Our Policies

Privacy Statement

Last reviewed: 5 August 2026

This Privacy Statement explains how Lower Elsford Farm collects, uses and protects personal information when you use our website, make an enquiry, make a booking, sign up to receive marketing emails, stay with us, use EV charging, or contact us.

We aim to handle personal information clearly, carefully and responsibly.

Who we are

This website is operated by Lower Elsford Farm.

Lower Elsford Farm is operated as a partnership.

For privacy questions or data protection complaints, please contact:

Paul McDowell
Email: lowerelsfordfarm@icloud.com

Lower Elsford Farm has completed the ICO data protection fee self-assessment and has paid the fee due. The ICO registration reference will be added to this Privacy Statement once received.

For the purposes of data protection law, Lower Elsford Farm is the data controller for the personal information we collect and use directly.

What personal information we collect

Depending on how you contact us, book with us or use the website, we may collect and use:

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your telephone number
• Your postal address, where provided
• Booking dates and stay details
• Details of the cottage booked
• Payment status and payment record information
• Children’s names or age ranges, where provided
• Child-equipment requests, such as cot, highchair or stairgate requests
• Accessibility, mobility or special requirement information, where voluntarily provided
• Guest preferences, repeat guest notes or previous stay information
• Marketing preferences
• Review or feedback information
• Social media messages, where you contact us that way
• EV charging information, where you use the Voltshare EV charging system
• Website usage information, where cookies or analytics tools are used

We do not intentionally collect more personal information than we need.

How we collect personal information

We may collect personal information when you:

• Make a booking through SuperControl
• Make an enquiry through the website
• Contact us by email, phone or social media
• Book or enquire through Airbnb, Parent Friendly Stays, Premier Cottages or another third-party platform or directory
• Sign up to receive marketing emails
• Leave a review or guest comment
• Stay at Lower Elsford Farm
• Use the Voltshare EV charger
• Use our website

How we use your personal information

We use personal information to:

• Respond to enquiries
• Check availability
• Process and manage bookings
• Communicate with guests before, during and after a stay
• Record booking details in SuperControl
• Manage payments, refunds and booking records
• Keep appropriate business, accounting and tax records
• Manage child-equipment requests or special requirements
• Identify repeat guests or previous bookings
• Send occasional marketing emails where appropriate
• Display reviews or guest feedback where appropriate
• Respond to questions, complaints or privacy requests
• Maintain website security and performance
• Understand how visitors use the website

Our lawful bases for using personal information

We only use personal information where we have a lawful basis to do so.

These may include:

Contract
We use personal information where it is needed to respond to booking requests, manage bookings, take payments, provide accommodation and communicate with guests about their stay.

Legitimate interests
We may use personal information where it is reasonably necessary for running the business, responding to enquiries, keeping business records, managing guest communication, identifying previous bookings, using guest feedback, protecting the website and improving our services.

Legal obligation
We may need to keep certain information for accounting, tax, legal, insurance or regulatory purposes.

Consent
Where required, we rely on consent for marketing emails, non-essential cookies, analytics cookies and any other optional activity where consent is needed.

Guest enquiries and correspondence

Guests may contact us through the website, by email, by phone, or occasionally through Facebook or Instagram.

We use enquiry information to respond to the guest and provide information about availability, bookings and stays.

Guest enquiry emails that do not lead to a booking are not intentionally retained. Old emails are cleared regularly.

Access to the guest enquiry inbox is limited to Paul McDowell and Janine McDowell.

Guests may occasionally contact us through Facebook or Instagram. Social media messages are not exported or stored separately.

Bookings through SuperControl

Bookings are mainly managed through SuperControl.

Bookings through SuperControl are confirmed fully online, although bookings may occasionally also be taken manually by email or phone.

Confirmed booking records are stored in SuperControl.

Third-party bookings or enquiries may also be received through Airbnb, Parent Friendly Stays and Premier Cottages. Where relevant, third-party platform bookings are imported into SuperControl.

Booking information may include your name, address, email address, phone number, stay dates, cottage booked, payment status, children’s details, child-equipment requests, accessibility or special requirement information, and notes about previous stays or repeat guests.

We do not keep a separate guest spreadsheet, paper diary, manual booking file or other guest record outside SuperControl.

Premier Cottages and other third-party platforms

Lower Elsford Farm is listed on Premier Cottages and may also receive enquiries or bookings through other third-party platforms, including Airbnb and Parent Friendly Stays.

Premier Cottages may list and promote the property. Where a guest books or enquires through Premier Cottages and guest details are passed to or from Premier Cottages, this may include booking details such as name, address, phone number, email address and holiday booking information.

Where you use a third-party booking, enquiry or listing platform, your personal information may also be processed by that platform in line with its own privacy information and terms.

Payments, deposits and refunds

Deposits and balances are usually paid by card or bank transfer.

Payments may be taken through SuperControl, by bank transfer or, rarely, by cheque.

Lower Elsford Farm does not collect or store card/payment details directly.

Payment records may be stored in SuperControl, bank statements and QuickBooks.

An accountant may receive guest/payment information where needed for accounting and tax purposes.

Refunds may be processed through SuperControl or, rarely, by bank transfer.

Lower Elsford Farm does not currently take or hold security deposits, damage deposits or good housekeeping deposits.

Guest records and special requirements

Guest information is stored in SuperControl and access is limited to Paul and Janine McDowell.

Where provided, this may include guest preferences, repeat guest information, previous stays, children’s names or age ranges, child-equipment requests, accessibility, mobility or special requirement information.

We do not request dietary, allergy or food preference information.

Any special requirement information we do receive is kept within the relevant SuperControl booking record.

Marketing emails

Lower Elsford Farm may send occasional marketing emails, special offers or availability updates.

These are usually sent a small number of times each year through Mailchimp.

Guests or visitors may opt in to receive marketing emails as part of the booking process through SuperControl.

Marketing emails include an unsubscribe option.

We do not manually add guests or past guests to the mailing list.

We do not upload guest or subscriber lists to Facebook/Meta, Google Ads or other advertising platforms.

We do not currently use remarketing or retargeting adverts.

Reviews and guest comments

We may display guest reviews or comments on the website or in marketing.

Reviews used on the website currently come from UpFront Reviews.

Where reviews are used, we use first names only.

If a guest asked us to remove or anonymise a review, we would do so.

We do not store guest feedback separately from the booking record.

Guest photos and videos

Lower Elsford Farm does not currently use identifiable guest photos or videos on the website, blog, social media, printed marketing or adverts.

Guests do not currently send photos for use in marketing.

If this changes in future, we will ask for appropriate permission before using identifiable guest images or videos.

Sharing guest information

Lower Elsford Farm does not routinely share guest information with cleaners, housekeepers, maintenance people, laundry providers, pool maintenance contractors, gardeners, farm staff, local suppliers or activity providers.

We may share personal information where necessary with trusted service providers involved in operating the business, such as:

• SuperControl, for booking management
• Airbnb, Parent Friendly Stays or Premier Cottages, where you book or enquire through those platforms
• Payment providers and banks
• QuickBooks and our accountant, for accounting records
• Mailchimp, where you have opted in to marketing emails
• UpFront Reviews, where guest reviews are used
• Voltshare, where you use the EV charging system
• Website hosting, website support and IT service providers
• Cookie, analytics or website security tools, where used
• Legal, regulatory or public authorities where required by law

We do not sell guest information.

CCTV, guest Wi-Fi and on-site information

Lower Elsford Farm does not currently have CCTV, Ring doorbells, smart cameras or security cameras at the property.

Guest Wi-Fi is provided.

Lower Elsford Farm has confirmed that the Wi-Fi/router/provider does not collect guest names, email addresses, device details or usage logs.

We do not collect vehicle registrations.

We do not use smart locks, electronic access codes, gate codes or systems that record guest entry/use.

We do not currently keep accident, incident or first-aid records relating to guests using the pool, games room, playground, farm areas or other facilities.

If any of these arrangements change in future, this Privacy Statement should be reviewed and updated.

EV charging

Lower Elsford Farm has a Voltshare EV charger.

The EV charging setup may collect guest details, payment details, vehicle information, app/account details or usage records through the Voltshare system.

EV charging is managed through Voltshare. Lower Elsford Farm does not receive guest usage or payment information from Voltshare.

EV charging payments or issues are managed through the Voltshare application.

If you use the EV charger, your information may also be processed by Voltshare in line with Voltshare’s own privacy information and terms.

Google Analytics, Search Console and cookies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies.

Some cookies are necessary for the website to work properly. Others may help us understand how visitors use the website, for example through analytics tools such as Google Analytics.

Where required, non-essential cookies should only be used with your consent.

Google Search Console may also be used to help understand how the website appears in Google search results.

Lower Elsford Farm does not currently use analytics information for advertising or remarketing.

Please see our Cookie Policy for more information about cookies and how to manage your choices.

How long we keep personal information

We only keep personal information for as long as reasonably needed.

As a general guide:

• Guest enquiry emails that do not lead to a booking are not intentionally retained.
• Old emails are cleared regularly.
• Confirmed booking records are stored in SuperControl.
• Cancelled bookings, guest issues, accident, damage claim or complaint information may be stored in SuperControl if entered against the relevant booking.
• Payment and accounting records may be kept for as long as needed for accounting, tax, legal, insurance or business purposes.
• Marketing subscribers remain on the mailing list until they unsubscribe or are removed as part of list housekeeping.
• Reviews may remain on the website unless a guest asks for them to be removed or anonymised.
• EV charging information is handled through Voltshare.
• Website analytics information, where used, is retained according to the settings used within the relevant analytics platform.

When personal information is no longer needed, we will delete it, securely dispose of it, or anonymise it where appropriate.

How we protect personal information

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access or disclosure.

This includes limiting access to guest information, using secure systems where available, avoiding unnecessary data collection, keeping guest records in SuperControl where possible, and not keeping paper booking records.

Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights over your personal information, including the right to:

• Be informed about how your personal information is used
• Ask for a copy of personal information held about you
• Ask for inaccurate information to be corrected
• Ask for information to be deleted in certain circumstances
• Ask us to restrict how we use your information
• Object to certain uses of your information
• Withdraw consent where we rely on consent
• Ask for your information to be transferred in certain circumstances
• Complain about how your information has been handled

To make a request, please contact:

lowerelsfordfarm@icloud.com

We may need to confirm your identity before responding to a request.

Privacy questions and complaints

If you have any questions or concerns about how your personal information is handled, please contact:

Paul McDowell
Email: lowerelsfordfarm@icloud.com

If you make a data protection complaint, we will acknowledge it within 30 days, look into the issue, keep you informed where appropriate, and provide an outcome without undue delay.

You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Changes to this Privacy Statement

We may update this Privacy Statement from time to time if our website, booking process, marketing activity, business practices or legal requirements change.

The latest version will be published on this website.