Accidental Damage Scheme

These FAQs will help answer some of the common questions about how the scheme works and how to claim should any damage be caused.

What is the Accidental Damage Scheme (ADS)?

Preserving a high standard of accommodation is an important objective for any holiday homeowner in today's competitive self-catering market. Whilst the majority of guests will take very good care of your property during their stay, accidents do happen and in these instances you could be left with out of pocket expenses. The ADS offers you some protection in these instances and the guests participation is a condition of booking.

How does the scheme work?

All guest bookings are subject to participation in the ADS scheme which forms part of our standard terms & conditions. We will hold an Accidental Damage Deposit on the guests behalf in lieu of any accidental damages that may occur during their stay. If there was to be any damage then you the homeowner would be able to recover some/all of the expenses by following a simple claim process.

At the point of booking, the holiday maker has a choice to pay either the refundable Accidental Damage Deposit e.g £150 or to pay a non-refundable Accidental Damage Deposit Waiver that is 10% of the refundable amount.

How does it protect me?

A reasonable amount of ‘wear and tear’ is expected in a busy holiday home and the scheme is designed to protect you against the larger, more costly incidents. The ADS  will reimburse you for the cost of reparations in a range of situations such as breakages, stains or incidents requiring additional cleaning etc. Once we’re in receipt of a valid claim, we will then recover the expenses from the guest and either credit the cost of, or arrange the repairs as you prefer; this ensures the prompt rectification of any problems and the continuity of a great customer experience.

How do I make a claim?

You should let us know within 72hrs (3 days) of the guests departure of your intention to make a claim under the ADS. It is important this is done in a timely manner so we can establish the party responsible for the damage and that we don’t refund the holidaymaker their Accidental Damage Deposit. We ask you to notify us as quickly as possible (within 72 hours of departure) using the ADS claims form or by phone or email, so that we can flag to the holidaymaker that there has been an issue and we can alert our system to not refund their Accidental Damage Deposit until further investigation has taken place. We will require you to complete this simple claim form (can be found in your owner area on our website) and supply any appropriate information and supporting documentation e.g. photographs and receipts. A full explanation of the process can be found with the claim form in your owner area of our website.

Who can make a claim?

It doesn’t matter if you don’t clean your property yourself, but it is important that you or your appointed cleaner/housekeeper photograph and report the damage on your behalf. If we fully manage your property, we will take care of this for you.

What is not included in the scheme?

We consider wear and tear on a case by case basis, but as a guide, most damage under £25 would be considered wear and tear, for example a broken glass, or a broken light bulb.

Any values above the ADS should be claimed from your insurance provider or directly from your guests.

What does it cost?

We are happy to provide this service to you, our homeowner free of charge - a positive letting experience will ensure that we have happy customers that return to us every year.

What about bookings made before the scheme started?

During the coming months there may be bookings that were made before the ADS scheme started. These bookings will not be included in the scheme, if damage occurs in relation to one of these bookings, we will still do our best to help you reach a mutually agreeable solution with the guests.

What should I do if I have any further questions?

Please feel free to contact us at our local office and talk to a member of our team about the benefits of the scheme.

This guidance below is designed to clearly explain the step by step process of making a claim under the Accidental Damage Scheme.

  1. Notification

If at any point you wish to make a claim you must notify us within 72 hours of the holidaymaker departure. We may not be able to proceed with any claims that are not reported within 72 hours of the holiday end date. Please notify us by filling in the form below.

We require you to send us a completed copy of the Accidental Damage Scheme claim form within 7 days of the holiday end date. If we have not received the form within this timeframe we will release the Accidental Damage Deposit to the holidaymaker.

  2. Supporting Evidence

We will always require photographic evidence of claims made for the reasonable costs of miscellaneous repairs and/or replacement and/or additional cleaning of furnishings, kitchen equipment, crockery, glass, keys, bedding and towels damaged or soiled other than by usual wear and tear, where appropriate. 

We will also require documentary evidence of any receipts and/or invoices showing the costs of rectification for a claim.

We must receive sufficient supporting evidence with enough time to reach a mutually agreed solution between the homeowner and holidaymaker within 28 days of the holiday end date. If we have not received sufficient evidence within 28 days of the holiday end date the Accidental Damage Deposit will be refunded to the holidaymaker.

  3. Resolution

Once we have received sufficient supporting evidence we will contact the holidaymaker to attempt to reach a mutually agreeable solution. 

If a mutually agreeable solution is reached the reasonable costs of rectification will be paid (up to the value of the Accidental Damage Deposit at your property) to you and the balance of the Accidental Damage Deposit (if any) will be refunded to the holidaymaker. 

We will always try to come to an agreeable conclusion for both parties but occasionally this may not be possible. We will do our best to judge both sides, consider any supporting evidence and make the fairest decision possible.  There is arbitration available from our industry body EASCO but the costs of this can be prohibitive.  

If any damage caused does exceed the Accidental Damage Deposit then we will do our best in assisting you to retrieve the additional funds to cover the damage from the holidaymaker. It is likely that if the damage does exceed the Accidental Damage Deposit that it would justify an insurance claim and the Accidental Damage Deposit should help to cover the excess. 

  4. Additional information

Any questions or comments about our process or how it can be improved then please get in touch. 

Download an Accidental Damage Deposit Claim Form

Once completed, please send it to us by email for processing.