independent Villas are priced separately for your convenience. We want to offer you the benefit of our experience with each element and you are free to purchase any of these services independently of Independent Villas. However, it is in your interest and is your responsibility to ensure you understand the individual service provider's booking conditions and liability limits.

BOOKING
When you book with Independent Villas you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept on behalf of your party, the terms and conditions. Bookings can be taken by telephone, post, e-mail or in person. Although provisional booking of accommodation will be made at time of booking, confirmation will not be made in writing by Independent Villas until payment has been cleared by our bank. A contract will exist as soon as we issue our confirmation invoice. This contract is made on the terms of these booking conditions, which are governed by English Law and the jurisdiction of the English Courts. (you may however choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland) For late bookings, provisional confirmation will be made by telephone or email if available. It is the clients responsibility to ensure all due payments are cleared before departure including cost of accelerated cheque clearance. If you are not happy to proceed with your booking after reading our terms and conditions, please contact us or your Travel Agent first before returning all documentation (to us or your Travel Agent) within 7 days. Your booking will be cancelled and any monies paid will be returned in full providing that you have not commenced your travel. This clause does not apply for all bookings made within 10 weeks of travel.

PAYMENT
Payment can be made by internet transfer, bank transfer, credit or debit card (both are subject to a 3% handling fee) or by cheque. Deposit payments must be received within 10 days of the date of your letter or we reserve the right to cancel your booking. A charge of £10 or €10 is levied for payments made by bank transfers from non UK countries. All monies received and payments due for any of the services listed below will be set out on the confirmation invoice issued by Independent Villas. It is the client’s responsibility to ensure all payments are made on time as specified on the confirmation invoice. Failure to pay monies due by required date may result in cancellation of services and loss of any payments already received.

PRICES
Prices quoted are in pounds (£) sterling and based on costs in Euros. These may change due to currency fluctuations any time up to the time of booking and we reserve the right to amend these prices. You will be advised of the current price at the time of booking. Prices will not be changed, increased or decreased, once confirmation payment has been cleared by our bank.

ACCOMMODATION
When making your booking you are required to pay to Independent Villas 25% of the total accommodation cost, once a provisional booking has been confirmed, up to 10 weeks prior to departure. The remaining 75% of the accommodation cost must be received by Independent Villas at least 10 weeks prior to your departure date. If the deposit and/or balance is not received in time we reserve the right to cancel your accommodation. If the balance is not paid in time, we reserve the right to retain your deposit. All monies paid to your Travel Agent are held by them on our behalf at all times.

OCCUPANCY
The maximum occupancy for our villas and apartments is shown on our web site. For health and safety reasons, this must not be exceeded unless pre authorised by Independent Villas. Should you fail to comply, we reserve the right to terminate your holiday with immediate effect and without liability to Independent Villas. Accommodation will be available on the day of arrival between 2pm and 4pm and all clients are asked to vacate their accommodation by 10am on the morning of departure. Where flight arrivals or departures occasionally make these times inconvenient, every effort will be made for accommodation to be ready in time for your arrival or kept available for your departure. However we cannot guarantee this at all times. Adequate time is required by the cleaning staff to clean and prepare your accommodation ready for your arrival; therefore your co-operation in this matter will be appreciated. Priority will be given to incoming clients so if you have a late departure, suitable arrangements will be made to provide somewhere for you to store cases during the day until you leave the resort. Please speak to the resort reception, or Independent Villas agent at an early stage of your holiday if arrangements of this type are required.

CAR HIRE
All car hire organized by Independent Villas is quoted at inclusive rates. For all bookings prior to departure, a deposit of £80 will reserve your chosen vehicle; secure the price at time of booking, with the balance being due 10 weeks before departure. If the deposit and/or balance is not received in time we reserve the right to cancel your car hire. If the balance is not paid in time, we reserve the right to retain your deposit. All monies paid to your Travel Agent are held by them on our behalf at all times. An additional deposit is required at car collection to cover petrol and “insurance excess” by credit card swipe. If the car is returned with the agreed amount of fuel and it is undamaged, the credit card slip will be returned. Additional drivers can be added for a local charge if applicable. It is a condition of the terms of car hire that all drivers must have held a clean driving licence for 1 year and are over 23 years of age. Baby seats and booster seats can be requested at time of booking and are charged locally if applicable.

INSURANCE
Travel insurance can be purchased via a link on our web site. It is the client’s responsibility to ensure that they have travel insurance, that the cover provided is adequate and that they are not subject to any of the exclusions. Although it is not mandatory to take out insurance through Independent Villas, it is strongly advised that adequate insurance is taken to cover loss of luggage and possessions, medical cover and for cancellation charges.

CHANGES IN DATES OR ACCOMMODATION
If, after our confirmation invoice has been issued, you wish to change your travel arrangements in any way, for example, change of date, we will do our utmost to make these changes but please note that this will not always be possible. Any requests for changes must be made in writing by the party leader. You will also be charged an admin fee of £25 per person or per change levied, for any change to the booking details sent by Independent Villas, in addition to any flight carriers’ charge. However, if changes cannot be made to the clients' satisfaction resulting in the confirmed accommodation not being occupied, cancellation procedures will be invoked. In the unlikely event that Independent Villas has to change accommodation selected by the client after the accommodation has been confirmed, we reserve the right to offer alternative accommodation of a similar or better standard (based on the published price) subject to additional costs being charged. Should accommodation of a similar or higher standard not be available, accommodation at a lower retail price will be offered, along with a full refund of the price difference. If this is not acceptable, the limit of our liability will be a full refund of the accommodation costs already paid.

CANCELLATION
All cancellations must be notified in writing by the party leader nominated on the booking form and addressed to in the initial Independent Villas invoice. Clients must also be aware that for cancellation of individual party members i.e. reduction in party size, they may also be subject to a cancellation fee applied by the flight charter company.

If we make a major change to your holiday, we will inform you or your travel agent as soon as reasonably possible if there is time before your departure.  You will have the choice of either accepting the change of arrangements, accepting an offer of alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us if available ( we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value), or cancelling your holiday booking and receiving a full refund of all monies paid.  In all cases except where the major change arose due to reasons of force majeure, we will pay compensation.

ACCIDENTAL PROPERTY DAMAGE / SECURITY DEPOSIT
Independent Villas charge an Accidental Property Damage Deposit Waiver (APDDW) for a fee of £4.25 per person, which will be levied at time of booking. This gives cover up to the breakage deposit amount confirmed at time of booking. Any accidental damage must be reported to the local representative during the holiday period. Clients are still liable for damage above the deposit amount. The APDDW does not cover you for any malicious damage caused. You may be asked for an additional security deposit, to be confirmed at time of booking, to cover any damage to the property and fittings, or remote control for electric gates. This is payable by debit card or cheque, 14 days before travel. The deposit, subject to no damage, will then be returned within two weeks of your return.

PETS
Independent Villas do not allow pets in our properties. Should you be considering taking your pet, YOU MUST contact us in the first instance. Any agreement to allow pets must be confirmed by us in writing. Should you fail to comply, we reserve the right to terminate your holiday with immediate effect and without liability to Independent Villas.

MAID SERVICE AND TOWELS
This will vary depending on the accommodation selected but as a minimum, maid service will be provided two times per week including a change of sheets every seven days and a change of towels mid week. Each property is thoroughly cleaned every seven days for either a change of clients or interim week of your holiday. All bathroom and kitchen towels as well as bed linen are provided free of charge. We do ask all clients to bring their own beach towels and not to take the towels provided off the premises for use around the pool. The exception to this is the Alto Golf & Country Club where yellow pool towels are provided.

GAS WATER AND ELECTRICITY
With the exception of long term rentals and selected properties, all gas, water and electricity is included in the weekly rental price. Most gas is supplied from bottled gas and spare bottles are provided. Clients are free to change these over, however if you have any difficulties or would like them to be changed for you, please contact the local agent or resort reception. Demand for these services often outstrips supply during peak periods. Lack of rainfall at times can also mean water shortages so please use water sparingly and be patient if any local services fail.

PROPERTY DESCRIPTIONS
Independent Villas will not be held responsible for any changes regarding their properties that differ to those shown on our web site. Whilst we endeavour to keep photographs and descriptions as up to date as possible, occasionally there are changes regarding décor, soft furnishings etc. This also applies to resort views which may have changed slightly since the photographs were taken.

PASSPORT & VISAS
EU citizens require a full EU passport. A Visitor’s passport is NOT accepted. For passports issued after the 5th October 1998 persons under 16 years cannot travel on their parent’s passports and are required to have their own individual passport. If you or any member of your party is not a EU citizen or holds a non-EU passport, you must check passport and visa requirements with the Embassy or Consulate of the country(ies) you are intending to travel to or through. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in the possession of all the correct travel documents and that they are in date. Please check the requirements (including Visas) at the time of booking or in good time before departure.

FORCE-MAJEURE
Independent Villas only accept liability against services sold. No liability will be accepted for other services e.g. car hire or flights unless payment for these services is made directly to Independent Villas. The limit of Independent Villas liability is the sum of the accommodation costs plus the cost of charges for any other service provided by Independent Villas. Independent Villas cannot accept liability due to circumstances out of its control, amounting to 'force majeure'. This includes war or threat of war, industrial action, terrorist activities, riot, civil strife, weather, failure of power, gas or water supply, local noise etc. With the increase in demand for overseas property ownership in the Western Algarve, some building work is inevitable. We will endeavour to identify any building work and mention it at the time of booking, however this situation can change without notice and is entirely out of the control of Independent Villas. Where we are notified of any additional building work after the booking is made that is likely to impact on the nature of your accommodation we will advise you as soon as possible and (if alternative accommodation is available) give you the option to change your accommodation within the terms outlined under ‘Changes In Dates Or Accommodation’.

INSECTS
Portugal enjoys a warm sunny climate and like other countries, occasionally experiences problems with ants and mosquitoes. To help with this, please do not leave food or crumbs around that entice these pests and dispose of your rubbish quickly. You may also wish to take your own repellents etc. regarding mosquitoes. It is extremely rare to experience any problems with ants that you consider to be of a serious nature, but should problems arise, please report this to the property manager or resort reception who will resolve to amend the situation.

CLIENT FEEDBACK OR COMPLAINTS
Any comments made by clients of Independent Villas are highly valued in order that they can improve on areas of concern and learn from areas that are seen to be good. Any reasonable complaint will be dealt with fairly, with an emphasis on understanding the clients' point of view. It is a prerequisite of any complaint requiring compensation that the complaint has first been made to the local agent as soon as it is apparent, and validated by production of a letter issued by the Independent Villas overseas representative. Very often what may seem to be a serious problem can be resolved relatively easily when the complaint is visible and local knowledge can be used. If however, the complaint is not resolved before the clients departure, a complaint must be made in writing within 7 days of return (date as postmark), outlining the difficulties experienced.

No liability can be accepted where this procedure has not been followed. Independent Villas undertake to acknowledge the complaint immediately upon receipt and to respond within 1 month unless extenuating circumstances prevail. The response will outline Independent Villas' acceptance of liability along with a compensation offer if appropriate. In the event this is not acceptable it is the responsibility of the client to take the matter further, by arbitration of the courts. The client is responsible for any damage or breakages caused to the accommodation by any member of the clients' party. The client has agreed to indemnify Independent Villas against any claims including legal costs made against Independent Villas by or on behalf of any property owner.

PROMPT ASSISTANCE IN RESORT
If the contract we have with you is not performed or is improperly performed as a result of failures attributable to a third party unconnected with the provision of the services, or as a result of failures due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised, or an event which we or our suppliers, even with all due care, could not foresee or forestall, and you suffer an injury or other material loss, we will offer you such prompt assistance as is reasonable in the circumstances.

EXCURSIONS
Excursions or other tours that you may choose to book or pay for whilst you are on holiday are not part of your holiday elements provided by us.  Your contract will be with the operator of the excursion or tour and not with Independent Villas. We are not responsible for the provision of the excursion or tour or for anything that happens during the course of its provision by the operator.

Independent Villas Booking Conditions - Aug. 2010