Taff Rocks standard terms & conditions of hire of Smyrna

Last updated: 20th January 2024 addition of 5:8:1 - 4

Taff Rocks is herein after referred to as TR.

The Hirer refers to you as the individual or organisation making the booking and any person or persons that attend during the period of the booking.

Covid and the wearing of masks

With restrictions lifted across the country, we have implemented a colour coded system.

 

If this band is:

 

Red - Masks are mandatory, if you cannot wear a mask, please reconsider attending the venue.

Yellow - Masks are advised but not mandatory.

Green - You do not need to wear a mask but you are welcome to wear one if you desire.

 

1. Application for hire

  1. All applications for hire must be made on the official application for hire form. By signing and official booking the organization or individual (the Hirer) is agreeing to the following Terms & Conditions of Hire.
  2. TR will issue a confirmation of hire in order to create a binding contract with the Hirer.
  3. Facility hire is available per hour.
    1. The minimum hire period is two hours.
    2. Setting up and clearning away - see #5
  4. All Event bookings are subject to approval by TR prior to a confirmation being issued.
  5. For single and block bookings facility hire the hirer must ensure that they include their own setting up time and take down and cleaning time where a TR trustee / building manager may be present. We suggest 30 minutes either side.
  6. Event organisers’ must consider the time required for set up and take down and include this within the number of hours required for the event.
  7. It is the responsibility of the Hirer to ensure that they completely vacate the facility by the end of the agreed hire times. Should the Hirer over run the agreed time period, an appropriate charge will be made. This charge will be based on an appropriate hourly rate as set out in TR’s pricing policy.
  8. All notices, demands or requests by either party to the other must be in writing, either by email or letter. Notices to the Hirer will be delivered to the contact information detailed in the booking form. Notices to TR must be addressed to the trustee assigned to the booking.
  9. Any complaint arising out of the hiring must be made in writing to TR within 3 days after the expiration of the period of hiring.

2. Payment

  1. All invoices must be paid in full, less any advance deposit, within the time frame set out on the invoice as directed on the confirmation notice, unless alternative arrangements have been agreed by a representative of TR and recorded within the confirmation notice. If payment is not made TR will seek to recover the payment, plus any additional costs. This may affect future bookings.
  2. If alternative arrangements are required for payment this must be requested in writing, agreed by a representative of TR and recorded in the confirmation notice.
  3. Payments are preferred by bank transfer using the invoice number as a reference.
  4. The building managers, TR, will produce invoices in the name of Taff Rocks.

3. Cancellation

  1. TR has an irrevocable right to cancel the contract of hire at any time and for any reason and TR will not be held liable for such actions.
  2. Cancellation notices are required as follows to TR in writing, signed and dated by the Hirer, any fee will be recoverable by TR. Cancellations can also be done using the links provided in the email for the confirmation of booking from our calendar / online booking service provider
    1. Single bookings – minimum 48 'working' hours notice, may be shortened at TR's discression. If hire is for a Monday, please ensure notice is given no later than the previous Friday.
    2. Series of bookings – minimum of 1 weeks' notice to cancel more than 1 booking within a block
    3. Event bookings – minimum of 1 weeks' notice.
  3. Full cost recovery - Any costs, charges or liability incurred by TR in direct consequence to a booking must be paid by the Hirer who made the booking in the event of cancellation by the Hirer or TR.
  4. FTA's (Failure to attend) are subject to item 3:3 above, at TR's discression.

4. Responsibilities of the Hirer

  1. Applications for hire of facilities for sporting and physical activity will be subject to proof of evidence of the following, proof of public liability insurance, all risk assessments associated with the activity, and a copy of the Hirer’s safeguarding policies. All hirers are expected to maintain this status for the duration of the booking.
  2. The Hirer must ensure that it complies with and continues to comply with the requirements of all Safeguarding Policies, this is particularly relevant to any hire involving children and young people under the age of 18 and/or vulnerable adults. Taff Rocks can at any point request a copy of your Safeguarding Policy and/or DBS details. Failure to comply with the request may result in termination of the Hire, and the Hirer will be liable for any associated costs.
  3. TR is committed to Equality and Diversity and reserves the right to withdraw services, equipment or facilities to any organisation or individual who, after investigation, prove to be discriminating against any individual or group.
  4. The Hirer will be liable for any loss or damage to any property belonging to TR or any other organisation / group that has agreed storage in the hall. This includes, but is not limited to, the fabric of the building. Including all fixtures, fittings, plant and equipment used or hired and associated facilities required/made available, the ground or landscape of the facility, which is caused by either malicious damage or the negligence or actions of any persons attending the facilities during the period of hire.
  5. The Hirer will be responsible for the security and insurance of its personnel and for those attending the facility during the period of hire, and property and equipment owned or operated by the Hirer.
  6. It is the Hirer’s responsibility to ensure that they have adequate public/products liability insurance cover in place. TR requires that the Hirer takes its own independent insurance advice regarding the extent of public/products liability and other insurance protection required and such insurance cover/indemnity limit will be at least £5,000,000 in any one event. A copy of cover/indemnity must be supplied to Taff Rocks before the event can take place.
  7. TR reserves the right to curtail or cancel a booking should the Hirer fail to satisfy the minimum insurance requirements stipulated in the Terms & Conditions of Hire.
  8. The Hirer agrees to indemnify TR against all losses, damages, claims, costs, demands, expenses, or other liability arising from or in connection with:
    1. any damage to the facility or equipment of TR whether caused by the Hirer, the Hirer’s employees, agents, subcontractors or guests; and
    2. any death or injury caused by the Hirer’s negligence.
  9. The Hirer will not do anything that will, or might, invalidate in whole, or in part, any insurance affected by TR in respect of the facility and/or equipment.
  10. The Hirer must not do or permit any act matter or thing which would or might constitute a breach of any statutory requirement affecting the facility.
  11. The Hirer must comply with all conditions and regulations made in respect of the facility by the Fire Authority, and a copy of these will be supplied to the Hirer on request.
  12. The benefit of the Agreement is personal to the Hirer and not assignable or capable of being sub-hired or the facilities sub-let.
  13. It is the Hirer’s responsibility to ensure that the booking form is complete and accurate and that all the necessary information is provided to Taff Rocks to allow them to comply with your booking. Hirers are advised to check arrangements one week prior to a booking to ensure their requirements are being met. TR reserves the right to delete, alter, or cancel any of these conditions at any time.
  14. The Hirer must comply with all requirements relating to TR’s lease agreement.
  15. If the Hirer fails to observe and perform any of these conditions TR may charge and recover from the Hirer any expenses incurred by TR in remedying any such failure and cancel the imminent and any other hire by the Hirer without refunding any fees paid.
  16. The Hirer must take into account that Smyrna is situated in a residential area, the Hirer and service users must be respectful of its neighbours and their property at all times.
  17. The Hirer and any persons using the hall under the hire agreement / booking must not cause a nuisance. Persistent offenders may be excluded from future hire opportunities
  18. The Hirer and any persons using the hall under this agreement / booking must not, when parking any vehcile, cause any obstruction to other vehicles or pedestrians. This includes:
    1. When using the adjascent car park, you must park vehicles in an appropriate bay.
    2. If no bays are available, you are required to use appropriate and lawful on-street parking. On-street parking may involve parking away from the venue and walking back to the hall.
    3. For help with parking, please see information here.
  19. The Hirer and any persons using the hall under the hire agreement / booking must ensure that they are required to clear away any equipment used in addition to what Taff Rocks has provided as well as clear away any ‘mess’ left after use, place recycling and rubbish in appropriate bins.
  20. If the hirer fails to leave all areas in a clean and respectable state, any cleaning costs will be passed onto the hirer
  21. All persons entering the venue must sign in and out on the visitor's book. If the person is unable to then someone can sign in and out on their behalf. This must be done individually and not as a group signing

5. Use of facility

  1. The Hirer must comply at all times, and at its own cost, with all legislation governing the proposed use of the facilities and/or equipment, including but not limited to the Health and Safety at Work Act etc.
  2. It is the Hirer’s responsibility to ensure that risk assessments are undertaken and made available to TR upon request and reviewed appropriately. Failure to ensure proper risk assessments are completed may result in cancellation of the booking.
  3. No part of the area is to be used for any purpose other than that of the hiring, or in any unlawful way.
  4. At the end of the hire period the Hirer must remove all goods, waste and other materials which are their responsibility.
  5. Smoking or vaping is not permitted in the building
  6. No animal (with the exception of assistance dogs) is to be brought into the facility or allowed to enter the facility without prior consent of TR - see #7
  7. Fully trained service dogs are welcome at the owner's risk. Dogs are expected to abide by the same terms and conditioins, the Taff Rocks Code of Conduct and the code set out by ADUK. Taff Rocks will not be held liable for the animal's behaviour
    1. ADUK states that all service dogs:
      1. are highly trained
      2. will not wander freely around the premises 
      3. will sit or lie quietly on the floor next to its owner and are trained to go to the toilet on command and so are unlikely to foul in a public place 
      4. most are instantly recognisable by the harness or identifying dog jacket they wear they wear."
    2. Fouling will not be tolerated. Owners must clean up after their dog and may receive an invoice from Taff Rocks for cleaning and sanitising fouled areas
    3. Destruction and damage will not be tolerated. Owners must clear up and will be expected to reimburse Taff Rocks for clearing, repairs or replacement.
    4. Assistance dogs may be watered, if necessary, outside of the building to prevent it from becoming dehydrated.
    5. Any claim from another party must be done through the dog owner's liability insurance or at their expense if there is no insurance. 
  8. Hirers must use the appropriate bins that are provided at all times:
    1. Soiled nappies, wet wipes, other tissues in the nappy bin, found in the accessible toilet. Do not attempt to flush them down the toilet. Please see 4:8 and 5:8:3
    2. Sanitary products in the sanitary bins, found in each toilet. Do not attempt to flush them down the toilet. Please see 4:8 and 5:8:3
    3. Do not flush any other product, except for toilet paper, down the toilet. See 4:8
    4. Recycling and general waste. Where possible, please take these home with you or use the appropriate bins, found in the kitchen. There are currently bins for:
      • Cardboard
      • Paper
      • Plastic
      • Cans
      • Food / organics
      • Non-recyclable items
      Do not place any other items, except those listed, in these bins.

6. Electrical equipment and alterations

  1. No lighting, heating, power or other electrical fittings or appliances in the facility are to be altered, moved or in any way interfered with.
  2. No additional lighting, heating, power or other electrical fittings or appliances are to be installed or used without prior consent of TR.
  3. Any portable electrical equipment being used or brought into the facility by the Hirer will require a current portable appliance test (PAT) certificate otherwise the equipment cannot be used at the facility.

7. Decorations, advertising, and fly posting

  1. No bolts, nails, tacks, screws, bits, pins, or other like objects, or any adhesive substance are to be driven into or attached to any part of the facility, or can any cards or articles to be fixed anywhere.
  2. No cotton wool or highly flammable material is to be used for decoration or other purpose.
  3. No posters, boards, signs, flags, or other emblems or advertisements are to be displayed inside or outside the facility without prior consent of TR.
  4. The hall and other areas should not be altered in any way by the Hirer.
  5. TR reserves the right to remove any permitted posters, boards, signs, flags, other emblems or advertisements which become dirty, torn or seen to be untidy or unsightly. Fly posting is not to be carried out in contravention of the Town and Country Planning legislation.
  6. The Hirer should obtain written approval of TR for any publicity material proposed to be issued in relation to the Event.

8. Limitation of numbers

  1. It is a requirement of all bookings to return usage figures after each booking to the trustees of TR, or provide to the building manager as requested.
  2. The maximum number of persons admitted to an Event is not to exceed the facility event type limit.

9. Entertainment & copyright

  1. TR does not permit any form of music entertainment or performance, live or otherwise
  2. Live TV broadcasts are not permitted
  3. The Hirer must not infringe any Copyright or allow any Copyright to be infringed. If the use of the facility will involve an activity in which Copyright subsists it will be the responsibility of the Hirer to obtain, prior to the period of booking, the consent of the owner of the relevant copyright and to pay all fees or royalties which may be payable in respect of the function.

10. Broadcasting, filming and photography

  1. The Hirer is not to transmit or broadcast any Event or use any part of the facilities for a film/cinematographic exhibition, or permit/grant the facilities to be used for those purposes without the prior consent of TR.
  2. Cameras may be brought into and used inside the facility for private (but not commercial) purposed provided that no nuisance or annoyance is occasioned.
  3. A photography permissions form must be completed and approved prior to any private or commercial photography being taken.

11. Gambling

  1. No sweepstake raffle or tombola or other form of lottery is to be permitted to take place in the facilities

12. Liquor, catering and smoking

  1. No alcohol to be brought to or consumed on the premises.
  2. No smoking or vaping permitted in or around the building.
  3. Catering for any event is the Hirer’s responsibility.
  4. A contribution to cover costs for any tea and coffee facilities, provided by Taff Rocks, is suggested to ensure the purchase of replacements.

13. Ticket sales

  1. Ticket sales and costs for the Hirer’s event are the Hirer’s responsibility.

14. Further exclusions of liability

  1. TR will not be liable for any loss due to any breakdown of machinery, failure of supply of electricity, leakage of water, fire, government restriction or act of nature / God which may cause the facility to be temporarily closed or the hiring to be interrupted or cancelled.
  2. TR gives no warranty that the Hire area is legally or physically fit for any specific purpose.
  3. TR will not under any circumstances accept responsibility or liability in respect of any damage to or loss of any goods articles or property of any kind brought into or left at the facility either by the Hirer for its own purpose or by any other person or left or deposited with any officer or employee of Taff Rocks.
  4. TR will not under any circumstances accept responsibility for the loss of or damage to any vehicle parked within the precincts of the Venue.

15. Right of entry

  1. TR reserves the right for duly authorised and recognised volunteers, Trustees, employees of TR to enter the facility at any time for any authorised purpose.
  2. No potential Hirer is permitted to enter the building when the building is in use by others without the permission of TR and prior agreement from the Hirer at that time.
  3. TR does not operate public convenience facilities.
  4. The hirer must not:
    1. use the building for any illegal purposes nor for any purpose or in a manner that would cause loss, damage, injury, nuisance or inconvenience to the building managers or any property that neighbours the building
    2. use the building as a betting shop or an amusement arcade or otherwise for the purposes of gaming or gambling
    3. hold any auction at the building
    4. allow any noise, music, flashing lights, fumes or smells to emanate from the Property so as to cause a nuisance or annoyance to any property that neighbours the building
    5. overload any part of the building
    6. store, sell or display any offensive, dangerous, illegal, explosive or highly flammable items at the building
    7. interfere with any service media at the building;
    8. keep any pets or any other animal, bird, fish, reptile or insect at the Property (except guide dogs or other animals used as aids provided they are not kept at the building overnight or left unattended); or
    9. allow any person to sleep at or reside in the building.