WEAR AND TEAR

There is a popular belief that when one goes on holiday, some wear and tear to the accommodation is included in the price. French law, and YSE, make a clear distinction between wear, which is normal and inevitable, and tear, which is not.

Much as we hate doing anything which could limit our guests’ pleasure, we have a duty to ensure that later guests do not have to suffer tatty chalets or grotty furniture, and regret to say that it is a condition of booking that anyone who damages any item will pay the full cost of repairing or replacing it before leaving.

If the cost is not known, an estimated cost must be paid, and we will return any balance left over.

It goes without saying that damage is accidental (if it were not, we would call the police, not the repairman!). Fortunately, most insurance policies cover genuine accidental damage.

But people who do not know the difference between ashtrays and armchairs, who spray champagne on the ceiling or ruin marble stairs with ski boots, are also expected to make good the damage. Cigarette burns and wine stains count as damage. Smoking is not allowed in any of our chalets.

The alternatives would be either to allow our chalets to become run down or unfairly to budget into everybody’s holiday price the likely cost of the damage caused by a careless minority.

All-male and all-female groups, plus those with a large number of younger clients may be asked to pay a damage deposit.

Guests staying in Chalets Patou, Perdrix, Ptarmigan, Pic Noir, Lucaval and Tapia with children aged 6 months to their 5th birthday, will also be asked to pay a Damage Deposit of £1,000.

We will send a link to Stripe where the £1,000 can be paid, during the week before your holiday. If there is no damage, this deposit will be refunded during the week after you come back. It may take a few days to arrive back in your card account.

If there is an amount required to cover the cost of any damage, we will refund the £1,000 less the cost of us making good the damage.