Last Updated: 1st January 2026
Version: 1.0
1. Introduction and Acceptance
1.1 Agreement
These Terms of Service (“Terms”) constitute a legally binding agreement between you (“User”, “you”, “your”) and RYM Property Limited trading as Short Stay Houses (“Short Stay Houses”, “we”, “us”, “our”), a company registered in England and Wales (Company Number: 15613602).
Registered Address:
17 Palmerston Avenue, St Georges Wood, Morpeth, Northumberland, United Kingdom, NE61 2GF
1.2 Acceptance
By creating an account, accessing, or using the Short Stay Houses platform (“Platform”), you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use our Platform.
1.3 Eligibility
To use our Platform, you must:
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Have the legal capacity to enter into binding contracts
- Be a resident of the United Kingdom (for initial launch)
- Not be prohibited from using our services under applicable law
1.4 Business Use
The Platform is designed for business use by holiday let and short-term rental property owners and operators. By using the Platform, you represent that you are acting in a business capacity.
2. Description of Services
2.1 Platform Overview
Short Stay Houses provides a software-as-a-service (“SaaS”) platform that enables holiday let owners to:
- Create and host a dedicated booking website
- Manage property listings and availability
- Accept direct bookings and payments from guests
- Manage guest communications and bookings
2.2 Service Limitations
We provide the technology platform only. We are not:
- A party to any booking or rental agreement between you and your guests
- Responsible for the condition, legality, or safety of your properties
- An estate agent, property manager, or travel agent
- Responsible for verifying guest identity or creditworthiness
2.3 Website Hosting
Your website is hosted on a subdomain of shortstayhouses.co.uk (e.g., yourname.shortstayhouses.co.uk). Custom domains may be available depending on your subscription tier.
2.4 Custom Domain Names
Included Domains: Growth and Professional subscription tiers include a free custom domain name upon request (e.g., www.yourpropertyname.co.uk). This domain is registered and managed by Short Stay Houses on your behalf.
Domain Ownership: All domain names provided as part of your subscription remain the property of Short Stay Houses at all times. You are granted a licence to use the domain for the duration of your active subscription.
Domain Release: If you wish to take ownership of your included domain name, you may request its release subject to the following conditions:
- A £30.00 administration fee is payable to process the transfer
- Only the registered website owner (as per your account details) may request the domain release
- Upon payment of the administration fee, Short Stay Houses will forfeit all rights to the domain name
- The domain will be transferred to a registrar account of your choosing
- Transfer timescales are subject to standard domain transfer procedures and may take up to 14 days
- Transferring the domain may temporarily disrupt your services
- Short Stay Houses do not take responsibility for any website downtime as a result of a domain transfer
Domain Retention After Cancellation: If you cancel your subscription without requesting a domain release, the domain name remains the property of Short Stay Houses and may be reused or retired at our discretion.
3. Account Registration and Security
3.1 Account Creation
To use the Platform, you must create an account by providing accurate, complete, and current information including:
- Your full legal name
- Valid email address
- Business name and address
- Contact telephone numbers
- Date of birth (you must be 18 or older)
3.2 Account Security
You are responsible for:
- Maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials
- All activities that occur under your account
- Notifying us immediately of any unauthorised access or security breach
3.3 Account Accuracy
You must keep your account information accurate and up to date. We may suspend or terminate accounts with materially inaccurate information.
3.4 Staff Access
If you grant staff members or other individuals access to your account or website:
- You are fully responsible for their actions and any changes they make
- You must ensure they comply with these Terms
- Short Stay Houses accepts no responsibility for actions taken by your staff
- You are responsible for managing their access permissions appropriately
4. Subscription Tiers and Pricing
4.1 Subscription Options
We offer multiple subscription tiers with varying features, property limits, and pricing structures. Current tiers include:
- Free: Commission-based model (10% per booking)
- Starter: Fixed monthly fee with revenue threshold
- Growth: Fixed monthly fee with higher revenue threshold
- Professional: Fixed monthly fee with unlimited revenue
4.2 Revenue Thresholds and Overage Fees
Certain subscription tiers include annual revenue thresholds. When your booking revenue exceeds your tier’s threshold, an overage fee of 2% applies to the amount above the threshold only.
Example:
If your subscription tier has a £30,000 annual revenue threshold and you process £35,000 in bookings:
- First £30,000: No overage fee (covered by your subscription)
- Remaining £5,000: 2% overage fee = £100
If a single booking causes you to cross the threshold, the 2% overage is calculated only on the portion above the threshold, not the entire booking.
Example:
Your revenue is at £29,500 and you receive a £1,000 booking:
- £500 falls within your threshold: No overage fee
- £500 exceeds your threshold: 2% overage fee = £10
Overage fees are calculated and charged monthly in arrears.
4.2.1 Automatic Deduction of Overage Fees
When a booking is made that exceeds your tier’s revenue threshold, the applicable 2% overage fee is automatically deducted from the booking payment at the point of processing. This means the overage fee is taken before funds are transferred to your connected Stripe account, rather than being invoiced separately.
4.2.2 Upgrading to Avoid Overage Fees
If you are approaching or have exceeded your current tier’s revenue threshold, you may upgrade to a higher subscription tier at any time. Upgrading increases your revenue threshold immediately, meaning:
- Bookings made after the upgrade takes effect will benefit from the new, higher threshold
- No overage fees will apply to future bookings unless the new threshold is also exceeded
- Overage fees already deducted from bookings made prior to the upgrade are not refundable
We recommend monitoring your revenue in your dashboard and upgrading before reaching your threshold to avoid overage fees on upcoming bookings.
4.3 Pricing Changes and Price Protection
New Customer Price Protection:
New customers receive a 90-day price protection period from their signup date. During this period, your subscription price is locked and will not increase.
Price Change Notice:
We may occasionally adjust pricing to reflect changes in our costs or service improvements. After your price protection period, we may modify pricing with a minimum of 28 days’ written notice. Price changes will take effect from your next billing date after the notice period.
Notification:
You will be notified of any price changes via:
- Email to your registered address
- Notice on your dashboard
4.4 Commission Structure
For commission-based tiers (Free) or when revenue thresholds are exceeded:
- Commission is calculated as a percentage of the total booking value
- Commission is automatically deducted at the point of payment processing
- Commission rates are specified in your subscription details
4.5 Billing and Payment
- Subscription fees are billed monthly or annually in advance
- Payment is processed via Stripe
- Failed payments may result in service suspension
- You authorise us to charge your payment method for all applicable fees
5. Payment Processing
5.1 Stripe Connect Requirement
All payment processing is handled through Stripe Connect. You must connect a valid, fully verified Stripe account to use the Platform. Without a connected and verified Stripe account:
- Your website will be placed in maintenance mode
- Visitors will not be able to view your properties or make bookings
- You will not be able to receive guest payments
You must:
- Connect a valid Stripe account to receive guest payments
- Complete Stripe’s verification process
- Comply with Stripe’s terms of service and acceptable use policies
- Maintain accurate banking and business information with Stripe
- Keep your Stripe account in good standing
Short Stay Houses cannot assist with Stripe account setup, verification, or issues. Stripe is a third-party service and you must work directly with Stripe for any account-related queries.
5.2 Stripe Account Suspension
If your Stripe account is suspended, restricted, or terminated by Stripe:
- Your connection to our Platform will be broken
- Your website will automatically enter maintenance mode
- You must resolve the issue with Stripe directly
- Your website will remain in maintenance mode until a valid, verified Stripe connection is restored
We are not responsible for Stripe’s decisions regarding your account and cannot intervene on your behalf. If your Stripe account is suspended for violating Stripe’s terms, this may also constitute a breach of our Terms.
5.3 Payment Flow
- Guest payments are processed through Stripe
- Funds are transferred directly to your connected Stripe account
- Any applicable commission or fees are deducted automatically
- We do not hold or control your guest payment funds
5.4 Refunds and Chargebacks
- You are responsible for your own refund and cancellation policies
- Chargebacks and disputes are your responsibility
- We may assist with dispute documentation but are not liable for outcomes
6. Cancellation, Refunds, and Downgrades
6.1 Cooling-Off Period
Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, you have a 14-day cooling-off period from the date of purchase. However, by creating your account and website, you acknowledge that:
- The digital service begins immediately upon account creation
- You expressly request that we begin providing the service before the cooling-off period ends
- You understand that you lose your right to cancel once the service has begun
If you have not logged into your dashboard, made any use of the Platform, or put a website live within 14 days, you may request a full refund by contacting us.
6.2 Subscription Cancellation
You may cancel your subscription at any time through your dashboard. Upon cancellation:
- Your subscription remains active until the end of the current billing period
- No refunds are provided for unused portions of the billing period
- Your website will continue to operate on the Free tier (10% commission) unless you choose to disable it entirely
- You remain liable for any outstanding fees or overage charges
6.3 Refunds
- Annual subscriptions: If you cancel within the first 30 days of an annual subscription and have processed less than £500 in bookings, you may request a pro-rata refund for the remaining months
- Monthly subscriptions: No refunds are provided for partial months
- Overage fees: Overage fees are non-refundable once incurred
6.4 Downgrading Your Subscription
You may downgrade to a lower subscription tier at any time:
- The downgrade takes effect from your next billing date
- You retain access to your current tier’s features until the billing date
- Any bookings made before the downgrade that exceed your new tier’s limits will still be honoured
- Properties exceeding your new tier’s limit will need to be removed or set to draft
- If downgrading results in exceeding revenue thresholds, overage fees will apply
Example:
You downgrade from Professional to Growth on the 15th of the month. Your current billing date is the 1st. You keep Professional features until the 1st of next month, then Growth applies.
6.5 Upgrading Your Subscription
Upgrades take effect immediately. You will be charged the pro-rata difference for the remainder of your billing period.
7. Your Responsibilities
7.1 Legal Compliance
You are solely responsible for ensuring:
- Your properties comply with all applicable laws and regulations
- You have all necessary licences, permits, and registrations
- Your listings comply with consumer protection laws
- You comply with tax obligations including VAT where applicable
- Your properties meet health, safety, and fire regulations
7.2 Accurate Listings
You must ensure your property listings:
- Are accurate and not misleading
- Include clear pricing information
- Accurately represent the property’s features and condition
- Include any material restrictions or limitations
7.3 Guest Relations
You are responsible for:
- All communications with your guests
- Honouring confirmed bookings
- Providing the accommodation as described
- Handling guest complaints and disputes
- Your own terms and conditions with guests
7.4 Insurance
You must maintain appropriate insurance coverage for your rental activities, which may include:
- Public liability insurance
- Property insurance that covers short-term lets
- Contents insurance
7.5 Terms and Conditions for Guests
You are responsible for:
- Creating and maintaining your own terms and conditions for guests
- Ensuring your terms comply with applicable laws
- Displaying your terms appropriately on your website
We provide a template as a starting point, but it is your responsibility to ensure your terms are appropriate for your specific business, properties, and circumstances. We recommend seeking legal advice.
7.6 Prohibited Activities
You must not use the Platform to:
- List properties you do not own or have authority to let
- Engage in fraudulent or deceptive practices
- Violate any applicable laws or regulations
- List illegal or prohibited accommodation
- Harass, abuse, or harm others
- Distribute malware or conduct cyberattacks
- Scrape, copy, or misuse our Platform or content
- Process payments for illegal activities
- Evade taxes or engage in money laundering
- Violate Stripe’s acceptable use policies
Engaging in prohibited activities will result in immediate account termination without refund.
8. Content and Intellectual Property
8.1 Your Content
You retain ownership of content you upload (photos, descriptions, etc.). By uploading content, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, display, and distribute your content for the purpose of providing our services.
8.2 Our Intellectual Property
The Platform, including its design, code, themes, features, and branding, is owned by Short Stay Houses. You may not:
- Copy, modify, or reverse engineer our software
- Remove or alter our branding (where applicable to your tier)
- Use our trademarks without permission
- Resell or redistribute our Platform
8.3 Theme Licensing
Website themes provided through the Platform are licensed for use on your Short Stay Houses website only. Themes may not be extracted, copied, or used elsewhere.
8.4 Feedback
Any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you provide about the Platform may be used by us without compensation or attribution.
9. Data Protection and Privacy
9.1 Our Privacy Policy
Our collection and use of personal data is governed by our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms.
9.2 Your Data Controller Responsibilities
For guest data you collect through your website, you act as an independent data controller. You must:
- Comply with UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018
- Maintain your own privacy policy for guests
- Only collect data necessary for bookings
- Implement appropriate security measures
- Respond to data subject requests
9.3 Data Processing Agreement
Where we process personal data on your behalf, a Data Processing Agreement applies. This is incorporated by reference into these Terms.
10. Data Storage and Backups
10.1 Data Storage
Your website data, including property listings, bookings, and settings, is stored on our servers. We implement reasonable security measures to protect this data.
10.2 Backups
We perform regular automated backups of the Platform. However:
- Backups are for disaster recovery purposes only
- We do not guarantee the availability or completeness of backups
- Restoration of individual accounts or data from backups is not available on demand
- We cannot guarantee recovery of deleted data
10.3 Data Loss
Short Stay Houses is not responsible for any data loss, including but not limited to:
- Accidentally deleted properties, bookings, or content
- Data lost due to actions by you or your staff
- Data corruption
- Loss resulting from account termination
10.4 Your Responsibility – Exporting Your Data
You are strongly encouraged to regularly export and backup your own data. The Platform provides export functionality for:
- Bookings: Export your booking history as CSV from the Bookings page
- Guest information: Download guest details for your records
- Property details: Keep copies of your property descriptions, pricing, and photos
- Financial records: Export revenue reports for your accounting
We recommend exporting your data at least monthly, or more frequently during busy periods. Do not rely solely on our Platform for data retention.
11. Service Availability and Support
11.1 Availability
We aim to provide 99.5% uptime but do not guarantee uninterrupted service. Scheduled maintenance will be communicated in advance where possible.
11.2 Support
Support is provided via:
- In-platform help resources
- Email support
- Response times vary by subscription tier
11.3 Modifications
We may modify, update, or discontinue features of the Platform at any time. Material changes will be communicated with reasonable notice.
12. Limitation of Liability
12.1 Platform Provided “As Is”
The Platform is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.
12.2 Exclusion of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, we shall not be liable for:
- Any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
- Loss of profits, revenue, data, or business opportunities
- Any damages arising from bookings or guest relationships
- Third-party actions or content
- Service interruptions or data loss
- Actions taken by Stripe or other third-party providers
- Actions taken by your staff or authorised users
12.3 Liability Cap
Our total aggregate liability for any claims arising from these Terms or your use of the Platform shall not exceed the total fees paid by you in the 12 months preceding the claim.
12.4 Consumer Rights
Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer where applicable, or excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or fraudulent misrepresentation.
13. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Short Stay Houses, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including legal fees) arising from:
- Your use of the Platform
- Your breach of these Terms
- Your violation of any law or third-party rights
- Your property listings or guest relationships
- Any content you upload or submit
- Actions taken by your staff or authorised users
14. Suspension and Termination
14.1 Termination by You
You may terminate your account at any time through your dashboard or by contacting us. Upon termination:
- Your website will be taken offline
- No refunds are provided for prepaid subscription periods
- You remain liable for any outstanding fees
14.2 Termination by Us
We may suspend or terminate your account immediately if:
- You breach these Terms
- You engage in prohibited activities
- You engage in fraudulent or illegal activity
- Your payment method fails repeatedly
- Your Stripe account is suspended or terminated
- We are required to do so by law
Accounts terminated for prohibited activities, fraud, or Terms violations will not receive refunds.
14.3 Effect of Termination
Upon termination:
- Your access to the Platform will cease
- Your website will be taken offline
- We may delete your data after a reasonable retention period (typically 30 days)
- Provisions that should survive termination will remain in effect
14.4 Account Deletion
If you delete your account and later return:
- Previous booking revenue history will not be retained
- You will start fresh with a new account
14.5 Paused Subscriptions
If you pause or cancel your subscription and later reactivate:
- Revenue thresholds will remember previous activity within the same billing year
- You may need to select an appropriate tier based on historical revenue
15. Changes to Terms
15.1 Modifications
We may modify these Terms at any time. Changes will be effective upon posting to our website, unless we specify a later effective date.
15.2 Notification
For material changes, we will provide at least 30 days’ notice via:
- Email to your registered address
- Notice on your dashboard
- Announcement on our website
15.3 Continued Use
Your continued use of the Platform after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to changes, you must stop using the Platform and terminate your account.
16. Dispute Resolution
16.1 Informal Resolution
Before initiating formal proceedings, you agree to contact us to attempt informal resolution. Many concerns can be resolved quickly through direct communication.
16.2 Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
16.3 Jurisdiction
Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
16.4 Time Limit
Any claim arising from these Terms must be brought within one year of the cause of action arising.
17. General Provisions
17.1 Entire Agreement
These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any subscription-specific terms, constitute the entire agreement between you and Short Stay Houses.
17.2 Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.
17.3 No Waiver
Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.
17.4 Assignment
You may not assign or transfer these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations without restriction.
17.5 Force Majeure
We shall not be liable for any failure to perform due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, war, terrorism, labour disputes, government actions, or internet disruptions.
17.6 Notices
Notices to you will be sent to the email address on your account. Notices to us should be sent to legal@shortstayhouses.co.uk.
18. Contact Information
Short Stay Houses
RYM Property Limited
17 Palmerston Avenue
St Georges Wood
Morpeth, Northumberland
NE61 2GF
United Kingdom
Email: legal@shortstayhouses.co.uk
Website: www.shortstayhouses.co.uk
Company Registration Number: 15613602
By creating an account or using our Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service.