TERMS OF LETTING

Our terms of letting can be seen below. All hirers have to sign their booking form to indicate that they have read and agreed to these Terms of Letting.

Please Read Carefully

Sarratt Village Hall - Terms of Letting

1. APPLICATIONS

All applications for the hiring of accommodation shall be made on the forms obtainable from the Booking Secretary. Provisional bookings by telephone or otherwise must be confirmed in writing within fourteen days on a form together with a Booking Deposit or they will be cancelled. The person signing the Application Form (Form A) shall be deemed to be the hirer. Applications by persons under 21 years of age will not be taken. An application is accepted when the Booking Secretary sends confirmation, and no application shall be deemed to have been accepted until this confirmation is issued.

2. TERMS OF PAYMENT

The balance of charges in respect of each hiring must be paid by six weeks before the event date. The total charges in respect of each hiring must accompany Form A if made within six weeks of the required date accompanied by the returnable Compliance Deposit. If the application is not granted all monies will be refunded.

3. COMPLIANCE DEPOSITS

For non-account holders, a Compliance Deposit may also have to be paid in advance. The hirer will be informed at the time of booking if this is required, and the amount. This deposit is to be paid as a separate cheque (or cash) at the time of payment of the balance of hire charges (normally at least six weeks before the event), and will be banked two weeks prior to the event. This deposit will be refunded in full after the event by a Sarratt Village Hall cheque if no damage or loss or extra cleaning work is required after the event, and the Terms of Letting have been complied with. Additionally further charges may be levied if necessary because of excessive damage done or additional work being needed which is not covered by the amount of the Compliance Deposit paid. The Compliance Deposit may also not be returned if undue noise or other disturbances are caused by the hire, especially if complaints are received from third parties. In the event that Sarratt Village Hall staff have to be called out to deal with a problem caused by the hirer or any person attending his event (such as resetting an incorrectly set off fire alarm) the management committee may charge the hirer an additional fee for this.

4. REVISION OF CHARGES

The Management Committee has the right to revise the charges of hiring at any time and to give notice of the applicable revised charges to the hirer at any time up to 6 weeks before the event. Hirers should note that the hire charges are normally reviewed annually in January, so that bookings made over a year in advance are likely to incur revised charges.

5. RIGHT TO TERMINATE

The Management Committee reserve the right by notice to the hirer to terminate the agreement and the hiring at any time, in which case the Management Committee shall give to the hirer as long notice as possible of their intentions, and shall return the Booking Deposit or the whole of the charge as the case may be, but shall not be liable in damages or otherwise in respect of their actions under this clause, nor be under any liability to the hirer for any loss or damage he may sustain by reason of such termination.

6. SUBLETTING OR SURRENDER

The hirer shall not sublet his hiring, but may, with the consent of the Management Committee, surrender his hiring, so that the premises may be relet. All requests to surrender a hiring must be made in writing and delivered to the Booking Secretary. Should the accommodation not be relet, the whole of the charge will be payable by the hirer, unless the cancellation is made at least six weeks before the date the premises are required, when only the Booking Deposit will be forfeited.

7. LICENSABLE ACTIVITIES

The hall is a licensed premises, as defined in the Licensing Act 2003, and is licensed for the following activities: Plays, Indoor Sporting events, Live Music, Recorded Music, Performances of Dance, and the Making of Music, Dancing and the consumption of Alcohol. The hirer must therefore comply with the following:

a) Alcohol consumption

• In all cases where alcohol is to be consumed on the premises (including bringing your own or providing it free of charge), Form B must be completed, and all the Hall Committee’s instructions must be adhered to.

• The bar or other alcohol service can only be run with the express permission of the Hall Licensing Supervisor.

• Where considered necessary, the Hall Committee will require a professional bar service to be used.

• Alcohol can only be consumed between the hours of 11.00 to 23.30, which includes drinking up time, so the bar must be closed at 23.00. The hall license requires that alcohol must only be consumed within the front hall and main hall of the building.

• No alcohol to be consumed on the premises by anyone under the age of 18.

b) All other licensable activities

• May take place between the hours of 8.00 to 23.00 only.

• Whilst noisy activities such as playing music are taking place all outside doors and windows in the front and main halls (including the external bar door) must be kept closed, except the hall front door. All fire exit doors in the main hall will have breakable straps across them. The Compliance Deposit may be lost if any straps are broken, except in case of emergency.

8. SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF LETTING

All lettings are subject to the following conditions:

a) The premises must be vacated by 23.30 hours.

b) No alterations or additions shall be made to the lighting, heating, seating, gangways, fittings, fixtures, or other arrangements in the premises except with the consent in writing of the Management Committee.

c) Posters, banners, or placards are not to be affixed to fixtures or fabrics so as to cause any damage and must not obstruct gangways, exits or entrances.

d) No bolts, screws, nails or tacks shall be driven into any part of the premises.

e) No wax or powder shall be placed upon the floor.

f) No article of an inflammable (e.g. candles) or explosive nature or offensive character, or producing an offensive smell, or any oil, electric, gas, LPG or other appliance or stove or engine shall be brought into or used in the building. This includes ‘smoke machines’ and similar ‘smoke effects’.

g) Cooking or heating of food etc. inside the building must only be done using the hall’s own kitchen equipment as supplied and installed by the Management Committee.

h) The hall car park and external areas are intended to be used for parking cars and access to the hall. If the hirer wishes to use the hall car park and/or external areas for any other purpose whatsoever, permission must be sought in writing via the Booking Secretary at the time of booking. The use of play items such as bouncy castles will not be permitted in the car park or the external areas.

i) No helium balloons (i.e. lighter-than-air balloons) to be used or brought into the building.

j) No confetti or sprinkles or similar items are to be used in or brought into the building or any external area.

k) No smoking in any parts of the building at any time.

l) Hirers must leave the premises in a clean and serviceable state, with all furniture, crockery and cutlery returned to their original positions. Non-compliance may result in extra charges or loss of Compliance Deposit.

m) Any items of equipment such as Personal Computers, projectors or sound equipment brought into the hall by the hirer are at the owner's risk, and the Management Committee accepts no responsibility for any damage to such items, however caused.

n) All electrical equipment over 12 months old brought into the hall must be Portable Appliance Tested (PAT).

o) All vehicles are parked in the hall car park at the owner's risk.

p) Only general waste (not recyclable items) must be put in the general waste bins or the external green wheeled bin. Small amounts of clean recyclable waste items such as cardboard, paper, glass, plastic bottles or cans may be put in the correct marked bins in the main kitchen. Hirers must take away any large amounts of recyclable items (such as bottles) and put them in an appropriate recycling facility, such as a council recycling depot.

9. STATUTORY OBLIGATIONS

In every letting there shall be deemed to be implied on the part of the hirer an undertaking with the Management Committee strictly to observe and perform all statutory provisions and regulations, and all conditions and regulations imposed by Local Government applicable to any hiring, and to indemnify and save harmless the Management Committee, their officers and servants from all penalties, damages and costs which they may incur in consequence of any breach or default in complying with any such provisions, regulations, or conditions.

10. HEALTH AND SAFETY

All hirers have a duty of care to observe the practices set out in the hall’s Health and Safety Policy, a copy of which is displayed in the building. A copy may also be obtained from the Booking Secretary, if required.

In particular all hirers must comply with the following fire precautions:

· All exit doors must be kept clear of obstructions. Door curtains may be closed, provided they remain able to be parted at the centre;

· Exit lights must remain switched on throughout the hiring;

· The hirer must familiarise himself with where the fire extinguishers and fire blankets are situated.

11. PUBLIC PERFORMANCE OF COPYRIGHT WORK

The Management Committee has a licence with PRS for Music (the Performing Right Society Ltd) 29-33 Berners Street, London W1T 3AB to cover the performance of all musical works in the repertoire of that Society. The hirer shall comply with the conditions of this licence.

The hirer shall give to the Management Committee, if called upon to do so, a copy of the programme or other particulars of any performance, entertainment, or meeting to be given or promoted by him.

12. CATERING AND CONTRACTORS

It is the hirer’s responsibility to inform all caterers, contractors, and others employed by the hirer to comply with the hall’s Health and Safety policy (see 10 above) and to observe such reasonable instructions as may be given to them on behalf of the Management Committee. They are required to remove and clear away all their articles and property by the end of the period for which the hall is hired.

13. RESPONSIBLE PERSON IN CHARGE

The hirer, or a responsible person nominated by the hirer whose name has been given on the Booking Form (page 2 item 2), shall be present and in charge of the premises at all times during the hire period, and must ensure that there are sufficient attendants for the purposes of safety and security.

14. PERSONAL PROPERTY

The Management Committee accepts no responsibility for articles left on the premises.

15. CONDUCT OF PATRONS

The hirer shall be responsible for the proper conduct of persons using the premises, and in the event of any person acting in such a manner as to cause annoyance or inconvenience to other persons, the hirer shall take all necessary steps to deal with the offender. The Management Committee reserves the right to refuse admission to or remove from the premises any person without stating any reason therefore. The hirer shall use his or her best endeavours to ensure that those attending the premises shall leave in a quiet and orderly manner so as not to disturb residents in the neighbourhood (see also 3 above).

16. RIGHTS OF ENTRY BY THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The members of the Management Committee and any authorised officer of the Committee shall at all times during the hiring have free ingress and egress to and from the hired premises, and instructions must be given by the hirer for their admission.

17. DAMAGE TO MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE PROPERTY

The hirer shall repay to the Management Committee on demand the cost of reinstating or replacing any part of the premises or any property of the Management Committee therein which shall be damaged, destroyed, stolen, or removed during the period of hire or arising out of the said hire. Unless the hirer shall show before the commencement of the period of hiring that any property of the Management Committee is damaged, such property shall be deemed to have been undamaged at the commencement of that period of hire.

18. INDEMNITY AGAINST CLAIMS

The hirer shall indemnify the Management Committee against all claims, demands, actions or proceedings in respect of: the death or injury of any person or loss of or damage to property which shall occur during the period of hire or arising out of the hiring, unless caused directly by the negligence of the Management Committee, its agents or servants.

19. FAILURE TO OBSERVE CONDITIONS

If the hirer shall fail to observe or perform in any respect or fail to secure the due performance or observance by others of the agreement to these terms and conditions, the Management Committee may without notice forthwith determine the hirer’s rights under the agreement and effect the immediate vacation of the premises.

Such determination shall not release the hirer from any of his obligations under the agreement or affect any right or remedy which the Management Committee may have under the agreement or otherwise, and the Management Committee shall be entitled to retain any monies paid by way of charge and/or deposit and to sue for any balance outstanding.