Central Brighton Townhouse by MyHolidayLet — Local services in Great Britain

I paid a deposit of 250GBP for this property back in January 2015 for a weekend in August 2015 on the condition that this would be held as a security deposit and quote "It is then refundable two days after your departure."

To book this property for a hen party for 14 ladies aged over 40 we paid the deposit promptly, however due to unforeseen circumstances three ladies (all entwined from one family) had to drop out due to a family illness. Therefore I had to re-book a smaller property. When I cancelled this booking on the 2nd February (over 7 months notice in advance), my deposit was held and claimed non-refundable.

After explanation the owner quite rudely advised this was part of her T&C's and will only be refundable upon the weekend being booked out to another group. Only then is the deposit refundable. On the 11th of February this is the email I received

"I'm afraid my terms and conditions are pretty clear on the website. The only way I ever refund any payments made in case of cancellation are if the booking is rebooked at the full amount. Sadly what has happened is by booking the dates and cancelling them I have now missed the peak booking time period of this property which is December to January.

Later bookings tend to be for smaller more price sensitive groups and the reason for the large booking deposit is first of all to make sure people are definite when booking. It is also to cover any shortfall in booking price which I often need to take to fill cancellations. If it gets re-booked at full price you will receive a refund. These terms and conditions are absolutely standard for self-catering properties in Brighton. Best regards, Catherine "

Now I can absolutely tell you that in my whole professional life, I have never miss-treated a client unfairly or unreasonably and doubt this is 'standard conditions' and not any condition I have come across since.

I have followed up with a phone call to Catherine in May 2015 who advised she has since rebooked the property for the weekend, and will refund me but only 50%, with no explanation. Of course, I have not received this refund as promised.

I write this review as I feel it is important you are aware when parting with your deposit and monies to this company/individual, that not only are your monies not refundable but also the type of character you are dealing with. I would never do business with this person again and would advise any economical/logical person against it. There are plenty of houses to rent in Brighton comparable to this one, and we have found a lovely house to rent for the same weekend, a little cheaper and 100% more...

We had a great stay with my extended family in this house in Brighton. It was very large, well equipped, pleasantly furnished and clean. The location was first rate. Extremely close to the Pier, beach and the Lanes. The owner was also very helpful. Hopefully, we will return again in the next...

Very good stay, loved the house, very big and spacious. God made it all possible, so glory to Him. Would...