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Answers To Your Questions Can I view a property before committing? Generally this is not possible except in the case of lets of 8 weeks or more when it might be able to be arranged. If you want to check out the area, for each property the exact location is shown when you click its Map link. A glance at What Our Guests Say will reassure you that the descriptions and photographs accurately portray the properties. In many cases a previous guest will have agreed to act as a reference and we will supply their contact details on request. What is the minimum let? Unless otherwise stated our minimum length of stay is 5 nights. For some properties it's 7 nights. You can of course pay for the minimum number of nights but stay for fewer if you wish. How many people can stay? Unless expressly agreed otherwise the maximum number of people who may occupy a property may not exceed the number advertised for the accommodation rented. Can I bring my cat or dog? In general - no. Very few of our owners allow pets, so cats and dogs are not permitted in our rentals without explicit prior permission. What's included in the price? The rental price includes the use of the property as a holiday rental, utilities (water, gas and electricity), use of the telephone but not the cost of telephone calls and use of towels (one set - hand towel and bath towel per person) and linen - please note that we do not usually supply face flannels / wash cloths. The administration charge of £75 ($130) covers check-in and check-out, starter pack of breakfast provisions and basic toiletries, cleaning and laundry, and telephone help line. How do I get to my property? We work closely with a reliable car company and can arrange a car to meet you at the airport if you wish. Costs vary depending on the number of people and the airport you are flying into. For pick-ups from Heathrow for 2/3 people with luggage a saloon car is £60, for larger parties an MPV at £90 will be needed. For Gatwick the costs are £75 (saloon car) and £110 (MPV). We use a superior car service - their saloon cars are E-class Mercedes or equivalent, their MPVs are Chrysler Voyagers or similar and for larger parties they can book a luggage trailer no extra cost. Fuel prices and labour cost are very high in England and while these prices are about average for London car companies the service delivered is above average. Comparative costs are: Gatwick-Victoria (Gatwick Express) £17pp and then £3pp tube fare or £5-£15 taxi (and at busy times you may well have to queue for more than 30 mins for a taxi), Heathrow-Paddington (Heathrow Express) £15.50pp and then £3pp tube fare or £5-£15 taxi (again long queues at busy times), Heathrow-Central London by tube £4pp but ...... a nightmare with suitcases and rush hour crowding. Please let us know one way or the other. 
What time can we arrive? For most arrivals you will be able to go straight into your property whatever time you arrive in London. However occasionally, if the property is being used the previous night (and we might well not know this at the time you make your booking), this may not be possible. In this case we will try to make arrangements for you to leave your bags at the property or at a nearby secure location until it is ready, normally early afternoon. Who will let me in? One of our representatives will be at the property to welcome you, let you in and tell you all about the property. At the same time they'll introduce you to London and the immediate area, covering such important points as where the local shops and restaurants are and how the transport system works. You'll also be asked to sign our standard Holiday Let Agreement - available for inspection on request and you'll be provided with 2 full sets of keys (3 for larger properties). What about early or late arrivals? If you are arriving outside our normal hours (before 8.00am or after 8.00pm) you'll be asked to let yourself in and our representative will come to see you later that morning for early arrivals, or the following morning for late arrivals. In these cases, if you have requested a car to meet you at the airport the driver will have the key and, normally, the starter pack of breakfast provisions and basic toiletries. If you are arriving outside our normal times and making your own way to the property you will collect the key from a pick-up point in South Kensington and our representative will deliver the starter pack of breakfast provisions and basic toiletries when she comes to meet you. 
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What about a cot (crib in US English) and high chair for a baby? We can supply both (+ bedding) for a nominal nightly charge. Are there washing and ironing facilities? Unless stated otherwise in the detailed description, all our properties have a washing machine. Some have a combined washer/dryer, some have a separate dryer and a few have drying racks. All have irons. What condition will the property be in? All our properties have been carefully selected and are of a standard appropriate to the price charged. They will always be clean and tidy. The owners will put away their immediate personal effects and make some drawer and hanging space available. Please remember this is their home or London pied-à-terre and inevitably they will still have some/most of their things there. Please also remember that all homes have their little idiosyncrasies and imperfections - that's part of their charm. If you insist on 100% perfection then you should not book with us but consider rather a 4/5 star hotel or equivalent serviced accommodation. What is the starter pack of breakfast provisions and basic toiletries? It's provisions for a light, continental style, breakfast for the first couple of days of your stay: bread/rolls, butter, jams, tea and coffee, sugar, milk, fruit juice and cereals plus any special requests - subject to price and availability, and some initial basic toiletries such as soap and loo paper. Can I use the telephone? Of course. The cost of your calls will be charged against your deposit. One or two of our properties do not have landlines installed, if you need a cell phone that will work in the UK we recommend hiring from Adam Phones - www.adamphones.com. They can arrange delivery to your rental shortly after you arrive. Do I need to bring an electrical converter? In the UK we are on 220/240 volts as opposed to the North American 110/120 system. This means that no North American electrical appliances will work unless it is dual voltage or you have a proper converter - not just an adaptor plug. Go to http://kropla.com/electric.htm for further information. Is there Internet access? Some properties have high-speed broadband internet access - these are flagged in the property listings, with details on the individual property page. For properties that are advertised as having internet access, while every effort will made to provide this facility, it can not be guaranteed. There are internet cafés all over London and in many, like Starbucks, you can use your own notebook/laptop with a wifi connection. 
What servicing is there? The administration charge covers a weekly clean and change of towels and bed linen and/or end of stay cleaning and laundry - please note that some of our property owners insist that this is carried out. You are expected to make your beds, do your washing up, keep the place clean and tidy, and put out your rubbish. We can arrange for daily servicing at an additional cost if required. What is the telephone help line? It’s a number you can call, normally manned between 0800-1000 and 1700-1900 (when you are most likely to want to use it), to get advice on any questions you may have about London and your stay. We do not guarantee to provide answers to every question but, if we can't we will certainly be able to point you in the right direction. When do I have to leave? Check-out is normally by 10.00am but may be a little later by prior agreement. If you do need to stay significantly later than 10.00am (for late pm departures) you should book the property for the following night as well. What do I do when I leave? With the exception of the laundry, you are expected to leave the property in the same state as you found it. When will I get my deposit back? We will refund your credit card with your deposit less any charges incurred - telephone calls, extra cleaning (if required), damages etc. within 15 days of your departure. |
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