Terms and Conditions of Hire
Our van drivers have a pre planned delivery schedule which they adhere to strictly. This plays a major part in the terms and conditions of hire below, to ensure an efficient and straight forward hiring process for every event we attend.
The pages below provide information which may be useful in planning access and setting up on the day.
If you have any queries or concerns please Contact us.
The play equipment you've hired
Our goal as a business is to provide the play equipment you've hired in a clean, well maintained condition in a prompt manner - we understand the importance of punctuality for every event we're delivering to and collecting from.
If we're unable to deliver this, it will most likely be due to circumstances beyond our control, including but not limited to staff illness, technical malfunctions, damage to equipment on prior hires or major disruption due to weather or transport. we'll inform you as soon as possible.
Requests for specific artwork and soft play
Requests for specific play items with certain artwork/colours are always considered but we can not guarantee that these will be the items at your event.
This is because incidents out of our control can cause play equipment to be unfit/unavailable to hire before your event date and if it is not in a good condition we may be unable to hire it to you.
This reason also applies to all play equipment hired from us. If you have hired a specific play item or package and it is not in a suitable and safe condition to hire it we may substitute it for other play items of similar style and type subject to availability.
If your play item is themed, we will do our best to match the theme placed at the time of the booking but we can not guarantee it. We try our best to keep you informed of any changes that may affect your booking before the event date.
Damage in transit
Sadly, it is possible for some of our more delicate equipment to be damaged in transit.
If this happens, we will make an assessment to determine whether using the equipment will pose a danger to any users.
If there is a concern over the health and safety of setting up or using the play equipment, we will not leave the play equipment.
A full refund will be offered for the cost of the play equipment not set up due to damage in transit.
If part of the play equipment can be used, we will offer a partial refund, the value of which will be determined at the venue. We will inform you of the refund value before setting up and if you're happy to proceed, we'll set up the rest of the undamaged play equipment/items.
On delivery
We request that the Hirer is present at the venue when we arrive to deliver. This is to ensure that the play equipment is set up/positioned where you want it to be in your venue.
You may find our Setting Up - Indoors and Setting Up - Outdoors useful.
The hirer being present is also to ensure 100% satisfaction with the play equipment we provide, as well as to be able to check the condition of the play equipment when it is delivered.
If drivers arrive and the hirer is not present, drivers will set up the play equipment where they think is best, provided the venue is secure and a venue caretaker or someone from the party is present. The area where the play equipment will be set up must be cleared of all furniture and clean before we arrive to deliver.
If the named hirer will not be present please appoint one person to show our staff where you would like the play equipment to be set up. We value our time so once set up, play equipment will not be moved by our staff.
We require a minimum of at least 3 m clear access in either direction through any corridor or doorway we will travel through with play equipment. We reserve the right to refuse delivery if we feel there may be damage while we deliver or collect. No refunds will be issued if we arrive and can not set up with ease. Dancing Cubs Ltd accepts no responsibility for damage caused in the process of delivering or collecting our play equipment to any site.
Please have your mobile phone on (it has to be the number you provided to us), be able to hear it, and with you at all times. We may try to ring you if we cannot find the venue or we are running late.
We will also try to ring you if we arrive at the venue and you are not there yet or we can not gain access or park in our reserved space.
You may also want to provide an alternative number of a close relative or friend who will be with you on the day.
Please arrange legal parking space for our delivery van before we arrive if parking is limited. Bus Lanes, Double Yellow, Double Red, Single Yellow and Single Red lines are not acceptable forms of parking as our van(s) may obtain parking tickets.
Parking across the road from the venue isn't suitable (safety of our staff is a priority).
All parking penalties received in the process of delivering and collecting from venues will be passed on to and paid by the named hirer.
Delivery to venues with stairs
Delivering play equipment to venues with stairs or a lift may incur an additional charge as it requires more labour and time in setting up.
All necessary questions regarding access will be asked on the booking form. If there is an additional charge, it will be determined on receipt of your booking form. We will always inform you of any additional charges by email to make sure it's okay with you.
Please do not misinform us of the accessibility of the area where we will be setting up.
We reserve the right to refuse a delivery of our play equipment if you have misinformed us of the accessibility of the venue. This is a Health and Safety Precaution and payments will not be refunded if access at the venue is not as described on the booking form.
Delivery to homes
As well as the other terms and conditions of hire on this page, please be aware that we are not responsible for pets or children while we are delivering and collecting play equipment.
Please supervise pets if you feel they may run out if doors are left open while we go back and forth from the delivery vehicle and supervise all children while we set up and collect.
Please note that you must have enough space for the equipment you have hired and you know exactly where you want it set up BEFORE we arrive to deliver.
If we arrive and space is inadequate and/or insufficient for the items you have hired we may not set up all the the play equipment you have hired for the safety of all users and no payments will be refunded if we have to do so.
Please take in to consideration Fire Exits when deciding where play equipment will go.
Once set up, equipment will not be moved by our staff and we advise you not to move set ups once we leave because we perform a risk assessment before setting up.
Set up areas must be cleaned and tidy before drivers arrive to deliver. We will not wait around for venues to be cleared and/or cleaned. If the venue is not ready, we may leave the play equipment for you to set up yourself, only if it safe to do so.
If its play equipment that's a bit more technical to set up, we'll have to leave to keep to a pre planned schedule.
Our delivery drivers have a delivery schedule which they adhere to strictly. Unfortunately, on occasion, there may be unforeseen circumstances beyond our control such as heavy traffic due to road closures, diversions, temporary traffic work, serious accidents, special events and poor weather.
We do our best to call or send you a text if we are running late for any reason. You can aid us by informing us of any temporary road works or congestion in or around the venue area that may cause delays.
We appreciate your understanding and patience if we are running late for reasons beyond our control.
It is the hirers responsibility to ensure the venue or area where our equipment is to be set up complies with all Health and Safety Regulations.
We advise that the intended play area is spacious and enclosed.
The space should not have any slopes, particularly for Toys & Big Games.
Avoiding damage to venues and injury to persons
Our delivery trolleys require a full turning circle space of at least 3 m. Trolleys also require 2 m width clearance to travel through doors. This space is required to ensure trolleys don't leave marks or scratches on walls and doors. We accept no liability for any damage caused in the delivery and collection process of our play equipment.
Please advise members of the building, public or party to not walk directly in front or behind trolley(s) as it is being transported along or through corridors or buildings.
Caring for our play equipment
Please do not allow shoes, food or drinks on our equipment at any time. Responsible adult supervision is a must at all times to
1) Ensure the safety and well being of the children playing.
2) Prevent accidents from happening.
3) Prevent theft/damage to our play equipment.
Dancing Cubs Ltd will not accept responsibility for any accidents or injury which occur when using our play equipment. Children must be supervised by a responsible adult over the age of 18 at all times.
Please ensure that the person supervising the equipment is responsible, capable and aware of our Safe Play Guidelines which are available to read here Safe Play Guidelines. The email confirmation we send contains a generic risk assessment. Please read this and ensure the supervising adult reads it too and implements all safety measures we provide.
No shoes are to be worn on any of our soft play equipment / ball ponds / bouncy castles at any time.
No food and drinks are not to be consumed on or near our play equipment at any time. Equipment collected in a dirty condition will be charged an added £100 for cleaning.
Nappies are not to be changed on any of our play equipment / play mats at any time.
No henna, party poppers, coloured streamers or silly string is to be used on or near our equipment. They leave stains that do not come off.
The named hirer on the booking form is responsible for the care of our play equipment at all times. All damage will be referenced to said hirer and costs incurred in repair/replacement will be covered by the named hirer.
We use a variety of disinfectants to clean our play equipment. This includes but is not limited to brand names such as Dettol (Concentrated, ready to spray solutions), Method Anti Bacterial Spray, HG Mould Spray, Clinell Wipes. This information is for reference in case of skin sensitivities and allergies in younger children and babies.
Hiring Overnight / Multi Day Hires
Most of our play equipment is available to hire overnight. If hired overnight, the named hirer is responsible for the safety and security of our play equipment. All efforts must be made to prevent theft and vandalisation of all play equipment left in your care.
Please ensure that all play equipment is covered with any sheets we provide, this includes covering all electrical accessories. If no sheets are provided, please bring all electrical accessories indoors at night. Only unplug electrical accessories once they've been switched off at the mains.
Electric items (most likely blowers for bouncy castles) must be switched off at the plug overnight.
With regards to Soft Play Frames, all connections and ties must be checked to ensure they are still securely fastened.
The named hirer must check that play equipment is safe to use before allowing any play to commence the next day. Checking includes checking for damage that may cause injury, such as holes, fallen debris from trees, droppings left by foxes, no damage to any wiring and no chew marks by nocturnal animals. If in doubt, play equipment must not be used till a trained member of our staff has inspected the play equipment. A fee may be required for us to come back and check the play area after an overnight hire.
On collection
We hope all users of our equipment have an amazing time and enjoy themselves.
On arrival to collect, please ensure that parking arrangements are still in place if parking is limited.
If you have hired one of our ball ponds, balls must be collected and bagged before our arrival to collect play equipment.
If balls are not bagged, £20 of your deposit will not be returned.
If balls have to picked up and collected from around the venue by our staff we will not refund the £50 deposit.
Please ensure that play equipment hired is not scattered around the venue. Play equipment must be collected and placed back to the set up area so we do not spend time looking for items when we arrive to collect. This will also save you time if you have a set time to be out of a venue.
Please do not release our play equipment to anyone other than our delivery drivers.
If the driver who delivers to you is not the driver who will collect from you they will inform you and give you a description of the person/people coming to collect to avoid confusion and theft of our equipment.
Play equipment must be collected clean and undamaged for the full refund to be issued.
If there is any damage, however slight, or any lost/stolen equipment the deposit will not be returned within the agreed time frame (1 working day).
If there is any damage, play equipment will be brought back to our warehouse and an assessment carried out to determine how much you’ll be charged for a repair or replacement.
If equipment damaged or lost is over the cost of £50, you will be expected to pay the full amount for the equipment priced as brand new within 7 days of the date of hire.
Our staff work extremely hard to ensure that the play equipment you hire from us is delivered on time and in a clean and presentable manner.
We understand that organising parties and events can be stressful however, this is no excuse for poor manners. We will not tolerate rudeness or bad attitudes in any way shape or form from anyone towards our staff.
Cancellations
We do not offer refunds on any payments made if you decide to cancel (other than due to poor weather with notice given within 24 hours). This excludes the refundable £50 deposit which is refunded subject to Terms and Conditions of Hire.
If your event needs to be postponed to another date for any reason, we'll transfer your hired play equipment to a date of your choice provided the play equipment you initially hired is available, and we have vans available to deliver and collect at the times you now require the play equipment. This will only apply if we have been informed in advance (no less than 24 hours) of your intention to postpone dates - not if our van(s) has already set out or travelled to you.
If the play equipment initially hired is unavailable, we'll suggest alternatives of similar content/value. If play equipment/vans are unavailable for your new date no refunds will be issued but hire can be transferred to another date within the same calender year. Date transfers can not be made more than twice.
Site Suitability - Underground Services
Please ensure that all areas allocated for any items supplied by Dancing Cubs - inflatables and marquees have no underground services such as gas, electricity or telecoms present. Our anchorage methods include anchoring pegs in to the ground - at minimum, 400 mm anchor stakes on grassed areas and as such we request a minimum clearance of 500 mm underground. Holes will not be filled. Should you be in any doubt, please contact us in advance and we can arrange for a site survey to be undertaken by an engineer.
It will be presumed that all land in which we are requested to anchor into has the full permission of the landowner. We have no way of tracking this and as such, all liability will solely be down to the client at all times.
Lateness
We apologise in advance if we are late to your party or event. We do everything in our power to ensure we are on time but this is not always possible. It is not often we are late if that reassures you in any way.
If we are up to an hour late to your party from its start time (not the scheduled delivery time), we offer refunds of no more than £30.
If we are more than an hour late to your party from its start time (not the scheduled delivery time), we will offer you a refund of up to a maximum of half the hire amount you have paid. If you agree for us to still come once we have informed you of our unintended lateness you accept that no more than half of the payment made will be refunded to you. This excludes the £50 deposit.
Sometimes, we are late to collect. If the van(s) are running behind schedule on collections we will try our best to inform you so that you can inform the venue.
If the venue has a trusted care taker on site with their permission and awareness you may leave our play equipment in their care and leave.
You can only do this if you are certain that all our play equipment is clean and undamaged, with no residue dirt, food or drinks from your party on it.
All play items we delivered must be in the same area to avoid us looking for them and balls from the ball pond must be collected and bagged. Please do not leave our play equipment in unattended venues.
If the venue has to be locked and we haven't arrived please inform us.
Our play equipment MUST NOT be locked up in venue's without informing us before hand and gaining our permission as play equipment may be needed for other clients.
We may ask you to bring everything outside or arrange an alternative collection with the venue.
Pictures and Video's
We will take pictures and video clips of all our set ups and play area's which understandably will show the background of homes/venues where the play equipment is hired. Images and videos may be used on our website and social media pages. Images of children will not be taken unless verbal permission is given.
Thank you once again for booking equipment with us. We hope all users have a great time.