Frequently Asked Questions

We offer a range of property styles, but what's consistent among them all is the quality. Each of our properties has been chosen because it's extraordinary.

Our most popular property types include:

Castles to Hire in the UK

Manor Houses to Rent

Country Houses to Rent

Hen Party Houses

While there is a minimum stay of more than 1 night at the majority of our houses - typically 2 or 3 nights at the weekend - we have a handful of properties which are suitable for a 1-night stay.

These houses tend to be our fully catered properties which have all the feel of an exclusive house, but come with staff including a chef. Great options include: Lakeside Manor in the Cotswolds, My Own Castle in Scotland and Frome House in Hampshire.

Occasionally, one night stays may be available at our non-catered properties too during the middle of the week. Please call us on 01242 352 747 to discuss options with our team.

A big factor in selecting our houses is location. All of our destinations are worth visiting, but here are some of our most popular destinations:

• Large houses to rent in The Cotswolds
• Large houses to rent in Somerset
• Large houses to hire in Devon
• Large houses to rent in The Lake District
• Large houses to rent in Scotland

If you click on 'Find Houses' and click on the 'Filter' button, you can select a specific date and duration. This will show the houses that are available during your chosen dates.

Please note too though, that some of our houses may be available but not show up here. That's because we need to manually check the availability of these houses with the property owner.

Some of our properties allow dogs, while others don't. To make things easy, click here to see our full range of pet friendly houses to rent. Or, when looking through all our big houses to rent, just look for the dog icon.

Where a property is pet friendly, there is usually a fee of £30-£50 per dog to cover additional cleaning. This information can be found on each specific house page, where pets are allowed. There is usually a maximum number of dogs allowed, so please check for this too prior to booking when bringing more than one dog.

Generally dogs are the only pets that are permitted, but please ask us if you are looking to bring along any other pets.

Most of our houses are restricted to allowing only the number of people that can sleep at the property. If you're looking to plan an 'event', with additional guests joining, please contact us and our team will aim to help.

Yes. Lots of our bookings are for companies looking for a meeting space with accommodation, but with more exclusivity than offered by a hotel. To find out more about our company bookings, please click here.

We have a wonderful range of houses available for small and personal weddings. Please see our full wedding collection here.

When you're ready to book, we're on hand to make the booking process as simple as possible. You can either call us on 01242 352 747 or email hello@bighouseexperience.com (remember to note the property you're looking to book). You can also make your booking request online.

When we receive your request, we'll check the availability with the property owner. We may have some additional questions to ask you about guest numbers, and the use of the property and process your payment. When we're able to confirm your stay, we'll confirm it with a booking confirmation document.

It's worth noting that bookings are only confirmed once we have sent you a Booking Confirmation document, so it's advisable not to book any additional services or travel until you have that.

No. Bookings can sometimes take 24-48 hours to confirm. Given the nature of our privately owned houses, we like to make sure we reconfirm availability with our property owners before we issue you with a booking confirmation.

In rare circumstances, a booking request made online may not result in a successful booking. This can can be for a number of reasons, for example:

• When checking with the owner, there is no availability. This can happen when a property owner also works with other booking agencies, or decides to use their property for a personal reason. This is rare, as we go to great lengths to keep our availability calendars accurate and up to date.
• When we discuss your booking with you, we deem the use of the property to be unsuitable. For example, a hen group booking a property where hen parties are not permitted.

If a booking is not successful for any reason, any money paid will be refunded immediately. Remember, when making a booking request online, we don't take any money until we're in a position to confirm your booking.

 

In most cases, we hold a cautionary deposit (usually £500-£1,000) during your stay. We ask for this to be paid in plenty of time before your stay (usually two weeks).

In the vast majority of cases the cautionary deposit is refunded in full to our guests. In rare circumstances, we may need to make a deduction if there is any damage to the property or its contents during your stay.

Deposits paid to hold a house are non-refundable. For that reason, we advise our clients to be sure about wanting to book. We also advise clients to take out suitable cancellation insurance to cover you incase you need to cancel your booking for an insurable reason.

Yes, all of our houses provide luxury bed linen and towels.

Our big houses are typically available from 4pm on the day of arrival.  In most cases a house manager, or the property owner will meet you at the house to welcome you and show you around briefly before leaving you to enjoy the house. In a few cases, the property may be fully staffed throughout your stay.

Whatever the arrangements are, we’ll make sure you’re fully informed in the run-up to your stay.  We’ll send you full pre-arrival information, including the address, arrangements for accessing the property other useful hints and tips to help you maximise your enjoyment of the house.

Where a property allows self-catering, it’s not uncommon for guests to arrange for a super-market to deliver your groceries directly to your house.  We’ll send you some pre-arrival information ahead of your stay detailing the super-markets we recommend for your house, and the best time to arrange deliveries.

In most cases the answer is yes, apart from some of our properties which have staff which includes a chef. If in any doubt, please ask.

Yes!  We can put you in touch with local chefs that can come to your chosen house to cook a special meal, or cater during your entire stay. The services of the chef are arranged directly with the chef, and don’t form part of the contract you have with Big House Experience.  We find it’s easier for guests to make arrangements directly with the chef, as often the arrangements are tailored to suit you.

Yes! It’s a great way to enhance your experience, and particularly popular as an experience during a celebratory weekend. The booking process varies slightly from property to property, but we'll send you details of spa therapist services to you shortly after booking your big house.