No refund on £4,500 house rental

[littlelightshining]

Every year my whole extended family rent a big house for the October half term (one week). We save a certain amount each month into one account and that covers the cost of the house rental and usually a big sainsbury's shop. It's literally the highlight of everyone's year (yes, we're a family that actualy quite like each other!) and many years it's the only holiday we have. We had booked for this October and received a message from the house rental people saying only 6 people can go, but because the house rental is still legal we are not entitled to a refund. They will not move the booking to another week next year. The house is obviously ridiculously big for 6 people, and that would also make a very expensive week for 6 people to pay!! Does anyone know if we have a leg to stand on? We've tried appealing for flex or compromise but received a reply telling us that they are close to liquidating the company and we have no other options. Anyone have any helpful insight here? Realise that losing money isn't as bad as many situations others are facing right now, but have to admit I'm feeling a bit down about it right now.

Can you all get guns and call it a shooting party? Nerf would count.

Each family pay the other family £50 for cooking/cleaning/babysitting services so then it becomes a workplace?

Take a till and charge each other for food and drink, therefore making it a cafe/restaurant.

Lots of ways to make it work - i would just go as planned. Fuck em

Just make it a 'wedding'. Sorted.

@passthemustard

Just make it a 'wedding'. Sorted.

This is the best idea! I'd well volunteer to dress as a bride if it were my family holiday

Even before the rule of 6 thing you shouldn't have been all going to stay together though, should you?

From the owner's point of view, I can understand you rented the house and they are still offering you the house so are fulfilling their end of the deal.

@passthemustard That won’t work, weddings and receptions have to be on Covid-secure grounds. You have to be paying a pub etc.

Did make me laugh though

I’ve got this same problem - we booked a 6 bed house for 12 people (6 couples) in February for a long weekend in November for my husbands 40th birthday. Current restrictions mean we now can’t go but they have said 6 people can go so no refund. This would mean not only having to ‘pick’ which 2 couples can still come but would also mean we all have to pay double so that the 6 that can’t come aren’t out of pocket. I’ve contacted my credit card company and am waiting to hear back from them 😩

I’m in the same boat. Am supposed to be going away with friends, 14 of us sharing a 6 bedroom house. We can’t go now because of rule of six and also unable to social distancing if sharing bedrooms. Told no refund. At least with so many of us sharing the cost I’ve only lost £60 (was for a weekend). I’ve said I won’t go as have a couple of others. I think some are still going and not bothering about the rules.

www.coronavirus-business-complaint.service.gov.uk/

I’ve just submitted a complaint via this link having got no joy with the company

I think they are being unreasonable and should let you move the dates, but at the same time I don't think you have any rights here. Also, I'm pretty sure that this many people from 4 (?) households have not been allowed to stay together since March. Why did you pay the balance??

My siblings and I booked a house pre-lockdown for 12 people, 3 households. We moved the date twice and ended up going at the beginning of this month. We really should have moved it again but there weren't really any dates left that we wanted so I confess I told them (in answer to their question) that we were two households. We wouldn't have got the deposit back and we weren't entitled to it.

I think it was guidance rather than law before. Could the company be fined if you took more than 6? I suspect maybe they can be now - might be wrong though.

Our holiday company refused to refund us during lockdown in April. If you paid by credit card maybe make a claim on that, that's what we did and that worked I think we also went through resolve and the company was made to pay up in the end.

Love the nerf guns idea. Please do that OP

I believe the travel insurance I have on my bank account would cover this, so even if yours doesn’t check the other families and one of them may be able to claim for you all (or just them - and you might then make it down to 6)

I'd just go.