No refund from Spanish Villa owner

Mark_Bascombe

Hello there

We booked a private villa for last June but because of COVID we obviously couldn’t travel. The lady was kind enough to carry the booking over to this June but the English government announced last week that Spain is not on the green list. We contacted the villa owner again to see if we can rebook for this September but she is saying, no, we must come in June. We have paid in full and she is saying we will only get our deposit back. But the Spanish authorities are saying only residents or people on emergencies can enter Spain. I don’t know where we stand on this matter and are we entitled to a refund if we can’t enter the country in June?

bagand96

Generally speaking, if the villa is there and available then you likely aren't entitled to any refund.  Whilst UK and Spanish Government restrictions are not your fault, they are not the fault of the villa owner either, and you've paid for a villa that is there.

It is worth having a read through the T&C's/contract you had at the time of booking to double check what it says about cancellations, date changes etc.

This might be covered by your travel insurance, but it will depend on your level of cover and what exclusions there are about pandemics/covid etc

lisyloo

When did you book the villa? i.e. was it pre-pandemic (march 13th rings a bell)
Do you have travel insurance?
f so when did you take it out and did you renew the same policy?
If you have an insurance policy that you took our pre-pandemic and booked pre-pandemic then you may be able to claim on your travel insurance.

CKhalvashi

The villa is available and waiting for you, and how you get there is not the owners problem.

Your rights are therefore dictated by what is in your contract, so checking first to see if you have a right to sublease for the time you have paid for would be your best option at this stage, if you have booked a non-refundable rate.

macman

I don't understand why she is offering you your deposit back?

mattyprice4004

Bite their hand off - they’re doing more than they have to.
You getting there isn’t their problem - they’re in Spain and restrictions from England are therefore your concerns and not theirs. 

You’re not entitled to any refund or a rebooking, sorry. 

sheramber

 Depending on when you are due to Spain may be open for UK visitors. At present reports are June but no date given.
You are legally allowed to travel to Amber list countries, despite Boris saying you shouldn't. But you have to comply woth the covid restrictions.

meishka

Spain is letting the Uk in from 24th May

lisyloo

sheramber said:

 Depending on when you are due to Spain may be open for UK visitors. At present reports are June but no date given.
You are legally allowed to travel to Amber list countries, despite Boris saying you shouldn't. But you have to comply woth the covid restrictions.

FCO currently advises against travel.
This generally means no insurance cover (unless specificially bought) and no assistance for the government (and there have been a few cases of large scale repatriation recently e.g. Thomas Cook).

That advice could change though.

Mark_Bascombe

Thanks everyone. I’m not sure why she’s offering our deposit back either. I would of preferred her keeping the deposit and giving us the rest back but that would of been a long shot. 

I’m really hoping May 24th is happening and we can fly then.