Terms & Conditions for Lettings & Hire

If the Hirer is in any doubt as to the meaning of any of the following, the Lettings Officer should be consulted for clarification.
  1. Applications for hiring should be made to the Lettings Officer. The Hall will not be let to anyone under the age of 21 years and proof of name and address will be required at the time of application.
  2. Refusal: The Committee reserves the right to refuse any application or cancel a booking without stating a reason. In such case, any fee paid will be returned and the Committee will be under no further liability.
  3. Cancellations: A Hirer wishing to cancel a booking must give 28 days’ notice, otherwise they will be liable to payment of £10 unless exempted by decision of the Committee.
  4. Payment: A deposit is required to be paid to the Lettings Officer on booking the event and the hiring fee is to be paid on or before the conclusion of the hiring. Cheques to be made payable to ‘Woodlands Village Hall’. (The deposit will be refunded in full within 7 days of the termination of the hiring provided that no loss or damage has been caused to the premises and/or contents, nor complaints made to the Committee about noise or other disturbance during the period of the hiring or as a result of the hiring, nor an excessive amount of additional cleaning being required after the hiring.) For regular hall users, payment must be made at the end of each month.
  5. Sublets/Transfers: The Hirer is not allowed to sublet or transfer a letting.
  6. Purpose: The Hirer shall use the premises only for the purpose stated on the Hiring Agreement.
  7. Children: Any Hirer wishing to work with children must have a child protection policy in place.
  8. Finishing time: All functions shall end no later than 10.00pm on a Sunday, 11.30pm on a Friday or Saturday, or 11.00pm on any other day. If the Hirer fails to vacate on time, the Committee may charge an extra fee at their discretion. Extensions for specific functions may be granted by the Committee for special occasions. Up to 30 minutes is allowed after the official finishing time for cleaning and clearing up purposes only. When leaving the Hall, particularly late at night, please do so quietly and respect our local residents.
  9. Smoking: Woodlands Village Hall is a no smoking venue.
  10. Alcohol: No alcohol shall be sold or offered for sale except by consent of the Committee and subject to such conditions as the Committee may impose. If granted, such consent shall be conditional upon the Hirer obtaining an Occasional Licence granted by East Dorset District Council and ensuring that the terms of such a licence are strictly observed. A copy of the Temporary Event Notice must be given to the Lettings Officer prior to the event. Alcohol may be brought onto the premises for consumption during an event or as raffle prizes provided it is not offered for sale or in return for a donation. After the event, no alcohol is to be left either on the premises or in the car park.
  11. Committee access: The Committee’s representative shall have unrestricted access to any part of the premises at any time.
  12. Premises and Hall Contents: No screws, nails, hooks, drawing pins, sellotape, sticky labels, etc. may be fixed to furnishings or surfaces of the Hall for the means of decoration or other purpose. Blu-Tack may be used with care. No chairs, tables, electrical equipment, crockery, etc. shall be removed from the premises. At the end of the event, tables and chairs to be left stacked in an orderly state in the appropriate places.
  13. Damage: The Hirer shall be held responsible for damage to equipment and/or defacement of premises during the hire period. This will be notified to the Hirer within 3 days of the conclusion of the event.
  14. Electrics: No alterations shall be made to any lights, heating or other electrical equipment without the prior permission of the Committee. The use of extra electrical equipment in the Hall premises must be agreed with the Committee prior to any such installation. Any installation to comply with all relevant standards and to be in good working order.
    On vacating the premises, the Hirer shall be responsible for switching off all internal lights and electrical appliances. Should it be determined that these requirements have not be complied with, the Hirer may be liable to an excess charge of up to £20 to cover the extra electricity consumed. This will be notified to the Hirer within 3 days of the conclusion of the event.
  15. Storage: All extra apparatus and equipment shall be removed after the event unless the Committee has agreed arrangements for storage on the premises.
  16. Conduct: The Hirer shall be responsible for the good conduct of all persons attending the Hirer’s event and shall ensure that no nuisance is caused. The Hirer shall ensure that a responsible person is in attendance at all times during the hiring and until the Hall is cleared and locked.
  17. Fire Exits: The Hirer shall be responsible for ensuring that all exits are kept clear and all emergency exit signs are visible at all times. In particular, the table trolley must not be left in front of any fire exit at any time.
  18. Cleaning: The Hirer is responsible for sweeping the floor and leaving the Hall in a clean and tidy condition, including the kitchen and toilets.
  19. Security: All Hirers are responsible for ensuring that the Hall (and shed, if used) is securely locked and the key returned to the Lettings Officer as arranged. The car park gates must be closed after all events.
    20.Personal property: The Village Hall Committee shall not be held responsible for loss or damage to personal property, either in the Hall or the car park. All personal property is left at the owner’s risk.

The Hirer shall make these Terms and Conditions known to all persons concerned and must ensure that there is a person in charge and present at all times during their event and that that person has read, understood and agreed to be bound by these Terms and Conditions and the Hall’s Emergency Procedures displayed on the Hall noticeboard.

The Village Hall Committee would appreciate your co-operation in the application of these conditions to keep the Hall in order for the next users. Thank you for holding your function in our Hall. We hope that you will do so again in the future.

WOODLANDS VILLAGE HALL - Registered Charity No. 266847

Booking Form

Please print out and fill in the hiring agreement if you wish to book the hall for your event.

Checklist for after your event :

  1. Food/drink to be cleaned off chairs, tables and floor.
  2. Chairs/tables to be stacked away in appropriate places.
  3. Hall premises to be swept and tidied.
  4. Filled refuse sacks to be taken away. (Hirers to provide their own refuse sacks.)
  5. Sink/wash basin taps to be checked to be OFF.
  6. Heating to be turned OFF (switch located in right hand side kitchen cupboard).
  7. Kitchen plinth heater to be turned OFF (switch located on right hand side wall).
  8. Immersion heater to be turned OFF (switch located in far end kitchen cupboard).
  9. Water heater to be turned off (switch located next to heater).
  10. All windows to be closed and secured.
  11. All lights and any other electrical equipment to be turned OFF.
  12. Exterior doors to be closed and secured.
  13. Car park gate to be closed.
  14. Breakages/damage to be notified to the Lettings Officer.
  15. Hall key to be returned promptly, as arranged.

Woodlands Village Hall Committee
December 2007