Holiday Cottage cancelled within 1.5h of check-in - What are my rights?

Don't except the first offer.
Execpt it, get a plan and go anywhere.

I would ask to see a copy of the said certificate

As you hadn't actually arrived at the time, I'd say full refund and some compensation will be the best you can get

Does it have an electric shower?
Tell then to turn the gas off at the mains, take a camping stove, get them to refund you 50%
Proceed with previous plan.

Can't advise about rights - other than to reject first offer.
Suggest you call Crabtree & Crabtree as they manage holiday lets in Northumberland and the Borders; used them before - very good.
If you find some alternative accommodation and it's more expensive, factor that into your compensation demand.

is it a private person doing this or a corporate thing ? That would affect my answer greatly..

WWSTWD?!

Sausages, Bombers or Shoes

You could message Drac as he's a local and may have some contacts or suggestions.

If you're getting a full refund plus some extra then I think that's pretty much your lot regarding your rights. It's quite possible there is no alternative accommodation available

How many people and have you already travelled?

Not sure about rights but I would try finding an alternative yourself and then asking them to pay the difference plus some compensation.

Given timescales Airbnb would probably be the best for finding somewhere available quickly. I have just done a search and there does look to be some available properties in the area.

I have used cottages.com in the past and been happy with their service but not had an issue like this. I would have thought that they would have some policy/procedure in place for issues like this.

The Youth Hostel in Alnwick is worth checking out and it's conveniently near to the Tanners' Arms.

Thanks for the thoughts so far folks.

This is through Cottages.com, so not exactly a small outfit...

We're 2 adults, a 5yo and a 2yo - so we're currently trying to pretend to the kids that nothing is going on, while desperately trying to find some alternatives!

Given that the time between the cottage being cancelled and check-in is only 90 minutes, I think it's fully to be expected that we have travelled...

Also embrace the situation and do whatever becomes available. serendipity, best laid plans all that jazz.

Get on the phone to Croquet Cottages. Explain the situation and see if they can help. They have loads of holiday lets in the local area and will know about last minute cancellations you may be able to take up.

Edit, lovely looking place available in Amble starting today for 7 nights, Amble is a cracking little town with brilliant access to the best beaches.
https://coquetcottages.co.uk/northumberland-holiday-cottages/queen-street-hideaway/

I think it’s fully to be expected that we have travelled

Depends how far you're going 😀

Crabtree & Crabtree have at least one property in/near Alnwick available from today.

Go for one of those above and if they are more than the refund + compensation offer ask them to cover the difference as a minimum.

I'd be taking a drive past the cancelled property and if it's occupied, hammer some frozen wee into their chimney or, err, something

We often use Sykes Cottages and I’ve just had a quick look on their page – 4 properties for Alnwick that would meet your needs, one is ridiculously expensive, the others around £1000, which is still dear for 7 nights in my book but might work for you.

I guess your rights will be defined in the T & Cs and cancellation policy.

What a 'sh1tter' - hope you find something fast.

Not great timing but unexpected things do happen.

Rights wise it’s what’s in the T&C’s which will probably only cover refund of the booking. Be careful of going in with both feet as the compensation may stop being on the table.

Booking.com - some approaching £1,600 plus for the week, although The Schooner Hotel is just over a grand for 4 for a week in Alnmouth - at least there is availability, even if for a night or two until you find something.

The Schooner Hotel is just over a grand for 4 for a week in Alnmouth

As the The Schooner, officially the most haunted hotel in Britain. Even if ghosts don't scare you, the quality of the food should. The place is shocking. So shocking that Trading Standards took them to court last year.

Don't make a bad situation worse by going there!

We turned up in Windermere once, collected the keys to the cottage but when we got there it had flooded inside!

Luckily Cottages.com did have something free - was in Coniston, so they just gave us that.

OP here.

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, help, advice etc. Knew I could rely on you lot!

We've now booked somewhere through Sykes, which is only moderately outrageously expensive. Now to do battle with Cottages.com for some form of compensation...

Good luck.

Oh bummer that is a nightmare story. Glad you got sorted. Lovely place to be though so you’ll hopefully soon put it behind you. Had a lovely weekend in amble a couple of weeks ago in an Airbnb place but obviously that was before school holidays had started and would possibly be too small for your needs.
First beer tonight will slip down easily I reckon!😂

Youth Hostel ffs. So cringe its almost funny.

Sausages, Bombers or Shoes

Isn't this the one time when "kicking the back doors in" could be used.

I would (of course) check the T&C's of your original booking before speaking to them re: compensation and then it can inform you of what profile to adopt when speaking to them.

I.e. have they breached their own terms in an outrageous way or just a little bit (or at all).

pootler - pleased you've got an alternative sorted.
Enjoy!

Sounds like a good alternative OP.

Youth Hostel ffs. So cringe its almost funny.

Have you been to a YH in the last 20 years? Sone of them are really nice now, private ensuite rooms, good food...

As a above, t&C's first. But you can expect language to say full refund or alternative if available.
There will likely also be a limitation of indirect or consequential loss, could be iro 100-125% of price paid to mitigate the argument of travel expenses incurred.
Ianal
I'd do it when you get home though, but you may also see t&c time limitations for making a complaint.

Anyone else think it odd that you would have your gas safe certificate renewed every year in the middle of the busiest period of the year.

If you are close by in the new place I'd be driving past to have a look.

My thought too. Only an idiot owner would be having safety checks done on change over day peak season. Very risky.

Glad the OP sorted, lovely area. We've stayed in cottage on a farm close to Alnwick a couple of times.

Sone of them are really nice now, private ensuite rooms, good food…

I suppose it really depends on your expectations... I find them expensive, rule bound, and generally dire. When they were cheap and you had to arrive on a horse/canoe/shanks and clean the bogs before getting chucked out, at least you got what you paid (little) for. Now they're in the leisure sector, cost the same as other much nicer accom and serve prison style mass catering.

Only as an absolute last resort and definitely not for the annual family holiday.

I think this is the owner cancellation text

9 Cancellations by us, the owner or service providers
If we or the owner, Novasol A/S or the service provider cancel your booking or are prevented from providing the
accommodation you have booked, you may choose to:
 accept alternative accommodation – you will have to pay any difference in price if the cost of the new
accommodation is higher or be reimbursed the difference if the cost of the new accommodation is lower;
 request a voucher with a redemption value equal to the amount previously paid by you for the booking – the
voucher terms and conditions will be available before you make your choice under this clause; or
 obtain a refund of the amount already paid by you for the booking.
We will contact you to inform you of these options.

That cancellation text is poor and is the minimum I would expect.

Did you pay by credit card - they may have a full refund policy.

It might be their cancellation text, but frankly, with no warning, thats an unfair term. They can't expect someone to find fresh accomodation with 1.5h notice. They're effectively cancelling your holiday once you've fuly committed other costs. I bet if you try to cancel, the t&c on you are far more onerous.

As such, for £80, it might be worth Moneyclaims online later on. Trivial costs to you, should be nil costs in the event you lose.

But I also think its highly likely at peak season, there's no issue with the cert. The property has just probably been booked, by the owner, outside Cottages.com, to a higher paying family. They need a "technicality" to cancel with zero notice.

I'd be checking out the occupation if I was passing, and taking photos of any signs of occupation to support my claim for damages.

I’d go further and if I saw the property occupied I’d knock on the door and ask them who they booked through (ooh this is such a lovely property, I tried to book it but it was already booked… etc)

Anyone else think it odd that you would have your gas safe certificate renewed every year in the middle of the busiest period of the year.

Indeed. It's also shoddy that the property owner has had 12 months since the last certification to arrange a new one, but seemingly can't manage that task...

It's perfectly possible that the certification has beeen postponed from a "better" time of year due to Covid / staff shortages etc