Health & Safety

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• The Hirer agrees to the following health and safety terms:

  • You are responsible for the safety and well-being of your attendees, and we ask that you are particularly careful where children are involved.

  • Hirers may require public liability insurance and we may ask to see this depending on the type of event being hosted.

  • The Hirer shall, if preparing, serving, or selling food observe all relevant food health and hygiene legislation and regulations.

  • ​You must not exceed the person limit agreed upon for your booking/activities. Dharma Hall has the right of refusal of attendees if the guest limit is exceeded.

  • By signing this document, the Hirer confirms that the hall is suitable for their event and will meet the needs of their event.

 

Hall Usage/Hirer Conduct

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• ​The Hirer is responsible for the conduct of all attendees during the event – this relates to: 

  • Ensuring that rubbish is taken away with the hirer at the end of the event and not placed in the surrounding bins of the hall. If any rubbish is left in the Hall or on top/in the council bins, the Hirer will be liable to a fine (minimum of £100 to maximum £500) which will be deducted from the deposit.

  • Smoking within the building or directly in front of the premises entrance/exit is prohibited and anyone found smoking will be liable to a £100 fine from the deposit.

  • Ensuring that alcohol is not sold on the premises.

  • Any unauthorised use of the fire exit (i.e. not in the event of fire) will incur a £350 fine.

  • Parking at the Dharma Lodge (at the back of the building and through the gates) is strictly prohibited. Any attendee found parked in prohibited spaces will be liable to a fine by Dharma Lodge.

  • Ensuring that attendees have left the building by the end of the hire period, otherwise, if the Hirer exceeds the agreed hiring time of the Dharma Hall (i.e., by not vacating the premises and closing all doors) they will be charged an extra £200 per hour charged by the hour interval. Please note that we have a strict policy for timing with zero tolerance for late departures.

    • For example, if the Hirer spends 35 minutes over the agreed time limit, they will be charged the full £200 for 1 hour.

  • Leaving the premises clean and tidy including furniture, which must be put back where it was found. 

  • Reporting any damages caused during the event/function is the Hirer’s responsibility. The Hirer will be held responsible if the damage has occurred during the period of hire, and the Hirer shall be liable for any damage costs which will be deducted from the deposit.

  • In the event of the damage cost exceeding the deposit, the Hirer will be charged the additional amount from the card provided. 

  • All costs incurred from additional cleaning charges, due to the hall not being left in a clean and/or safe condition as it was found, will be charged to the Hirer. This includes liquid spillages or visible marks left on the walls.

  • If specified, it is the Hirer’s responsibility to ensure that the premise is locked after use.

  • Dharma Hall shall not be liable for personal injury or death as a result of the Hirer's use.

  • The sale of alcohol is not permitted as the venue does not hold a licence to sell alcohol.

  • Dharma Hall shall not be in breach of the Hire Agreement or otherwise liable for any failure or delay providing the hall hire if such delay or failure results from events, circumstances or causes beyond its reasonable control.

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Payments and Deposits 

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• Your booking is only confirmed once confirmed once the deposit and hall hire fee are paid; the Venue Hire Agreement is signed; identification is provided (passport or driver’s license) and the Terms and Conditions have been signed. The deposit payment is a separate charge to the quoted fee for hall hire.

• Payments must be made via a valid credit/debit card.

• Payments for hire must be made 1 week in advance of when the booking starts otherwise, Dharma Hall reserves the right to retain the full deposit paid in line with the cancellation policy below.

• In the event of any damages occurring during the event/function, repair costs will be deducted from the initial deposit. If the cost of repairs exceeds the initial deposit, the Hirer must pay any excess. 

• Non-compliance to any of these terms and conditions may result in loss of all or some of the deposit paid.

• Payment by credit card will incur an additional percentage transaction fee of 2.6%.

• Last-minute bookings (within 72 hours) require complete payment (of deposit and use) on the viewing date.

• Deposits can take up to 14 business days maximum to reach the hirer's bank account.

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Cancellation Policy 

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• In the event that the Hirer is required to cancel their event, they must inform Dharma Hall as soon as possible by phone or email.

• In the event that the Hirer changes the time of their booking after signing the Venue Hire agreement, the final agreed time will be the time and duration finally agreed and paid for.

• Dharma Hall will use reasonable endeavours to re-book the venue but reserves the right to charge a cancellation fee.

• Any sums already received by The Dharma Hall (including any deposit) will be retained as a result of the cancellation fee.

• The cancellation fee shall be the following: 

  • Cancellations occurring within 7 days of the event, will have a cancellation fee of 100% of the deposit.  ​

  • Cancellations occurring more than 7 days but less than 30 days before the event, will have a cancellation fee of 50% of the deposit. 

  • Cancellations occurring more than 30 days before the event, will have no cancellation fee. 

• We reserve the right to cancel or terminate a booking if you break our hire conditions or compromise the security of our hall and surrounding property.

• Dharma Hall reserves the right to rescind this hiring agreement at any time before or during the term of this agreement for any reason. The Hirer shall be entitled to reimbursement of any monies paid up until the point of cancellation instigated by Dharma Hall. Dharma Hall shall not be liable to make any further payment to the Hirer for a cancellation made by Dharma Hall.

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Updated on 10 January 2024