Conditions of Hire

For the purposes of these conditions, the term Hirer shall mean any individual hirer or, where the Hirer is an organisation, the authorised representative.  The terms Holt Village Hall or the Hall or HVH shall mean, depending on context, either the physical entity which comprises the Hall and its contents or any authorised representative of the Management Committee.

If the Hirer is in any doubt as to the meaning of any of the following conditions, the Bookings Secretary should be contacted by email before the period of hire.  Please note that the Hall is managed and run entirely by volunteers, and an immediate response cannot be guaranteed.

Standard Conditions

  1. The Hirer shall, during the period of the hiring, be responsible for the supervision of the premises, the fabric and the contents, their care, safety from damage however slight, or any change of any sort.  If any items get damaged or broken, the Hirer is required to contact the Bookings Secretary.
  2. The Hall’s insurance policy includes public liability cover for some, but not all, Hirers.  Any public liability claim by, or against, a hirer is dealt with by the insurer on a case-by-case basis so it is not possible to give a definitive list of what will, or will not, be covered.  Hirers are therefore asked to read the section below entitled “Hirers’ Public Liability Insurance”
  3. The Hirer shall be responsible for ensuring that the maximum number of persons in the Hall does not exceed 120.  The Hirer shall also be responsible for the behaviour of all persons using the Hall whatever their capacity, and for proper supervision of car-parking arrangements to avoid obstruction of the highway.
  4. The Hirer shall ensure all guests/attendees are instructed as to emergency procedures, especially the fire evacuation drill (exits, assembly point in the car park).
  5. The Hirer must ensure that no furniture, crockery or cutlery leaves the Hall – this includes taking anything on to the Village Green or into the car park.  Any damages caused to the Hall or to any items are removed from the Hall, will be charged to the Hirer.
  6. The Hirer must inform the Bookings Secretary if any items within the Hall have been lost or damaged, to ensure that HVH can replace the items before the next hire.
  7. The Hirer must assess any risks which may arise from the activities which will take place during the hire period and must ensure that everyone attending is aware of the steps necessary to mitigate the risk of injury or damage.
  8. If an accident or injury occurs during the hire period, the Hirer must complete an accident report form and place it in the white box near the main Noticeboard.  Blank forms can be found in the first aid box in the kitchen.  The Hirer must then inform the Bookings Secretary by email on bookings@holtvillagehall.co.ukas soon as possible.  This is required in case of further query or investigation and HVH will in turn, contact all necessary parties. If the Bookings Secretary is not made aware of any problems, then HVH cannot be held liable for any injuries caused.
  9. The Hirer shall comply with all requirements and recommendations contained in the Hall’s Information for Hirers document which is in a folder on the main Notice Board and on the Help Section of this website.
  10. The Hirer shall not use the premises for any purpose other than that described in the hiring agreement and shall not sub-hire the premises or allow the premises to be used for any unlawful purpose.
  11. The Hirer shall not do anything or bring onto the premises, anything which may endanger the Hall or its contents, or render invalid any insurance policies in respect thereof.
  12. The Hirer shall ensure that no smoking takes place within the Hall and that smokers using the designated area outside dispose of their cigarette ends in the bin provided.
  13. The Hirer shall ensure that any activities arranged for children under eight years of age comply with the provisions of The Children Act 1989 and that only fit and proper persons have access to the children.
  14. The Hirer shall be responsible for obtaining any licences that may be required for the event, including, for example, a licence for the sale or supply of alcoholic beverages and/or a licence for the performance of music (available from the Performing Rights Society or from Phonographic Performance Ltd).
  15. The Hirer shall ensure that nothing is done in contravention of the law relating to gaming, betting, and lotteries on or in relation to Holt Village Hall.
  16. The Hirer shall comply with all conditions and regulations made in respect of the premises by the Fire Authority, Local Authority, the Local Magistrates Court or otherwise, particularly in connection with any event which includes public dancing or music or other similar public entertainment or stage plays.  Music must not be played at a volume audible outside the Hall and must cease by 23.00 hrs.  The Hall must be vacated by 24.00 and Hirers are reminded to respect nearby residents by vacating the premises quietly by 24.00 at the latest.
  17. The Hirer, if preparing serving or selling food, shall comply with all relevant food, health and hygiene legislation and regulations.  The use of Barbecues is not permitted either inside the building or in the car park.
  18. The Hirer shall ensure that all portable electrical equipment brought into Holt Village Hall by the Hirer, or their contractors, has been PAT tested and displays current certification labels.  HVH reserves the right to disconnect and/or remove electrical equipment which does not display evidence of a valid PAT test.  No electrical equipment shall be left charging unsupervised in any circumstances. Please Note: all electrical equipment provided by the Hall is PAT tested annually as required by law.  PAT testing of any personal domestic equipment such as sewing machines, irons, etc., brought into the Hall by users on a regular basis is not legally required to be PAT tested, though testing is strongly recommended.
  19. The Hirer shall indemnify the Committee for the cost of repair of any damage done during the period of the hire to any part of the Hall, contents, and surrounding area.
  20. If the Hirer cancels the booking with less than one month’s notice before the date of the event the Hirer will be liable and HVH will not be able to refund the hire charge.  On occasions the fees already paid may be transferred to another time, but this shall be at the discretion of the Committee.
  21. The Hirer shall ensure that the minimum of noise is made on arrival and departure.
  22. The Hirer shall ensure that no dogs except assistance dogs are brought into the Hall, unless prior permission from the Committee is obtained.  No animals are permitted access to the kitchen.
  23. At the end of the hiring, the Hirer must ensure that: –
  • the Hall, contents and surrounds are left in a clean and tidy condition.
  • all general (non-recyclable) refuse created during the period of hire is placed into bin bags and placed in the wheelie bins provided.
  • all recyclable refuse (glass, paper, cardboard) is removed from the premises and disposed of at a suitable facility.
  • the Hall is properly locked and secured unless directed otherwise by the Bookings Secretary or other authorised representative of the Committee.
  1. The Hirer agrees that, should the Hall and/or its contents be left in an unfit state for subsequent use, an additional charge based on the cost of any necessary cleaning or repairs will be payable.
  2. If, because of a previous booking, the Hall or any part thereof has been rendered completely unfit for the use for which it was hired, the Committees liability to the Hirer shall be limited to a refund, in whole or in part, of any fees already paid.  The Committee, jointly or severally, shall not be liable to the Hirer for any consequential loss or damage.
  3. The Committee reserves the right to cancel any hiring in the event of the Hall being required at short notice for use as a Polling Station for a Parliamentary or Local Government election or by-election.  In such an event the Hirer shall be entitled to a full refund of any fees already paid.
  4. The contact information of the Hirer is strictly confidential and will not made available to any third parties.  The full HVH Privacy Statement is available here: – Privacy Information
  5. All contact with the Hall or its representatives must, in the first instance, be through the Bookings Secretary by email on bookings@holtvillagehall.co.uk or telephone 07548 762442.
  6. Holt Village Hall is managed and run entirely by volunteers, and as a result contact with us, particularly by telephone, may not receive an immediate response but will be dealt with as quickly as possible.
  7. In the event of any dispute between the Hirer and Holt Village Hall, the laws and relevant regulations of England shall apply.

Hirers’ Public Liability Insurance

The Hall’s insurance policy includes hirers’ public liability cover for some, but not all, hirers.  Any public liability claim by, or against, a hirer is dealt with by the insurer on a case-by-case basis so it is not possible to give a definitive list of what will, or will not, be covered.

Regular hirers and hirers booking a single session for activities using their personal equipment or equipment provided by the Hall will be covered.  However, situations where hirers may find they are not covered include bookings where:

  • the booking extends over three or more consecutive sessions,
  • a third party individual or company has been contracted by the hirer to provide entertainment, music, bouncy castle, etc.,
  • a third party caterer has been contracted by the hirer to prepare and serve food and/or refreshments,
  • alcohol is to be served (Note: as the Hall does not have an alcohol licence the serving of alcohol and any issues arising therefrom are entirely the responsibility of the hirer.)

Where a hirer has contracted a third party individual or company to bring in equipment for use during the booking it is the hirer’s responsibility to ensure that the third party has adequate public liability insurance to cover any injuries or damage caused in the course of the booking.  The Management Committee reserves the right to ask for sight of any pertinent insurance policy document.

In the case of an extended booking or where significant expense has been incurred by the hirer, such as wedding receptions, large parties, etc., the hirer is strongly encouraged to take out an insurance policy which will cover them for unexpected cancellation and/or for Public Liability protection.  Should the hirer choose to proceed without taking out such cover they do so at their own risk.

HVH does not accept responsibility for any loss, injury or damage to third party equipment occurring in the course of a booking unless caused by negligence on the part of the Management Committee.

We draw your attention to clauses 7 and 8 in the Conditions of Hire.  These require you to carry out an assessment of any risks arising from the activities planned for your event.  A suggested proforma is attached, but you are free to use any other format you wish.  You do not need to submit this to us, but in the event that you wish to make a claim against our insurance you may be required to produce the risk assessment.  In that unlikely event, you should also have completed and incident/accident report form at that time.  The forms are available in the first aid box in the kitchen and when completed, should be posted in the white box beside the Noticeboard.  All incidents or accidents must also be reported to the Bookings Secretary as soon as possible via bookings@holtvillagehall.co.uk