The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Massed pipes and drums on the Castle Esplanade, every August.
Massed pipes and drums on the Castle Esplanade, every August.
Ten days of writers and readers in a Welsh border town of 1,500 people.
Effective date: 24 September 2026
These Website Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of the OWL B&B website, applications, software and related services (together, the "Platform").
The Platform is operated by:
OWL B&B Ltd Company number: 16171548 Registered office: 128 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX, United Kingdom Email: contact@owlbandb.com Website: www.owlbandb.com
"OWL B&B", "we", "us" and "our" mean OWL B&B Ltd.
"you" and "your" mean any person or business using the Platform.
By creating an Account, becoming a Host, becoming a Guest, making or accepting a Booking, or otherwise using the Platform, you agree to these Terms.
If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Platform.
Where you are a Host, the Host Agreement in this document also applies.
Where you are a Guest, the Guest Terms apply.
Our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy also form part of the contractual framework governing your use of the Platform where applicable.
OWL B&B operates an online accommodation marketplace.
The Platform allows Hosts to advertise accommodation and Guests to search for, communicate about and book accommodation.
Unless expressly stated otherwise:
The accommodation contract is between the Host and Guest.
A user's use of OWL B&B may create two separate contractual relationships.
Your contract with OWL B&B governs your use of the Platform and the services that OWL B&B provides.
A Booking creates a separate contract between the Host and Guest concerning the accommodation.
That contract includes the Listing information, Booking details, applicable cancellation policy, house rules and any other terms agreed between Host and Guest.
OWL B&B is not a party to that accommodation contract.
OWL B&B is intended to operate internationally.
Listings may be located in different countries and Hosts and Guests may reside in different jurisdictions.
The laws applicable to accommodation may vary substantially between countries, states, regions and municipalities.
Nothing in these Terms is intended to override mandatory laws that apply to you or to the accommodation, including mandatory:
Hosts are responsible for complying with the laws applicable to their property.
Guests are responsible for complying with applicable laws and the reasonable rules of the accommodation.
You must be at least 18 years old to create an Account unless OWL B&B expressly permits otherwise and applicable law allows it.
You must have legal capacity to enter into the relevant contract.
You must not create an Account using another person's identity.
OWL B&B requires Hosts and Guests to complete identity verification before an Account can be activated.
Identity verification is currently performed by Credas.
The verification process may require you to provide personal information and identity documentation directly to Credas.
OWL B&B receives the outcome of the verification process as a Yes or No verification result.
OWL B&B does not ordinarily receive or retain the underlying identity documents submitted to Credas.
Credas retains information associated with the identity verification process for five years, subject to Credas' applicable terms, privacy information and legal obligations.
Identity verification is intended to increase trust, reduce fraud and impersonation, and protect Hosts, Guests and OWL B&B.
Successful verification does not constitute a guarantee by OWL B&B of a person's identity beyond the verification result supplied to us, nor does it constitute a guarantee of a person's character, honesty, financial position, intentions, behaviour or suitability.
You must provide accurate and complete information.
You must keep your information up to date.
You are responsible for protecting your login credentials.
You must notify OWL B&B promptly if you believe your Account has been accessed without authorisation.
You must not sell, transfer or allow another person to use your Account.
Hosts must comply with the Host Agreement below.
A Host must have the legal authority to advertise and provide the accommodation.
Guests must comply with the Guest Terms below.
Guests must provide accurate information and comply with the Listing, Booking terms and reasonable Host rules.
Hosts are responsible for the accuracy of their Listings.
Listings must accurately describe material characteristics of the accommodation, including where applicable:
Photographs must fairly represent the accommodation.
Hosts must not materially mislead Guests.
Hosts set the accommodation price.
All mandatory charges payable by the Guest must be disclosed before the Guest commits to the Booking.
A Host must not deliberately introduce undisclosed mandatory charges after a Booking has been made.
OWL B&B may require a Host to correct inaccurate or incomplete pricing information.
A Guest may request or make a Booking through the Platform in accordance with the Booking process displayed at the time.
A Booking becomes binding between Host and Guest when the Host accepts it through the Platform.
At that point:
Guest and Host enter into an accommodation contract.
OWL B&B remains an intermediary/platform provider and does not become the accommodation provider.
Unless OWL B&B expressly states otherwise, the Guest pays the accommodation price directly to the Host.
OWL B&B does not ordinarily receive, hold or control the Guest's accommodation payment.
The Host is responsible for accepting payment and providing the accommodation.
OWL B&B is not responsible for a Host's failure to provide accommodation following payment, except where liability cannot lawfully be excluded.
The Guest subscription is:
£10 per year.
The subscription automatically renews every 12 months unless cancelled.
The Guest subscription is separate from accommodation payments.
Guests do not pay a booking fee to OWL B&B.
A Host may select the annual Host plan:
£120 per year.
The annual Host subscription automatically renews every 12 months unless cancelled.
A Host may alternatively select the booking-fee plan.
Under that plan, OWL B&B charges:
£15 for each Booking accepted by the Host through the Platform.
The £15 fee becomes payable when the Host accepts the Booking.
The £15 fee is non-refundable if the Booking is subsequently cancelled, whether the cancellation is made by the Host or Guest, except where a refund is required by applicable law.
By purchasing an annual OWL B&B subscription, you expressly agree that the subscription will automatically renew for another 12-month period unless you cancel it before the renewal date.
Before completing your subscription purchase, OWL B&B will clearly display:
We will send renewal reminders and other subscription notices as required by applicable law.
You may cancel automatic renewal through your Account or by contacting OWL B&B.
Cancellation of automatic renewal does not normally terminate the current paid subscription period. Your subscription will normally remain active until the end of the period already paid for, subject to any statutory cancellation rights.
Nothing in this clause limits any mandatory cancellation or refund right that applies under applicable law.
If an automatic renewal payment fails, OWL B&B may attempt to process the payment again.
We may suspend access to subscription services if the renewal payment remains unpaid.
We will not continue charging a payment method where doing so would breach applicable law or the applicable payment-provider rules.
Each Listing has its own cancellation policy established by the Host.
Cancellation policies may differ between Listings.
The applicable cancellation policy will be displayed to the Guest before the Guest commits to the Booking.
The Host is responsible for honouring the cancellation policy applicable to the Booking, subject to mandatory legal rights.
Add-ons are provided and charged by the host and fall under the host's cancellation policy.
Hosts should not cancel accepted Bookings except where reasonably necessary.
Where a Host cancels, the Host must comply with the applicable cancellation policy and any mandatory legal obligations.
OWL B&B may take action against Hosts who repeatedly cancel accepted Bookings.
Guests may cancel a Booking in accordance with the cancellation policy displayed for that Listing and applicable law.
The Guest should cancel through the Platform where possible so that the cancellation is recorded.
Reviews must be genuine and based on an actual experience.
Users must not:
OWL B&B may remove reviews that breach these requirements.
Hosts and Guests may communicate directly through the Platform.
Users must not use communications to:
OWL B&B may review communications where reasonably necessary for safety, fraud prevention, complaint investigation, enforcement of these Terms or legal compliance.
Users must not:
OWL B&B may suspend, restrict or terminate an Account where reasonably necessary because:
Where reasonably practicable, we will explain the reason for suspension or termination.
Immediate action may be taken where necessary for safety, fraud prevention or legal compliance.
OWL B&B may determine the order in which Listings appear.
Factors may include:
Where commercial promotion affects ranking, OWL B&B will identify this where required by applicable law.
All intellectual property rights in OWL B&B's Platform, software, branding, logos, design and content belong to OWL B&B or its licensors.
Users may use the Platform only for its intended purpose.
Where you upload photographs, descriptions, reviews or other material, you confirm that you have the necessary rights.
You grant OWL B&B a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use that material for operating, marketing, maintaining and improving the Platform.
OWL B&B processes personal information in accordance with the Privacy Policy.
Because OWL B&B is intended to operate internationally, personal information may be processed or accessed in countries other than the country in which you live.
OWL B&B will use appropriate legal mechanisms and safeguards where required for international transfers.
OWL B&B may be required to collect, verify, retain and report information concerning Hosts, properties and transactions to HMRC and/or other tax or regulatory authorities.
Hosts must provide information reasonably required for these purposes.
UK rules currently require relevant UK digital-platform operators to collect and verify seller information and report qualifying sellers and transactions to HMRC.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot legally be excluded.
This includes liability for:
Subject to this, OWL B&B is not responsible for matters arising solely from the acts or omissions of Hosts or Guests, including:
OWL B&B is not responsible for failure or delay caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control.
We may update these Terms.
Where changes materially affect your rights or obligations, we will provide appropriate notice.
Complaints about OWL B&B should be sent to:
Complaints about accommodation should normally first be directed to the Host.
These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
If you are a consumer, nothing in these Terms prevents you from relying on mandatory laws applicable in your country of residence or the location of the accommodation where those laws cannot lawfully be excluded.
To become a Host, you must:
1. create an Account; 2. complete identity verification; 3. provide accurate information; 4. provide required tax and regulatory information; 5. have authority to offer the accommodation; and 6. agree to this Host Agreement.
You confirm that you own the property or have all necessary authority to offer it.
You are responsible for obtaining any necessary:
You must comply with laws applicable to your property and business, including where applicable:
Accommodation must be safe, clean, reasonably maintained and suitable for the advertised occupancy.
You must keep your Listing accurate and up to date.
If something materially changes, you must update the Listing.
You must maintain an accurate calendar.
You must not knowingly accept overlapping Bookings.
The Guest pays you directly for accommodation.
You are responsible for:
You agree to pay the Host fee applicable to your selected plan:
Annual plan: £120 per year, automatically renewing.
or
Booking plan: £15 per Booking accepted, with the £15 becoming payable at the time the Booking is accepted.
The £15 Booking fee remains payable if the Booking is subsequently cancelled, except where applicable law requires otherwise.
You must comply with the cancellation policy displayed on your Listing.
Repeated cancellation of accepted Bookings may result in reduced visibility, suspension or termination.
You must treat Guests lawfully and fairly and must not unlawfully discriminate.
You are responsible for maintaining appropriate insurance for the accommodation and its use as short- term holiday accommodation.
OWL B&B does not provide property insurance unless expressly stated otherwise.
You are responsible for determining and paying all taxes applicable to your activities.
This may include:
You agree to provide accurate tax and identification information required by OWL B&B for regulatory and reporting purposes.
You must not deliberately use OWL B&B to establish contact with a Guest and then move the Booking outside the Platform for the purpose of avoiding OWL B&B fees where such conduct is prohibited by the Platform.
To the extent permitted by law, you agree to compensate OWL B&B for losses, claims and reasonable costs arising from:
This does not apply to the extent caused by OWL B&B's own negligence or unlawful conduct.
This Host Agreement is governed by the laws of England and Wales, subject to mandatory laws applicable to the Host or property.
Effective date: 24 September 2026
The OWL B&B Guest membership costs:
£10 per year.
The membership automatically renews every 12 months until cancelled.
The Guest membership is separate from accommodation payments.
There is no OWL B&B booking fee charged to Guests.
By purchasing Guest membership, you expressly agree that it will automatically renew every 12 months.
The renewal price will be clearly displayed before purchase.
OWL B&B will send renewal notices as required by applicable law.
You can cancel automatic renewal through your Account or by contacting us.
Unless mandatory law provides otherwise, cancelling automatic renewal will prevent the next renewal but will not normally refund the current subscription period.
You must complete identity verification through Credas before using relevant Guest services.
OWL B&B receives the verification outcome as a Yes/No result.
Credas retains the information supplied to it for five years, subject to its applicable privacy information and legal obligations.
You should carefully review the Listing before Booking.
Check:
When a Host accepts your Booking, you enter into an accommodation contract directly with the Host.
OWL B&B does not provide the accommodation.
You pay the Host directly for the accommodation unless OWL B&B expressly states otherwise.
OWL B&B does not normally receive or hold your accommodation payment.
You must:
You must not allow additional persons to stay at the accommodation beyond the permitted occupancy without the Host's agreement.
You must comply with restrictions concerning parties and events.
You must not hold a party or event where prohibited by the Listing or Host.
You must comply with the Host's pet policy, subject to any mandatory rights applicable to assistance animals or other protected circumstances.
You must comply with the property's smoking policy.
You are responsible for damage you cause, subject to normal wear and tear and applicable law.
You should report accidental damage promptly.
If the accommodation has a material problem, contact the Host promptly and give the Host a reasonable opportunity to resolve the problem where practical.
If there is an immediate safety risk, prioritise your safety and contact emergency services where appropriate.
CANCELLATION & BOOKING RULES
OWL B&B does not impose one universal cancellation policy.
Each Host may establish the cancellation policy applicable to each individual Listing.
Add-ons are provided and charged by the host and fall under the host's cancellation policy.
The applicable policy will be displayed before the Guest commits to the Booking.
You may cancel a Booking in accordance with the cancellation policy displayed for that Booking.
Any accommodation refund will be determined according to that policy and applicable mandatory law.
Hosts should not cancel accepted Bookings except where reasonably necessary.
If a Host cancels, the Host must comply with the applicable cancellation policy and mandatory legal requirements.
OWL B&B may take action against Hosts who repeatedly cancel Bookings.
The £15 Host Booking fee becomes payable when the Host accepts the Booking.
The fee is charged to the Host, not the Guest.
If the Booking is subsequently cancelled, the £15 fee remains payable and is not refundable, except where a refund is required by applicable law.
The cancellation of the accommodation contract therefore does not automatically cancel or refund the Host's OWL B&B Booking fee.
Cancelling an accommodation Booking does not cancel your £10 annual OWL B&B membership.
Cancelling your OWL B&B membership does not automatically cancel an existing accommodation Booking.
Changes to dates, Guest numbers or other material Booking details require the Host's agreement unless the Platform expressly allows the change.
Any resulting price adjustment is between Host and Guest.
Where the Host owes a refund, the Host is responsible for making it.
OWL B&B does not normally hold the accommodation payment and therefore does not guarantee the Host's ability or willingness to make a refund.
Nothing in these Rules removes a mandatory legal right to a refund.
You may leave a genuine review following an actual stay.
You must not manipulate reviews or ratings.
The cancellation rights applicable to the £10 OWL B&B subscription are separate from the cancellation rights applicable to accommodation.
Accommodation supplied for a specific date or period may be subject to different statutory cancellation rules from an ordinary online subscription.
Where mandatory consumer law gives you a cancellation or refund right, that right applies notwithstanding these Rules.
Hosts and Guests should first attempt to resolve accommodation disputes directly.
OWL B&B may assist with communication or dispute resolution where appropriate.
These Guest Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, subject to mandatory consumer rights applicable to the Guest.
Effective and last updated: 19 September 2026
This policy explains how OWL B&B Ltd uses personal information when you browse our website, create an account, list accommodation, communicate with another user or arrange a booking. It should be read with our separate Cookie Policy.
OWL B&B Ltd (company number 16171548), 128 City Road, London EC1V 2NX, United Kingdom. Email: contact@owlbandb.com. Website: www.owlbandb.com. OWL B&B generally acts as controller of personal information used to operate and administer the platform. Hosts may separately be controllers of information they receive and use to provide accommodation; their own privacy practices may apply.
OWL B&B operates internationally. Your information may be processed, stored or accessed outside your country of residence. Where applicable law requires international-transfer safeguards, we will use an appropriate lawful mechanism. The safeguards and countries involved depend on our actual service-provider arrangements; please contact us for information relevant to your data.
Information you provide includes your name, contact details, address, country, login details and date of birth where required; host property, business, ownership or authority and tax details; guest and booking details; messages, reviews, complaints and support requests; and information needed to collect our subscriptions and host fees. We may receive booking or account-related information from other users, verification results from Credas and technical information such as device details, IP address and website usage from our systems and permitted technologies. We do not normally collect accommodation payments made directly between guests and hosts.
We use Credas for identity verification. You provide identity information directly to Credas, which conducts the checks and sends OWL B&B a Yes/No verification outcome. OWL B&B does not ordinarily receive or retain the underlying identity documents or biometric information. Under our arrangement with Credas, verification information is retained by Credas for five years, subject to any overriding legal requirements and distinctions in its notice for particular data types. For details of Credas’s processing and your rights in relation to it, see https://credas.com/privacy-notice/.
Verification is used to establish genuine accounts, reduce impersonation and fraud, protect hosts and guests and meet applicable requirements. If verification is required, you may not be able to activate your account without completing it. If our use of biometric information changes, we will review and update our notices and compliance arrangements.
Where UK GDPR or equivalent rules apply, the lawful basis depends on the processing activity. We use personal information to provide the service under our contract with you; meet legal obligations; pursue legitimate interests such as security, fraud prevention and service improvement where these are not overridden by your rights; and, where required, with your consent for optional marketing and non-essential technologies. The table below gives further examples.
Activity Purpose and typical lawful basis
Accounts, listings, communications and bookings Provide requested services and administer our relationship: contract or steps before a contract.
Subscriptions, host fees and customer support Administer payments for OWL B&B services and respond to queries: contract; related accounting records: legal obligation.
Identity checks, platform safety and fraud Protect users and platform: legitimate interests and, prevention where applicable, legal obligation; additional conditions apply to any special-category data.
Tax, legal and regulatory reporting Comply with applicable legal obligations.
Technical security, troubleshooting and service Our legitimate interests in operating and protecting improvement the service, subject to balancing users’ rights; consent where required for non-essential device technologies.
Marketing Consent where required, or another lawful basis where permitted by applicable marketing law; unsubscribe options apply.
Our legitimate interests include preventing misuse, securing accounts, investigating complaints and maintaining a functional booking platform. Where consent is our basis, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting earlier lawful processing.
We share information needed for hosts and guests to communicate and administer bookings, but do not ordinarily share identity documents with another user. We may share information with Credas and providers of hosting, payments for OWL B&B fees, email, support, security, analytics, communications and technical infrastructure, according to the services actually used. We may disclose information to HMRC, other tax authorities, regulators, law enforcement, courts or other competent authorities where legally required or permitted. Where applicable, digital-platform reporting rules may require us to collect, verify and report host information. We do not state that we sell personal information.
We retain personal information associated with your Host or Guest account while your account remains registered. When you close your account, we delete its personal information, except records that must be retained to comply with applicable legal, tax, accounting or regulatory obligations. We retain those records only for the period required by applicable law, then securely delete or anonymise them. Credas retains verification information for five years under our arrangement, as explained in section 4. Account closure does not itself require Credas to delete information before the applicable retention period expires.
Depending on applicable law, you may have rights to access, correct or erase information; restrict or object to processing; receive certain information in a portable format; withdraw consent; and challenge or request review of certain automated decisions. Rights are not absolute and exceptions may apply. Contact contact@owlbandb.com to make a request. We may need to verify your identity before responding.
We may use automated systems for account security and fraud prevention. If we use solely automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects, we will provide the information and safeguards required by applicable law. We use reasonable technical and organisational security measures, although no online system can be guaranteed completely secure.
We may send essential account and service communications. Marketing messages follow applicable law and include a way to opt out where required. Accounts are intended for adults aged 18 or over. Our separate Cookie Policy explains cookies and similar technologies.
For privacy questions or complaints, email contact@owlbandb.com. Where UK data-protection law applies, you may also complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/. You may have a right to complain to another relevant supervisory authority depending on your location. We may update this policy and will publish the latest version on the platform; we will notify users of material changes where required.
This policy explains cookies and similar technologies that may be used on www.owlbandb.com, how they work and the choices available. The precise technologies in use are being confirmed and will be identified in an updated inventory. For personal information more generally, see our Privacy Policy.
Cookies are small files stored on your device when you use a website. Similar technologies can include local storage, pixels and software development kits. They may remember preferences, maintain a session, support security or measure how the site is used.
Strictly necessary These support functions requested by users, such as login, authentication, account and session management, security, fraud prevention and essential platform functions. Where the applicable exemption applies, these do not require cookie consent, but we still explain their use.
Functional These may remember optional settings such as language, location preferences and other choices. Whether consent is required depends on the technology and applicable rules.
Analytics If enabled, analytics technologies may help us understand navigation, popular pages, technical errors, device information and general usage patterns. Where consent is required, these will not be activated before consent.
Marketing If enabled, marketing technologies may measure advertising performance or support relevant advertising. Where consent is required, these will not be activated before consent.
Where required by applicable law, non-essential cookies and similar technologies require your consent before use. You can manage cookies through the controls available on the website, where provided, or through your browser settings; browser settings may not control every similar technology. We will provide an appropriate means of changing or withdrawing consent where required. Blocking necessary cookies may affect core functions. This statement does not confirm which optional technologies are currently deployed.
Third-party services and embedded content, including review widgets if enabled, may use cookies or similar technologies. Their use depends on the integrations actually deployed. Where required, we seek consent before non-essential third-party technologies are used. Relevant providers may process information under their own privacy notices.
The specific cookie names, providers and lifetimes have not yet been confirmed. We will update this policy with an accurate cookie inventory once the live website has been audited. Until then, this policy describes potential categories only and should not be read as confirmation that every category is used. You can ask us for information about cookies currently in use at contact@owlbandb.com.
We will update this policy when our technologies or legal obligations change. Questions about our use of cookies can be sent to contact@owlbandb.com.