General Terms and Conditions (GTC)

General Terms and Conditions for all apartments of BELSANTO-Stays, as of November 17, 2025

1 Scope

These terms and conditions apply to all accommodation contracts for the rental of rooms, entire apartments, houses or individual beds as well as all other deliveries and services provided to the guest by BELSANTO-Stays, Römerweg 33 52499 Baesweiler – hereinafter referred to as the “service provider”.

2. Contract conclusion, securities, statute of limitations

2.1 A lodging contract is concluded between the guest and the service provider upon acceptance of a reservation made by the guest. This acceptance can be made verbally by telephone or in writing. A binding reservation exists the moment the service provider, BELSANTO-Stays, reserves time slots for the guest. The service provider is free to confirm the booking in writing. If a third party has made a reservation for the guest, that third party is jointly and severally liable to the service provider with the guest for all obligations arising from the lodging contract, provided the service provider has received a corresponding declaration from the third party.

2.2 As part of the reservation process, the guest must specify a non-binding arrival time. Please note that an accommodation contract is concluded even if no arrival time is specified.

2.3 The service provider is entitled to request a reasonable advance payment of up to 50% (deposit) or a security deposit in the form of a credit card guarantee from the guest upon conclusion of the contract. The amount and due date of the advance payment will be communicated in writing in the booking confirmation and thus become part of the contract. The service provider is also entitled to request a reasonable security deposit for the duration of the stay. For stays exceeding 7 days, the service provider is entitled to request interim payments for services rendered.

2.4 Should the guest remain in the rented premises beyond the agreed period, the service provider hereby expressly objects to any continuation of the contractual relationship. If the guest notifies the service provider of their wish to extend their stay in a timely manner, the service provider may agree to the extension of the accommodation contract. However, the service provider is under no obligation to do so.

2.5 The service provider expressly reserves the right to decide whom to accept as a guest. In particular, no accommodation contracts will be concluded with representatives of the worldviews mentioned in point 5.3.

2.6 The resale, subletting, and/or transfer of booked accommodations is prohibited. In particular, the transfer of rooms or beds and/or room or bed allotments to third parties at prices higher than the actual prices is not permitted. The assignment or sale of claims against the service provider is also not permitted. In such cases, the service provider is entitled to cancel the booking, especially if the guest has provided false information to the third party regarding the nature of the booking or payment. Use of the accommodations for any purpose other than accommodation is expressly prohibited.

2.7 Contract conclusion with groups

For closed groups, in particular clubs, school classes, seminar groups, etc. – hereinafter referred to as "group" – the service provider will submit a written offer upon request, thereby making a binding offer to all participants of the group to conclude an accommodation contract based on these General Terms and Conditions and the house rules. The aforementioned points also apply. The board member, the class teacher, the leader, etc. – hereinafter referred to as "the group leader" – represents all guests. They are authorized to receive all declarations from the service provider to the participants or their legal representatives. The accommodation contract is concluded upon the group leader's written acceptance to the service provider. Amendments or additions to the acceptance compared to the offer from the recipient of the service will only result in a contract if the recipient of the service confirms these amended acceptances. The group leader or the organization on whose behalf he/she acts is personally responsible for all obligations of the individual guests, provided he/she has assumed this responsibility by express and separate declaration.

3 Fees

3.1 The obligation to pay the fees arises upon conclusion of the accommodation contract.

3.2 Payment is due upon completion of the service/receipt of the invoice. The guest must pay the invoice amount immediately without deduction. The service provider is entitled to demand immediate payment of any outstanding amounts at any time. In the event of late payment, the service provider is entitled to charge the applicable statutory default interest, currently 8%, or, in the case of transactions involving a consumer, 4.2% above the base interest rate.

3.3 The applicable prices are gross prices and include all statutory taxes, fees, and charges. In the event of changes to tax, fee, and charge rates, or the effective imposition of new taxes, fees, and charges previously unknown to the parties, the service provider reserves the right to adjust the prices accordingly.

4. Cancellation by the guest, non-utilization of the services of the service provider

4.1 If the guest cancels, unless otherwise agreed in an individual contract, they must pay the service provider a flat-rate compensation for damages (cancellation fee) according to the following scale:

Individual reservations

Group reservations

Free cancellation up to 7 days before arrival

Free cancellation up to 7 days before arrival

For cancellations up to 6 days before arrival, 100% of the agreed price is payable.

For cancellations up to 6 days before arrival, 100% of the agreed price is payable.

These cancellation terms also apply to online bookings, unless otherwise expressly stated. The guest is free to prove that the flat-rate expenses were not incurred or not incurred in full.

4.2 The contract value is the gross price agreed upon in the accommodation contract. If higher deposits are paid than the cancellation fees stated above, the cancellation fees will apply.

If agreed upon or paid, these are considered cancellation fees. However, the service provider can claim cancellation/compensation from the guest for additional services booked on behalf of the guest with third parties.

4.3 In the event of partial cancellations of the contract (e.g., reduced number of persons), the cancellation fee is only payable for the affected part and scope of the contract. However, the service provider is entitled to apply the current standard conditions for the reduced service if the guest has been granted different discounts. One-off partial cancellations of up to 10% of the contract value are considered a gesture of goodwill and are free of charge.

4.4 If the costs incurred by the service provider due to the cancellation are demonstrably higher than the aforementioned flat rate, the guest shall owe this amount.

5. Withdrawal by the service provider

5.1 If a right of withdrawal for the guest has been agreed in writing within a certain period, the service provider is entitled to withdraw from the contract within this period if inquiries from other guests for the contractually booked premises are received.

5.2 If an agreed advance payment is not made even after the expiry of a reasonable grace period set by the service provider, the service provider is also entitled to withdraw from the contract.

5.3 Furthermore, the service provider is entitled to withdraw from the contract for objectively justified reasons – for example, if force majeure or other circumstances beyond the service provider's control make performance of the contract impossible; there is a breach of Section 2 Paragraph 4 of these General Terms and Conditions; premises are booked under misleading or false pretenses regarding essential facts – e.g., the identity and age of the guest or the purpose of the booking; the service provider has reasonable grounds to believe that the use of the service may impair the smooth operation of the business, the safety, or the public image of the service provider, without this being attributable to the service provider's sphere of control or organization. This includes, but is not limited to, bookings by/for:

– Bachelor parties

– Bringing along animals of all kinds

– Representatives of misanthropic (racist, right-wing extremist, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, etc.) worldviews

– Representatives of homophobic, transphobic and/or sexist worldviews

6. Apartment provision, handover and return

6.1 Booked rooms are available to the guest from 4:00 PM on the agreed arrival day. The guest has no right to earlier access.

6.2 On the agreed departure day, the premises must be vacated and made available by 10:00 a.m. at the latest. After this time, the service provider may charge 50% of the full list price for use of the apartment beyond the agreed time until 1:00 p.m., and 100% thereafter.

6.3 The service provider is entitled to charge compensation for damage to the apartment, non-contractual use and separate cleaning costs for unusual or willful soiling.

6.4 Guests who cause damage to buildings and inventory through their own fault will be held liable for compensation in accordance with the legal provisions.

7. Liability of the service provider

7.1 The service provider is liable for damages resulting from injury to life, body, or health caused by its own negligence. Furthermore, the service provider is liable for other damages resulting from an intentional or grossly negligent breach of duty by the service provider, as well as for damages resulting from an intentional or negligent breach of essential contractual obligations, only up to the amount of foreseeable damages. A breach of duty by the service provider is equivalent to a breach of duty by its legal representatives, employees, or vicarious agents. Further claims for damages are excluded unless otherwise stipulated in these Terms and Conditions. In particular, claims by the guest arising from third-party claims for damages, claims for lost profits, and claims for compensation for other pecuniary losses or indirect and consequential damages are excluded. The aforementioned limitations and exclusions of liability also do not apply to claims for compensation for property damage, provided and to the extent that these are covered by the service provider's liability insurance.

7.2 The service provider shall not be liable for damages resulting from force majeure or natural disasters.

7.3 Should any disruptions or defects occur in the services provided by the service provider, the service provider will endeavor to remedy the situation upon becoming aware of it or upon receiving immediate notification from the guest. The guest is obligated to contribute what is reasonable to resolve the disruption and minimize any potential damage. Furthermore, the guest is obligated to inform the service provider in a timely manner of the possibility of exceptionally high damages occurring.

7.4 The guest is aware that a special feature of the apartment is that service providers and cleaning staff have spare keys for the rented apartment.

8 Data protection, handling of personal data

Personal data (e.g., name, address, bank details, telephone number) must be retained as part of business correspondence for one year, or ten years for invoices, in accordance with legal requirements (registration law) – this also applies to emails and database entries. These are archived at regular intervals to ensure that the retention obligations are met, while keeping the number of people who can access this data as small as possible.

9. No smoking in the rented premises

BELSANTO-Stays apartments are non-smoking. Smoking is therefore prohibited on the premises. In the event of a violation, the service provider has the right to demand a fee of EUR 200 from the guest as compensation for the additional cleaning costs incurred, including any lost revenue resulting from the apartment being unavailable for rent. This compensation amount may be adjusted upwards or downwards if the service provider can prove higher damages or the guest can prove lower damages.

10 pets

Bringing animals of any kind is strictly prohibited. In case of violation, the service provider is entitled to cancel the booking. Exceptions are made for guide dogs, hearing dogs, and other comparable service dogs. These may be brought along free of charge at any time. Since a separate cleaning is required, a fee of €50.00 will be charged for any violation.

11. Further obligations of the guest

Guests are required to comply with the house rules. These rules can be viewed on the service provider's website and are also available in the rented accommodation. Guests must exercise their rights in accordance with the house rules and with the utmost care to maintain the integrity of the accommodation.

12 House Rules

12.1 The holiday apartment will be handed over by the landlord in a clean and tidy condition with a complete inventory. Should any defects exist or arise during the rental period, the landlord must be informed immediately. The tenant is liable for any damage caused by them to the rental property, its inventory, and the communal facilities, e.g., broken dishes, damage to the flooring or furniture. This also includes the cost of lost keys (locking system). The inventory must be treated with care and is intended for use only within the holiday apartment.

12.2 The tenant is also liable for the actions of their travel companions. Damage caused by force majeure is excluded. In the event of a breach of contract regarding the use of the holiday apartment, such as subletting, exceeding the maximum occupancy, disturbing the peace, etc., as well as in the event of non-payment of the full rental price, the contract may be terminated without notice. The rent already paid will remain with the landlord.

12.3 The service provider reserves the right to charge a separate fee in the event of a violation of the house rules, such as holding a party, disturbing the peace, or using the property by persons not listed in the booking or by more persons than specified in the booking by the guest (see service table).

12.4 If liability insurance exists, the damage must be reported to the insurance company. The service provider must be informed of the name and address of the insurance company, as well as the policy number.

12.5 All house rules can also be found in the documents in the rented property.

13 travel bans

If a travel ban or (partial) lockdown was imposed during the booking period, the guest confirms that their trip is for business, official, medically necessary or moral and/or ethical reasons, such as a funeral.

14 Final Provisions

14.1 Should any provision of these agreements be or become wholly or partially invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions shall not be affected. In place of the invalid provision, a suitable provision shall be agreed upon which most closely approximates the meaning and purpose of the invalid provision. The same applies to obvious gaps in the agreement.

14.2 German law applies.

14.3 The terms and conditions are acknowledged and confirmed by signing the check-in form.



Performance table