Learn how campsite booking terms law applies to your prices, deposits, cancellations and refunds in 2026.
Welcome. Your booking page is a legal document.
Planning permission and consumer law do different jobs. Your planning route sets out where and when you can host campers. Your booking terms set out what you charge, what happens when someone cancels and when you issue refunds.
A planning right does not excuse a poor checkout. Consumer law applies from the first click.
This guide covers the main campsite booking terms law issues for farmers, rural landowners and hospitality businesses in England and Wales. It is general information, not legal advice. Get advice on your own setup before you rely on a particular term.
What the DMCCA changed for campsite bookings
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) is now the main enforcement route for unfair commercial practices. It bans misleading actions and omissions.
The February 2026 Practical holiday law guide explains the rules for holiday businesses in England, Scotland and Wales. The CMA’s price transparency guidance, CMA209, explains how to show prices.
The key test is simple. Give people the material information they need to make an informed booking decision. Do not hide it, make it unclear or reveal it too late.
A term can be technically available on your website and still be too hard to find. Put the important information where the guest needs it.
In Purely Creative v OFT [2011], the court considered whether omitted information was needed for the consumer’s initial transactional decision. The practical lesson for your booking flow is clear: show the key terms before the customer commits. You can give the detail later, but do not save the price, cancellation rules or compulsory charges for the final screen.
Show the full campsite price upfront
Drip pricing is a DMCCA problem. It happens when you show one price at first, then add mandatory fees later.
Show the total price, including all mandatory fees, taxes and charges, at the start. If you cannot calculate the exact total yet, explain clearly how you will calculate it. Follow the CMA’s guidance on clear and accurate prices.
For your campsite, check whether the advertised price includes:
- The pitch or accommodation price.
- Compulsory booking or administration fees.
- Mandatory cleaning or site charges.
- Taxes and other unavoidable charges.
Genuinely optional extras can be shown separately. Do not present an unavoidable charge as optional.
Be accurate about availability and discounts too. A “Hurry, only one pitch left” message must reflect real availability. A “was/now” price must use a genuine reference price. A “from” price needs to apply to a significant share of the available pitches or dates.
If you use a refundable damage deposit, explain it clearly. State the amount, when you take or authorise it, the reasons you may make deductions and when you will return it. Do not use that label to disguise a mandatory booking charge.
Use “payment on account”, not “non-refundable deposit”
A large sum labelled “non-refundable deposit” may be challenged as an unfair penalty. The label does not make the term enforceable.
Instead, take a payment on account and credit it against the booking price. Then publish a clear cancellation ladder. Set each charge at a level you can justify by your likely loss.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, your services must be performed with reasonable care and skill and at a reasonable price. Unfair terms are not enforceable just because a guest accepted them.
A cancellation charge should reflect your saved costs and the realistic chance of reselling the pitch. Keep evidence for the figures you choose. Do not charge every guest 100% long before arrival without a sound reason.
If you cancel the booking, give the guest a full refund. Your terms should say this plainly.
Set a clear campsite cancellation policy in the UK
The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 exclude accommodation and services booked for a specific date or period from the usual 14-day cooling-off right. This applies under regulation 28(1)(h).
So, for a dated campsite booking, your own cancellation ladder will usually govern. Say so in your terms. The exemption does not give you permission to keep any amount you choose. Your charges must still be fair and proportionate.
Use this cancellation ladder as a starting point, then check that it fits your costs and booking pattern:
| When the guest cancels | Example refund |
|---|---|
| More than 28 days before arrival | Full refund, less a small administration fee of £5–£10 |
| 14–28 days before arrival | 50% refund |
| Under 14 days before arrival | No refund, if you can justify the charge |
This is a model, not a statutory tariff. Keep records that support your bands. Consider your saved costs and any income from reselling the pitch.
You may use stricter terms for high-demand dates, such as a 42-day cancellation period for a bank holiday week. Make them clear before payment.
State what happens if a guest leaves early or does not use every booked night. If you do not offer a refund for unused nights, say so before they book.
Weather is usually the guest’s risk if you keep the booked service available. Explain your policy and recommend travel insurance on the booking page. You can offer a future discount, but do not suggest that bad weather removes a guest’s legal rights if you cannot provide the booked service.
If a facility failure is genuinely your fault, consider a partial refund or future credit. Process refunds promptly to the original payment method. Record the guest’s name, booking reference, amount, reason and date.
Publish your written refund policy on your website and in the booking confirmation. Use plain English.
Avoid the package travel trap
A pitch booking on its own is a single service. It does not become a travel package just because your campsite has several facilities.
The risk changes when you combine two or more travel services, such as a pitch, guided activity and transport, into one price for one booking or booking process. That can create a package under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.
Packages bring extra duties. You may need insolvency protection, such as a bond through ABTA, ABTOT or AITO’s Financial Protection Scheme, insurance or a trust account.
You also need to give pre-booking information under Schedule 1. This includes the total price with taxes and fees, payment arrangements, cancellation fee information, suitability for people with reduced mobility, and complaint or ADR information.
Package price rises after booking are restricted. They can apply only for specified changes, such as fuel costs, taxes or exchange rates, and the contract must allow them. Give notice at least 20 days before departure. If the increase is more than 8%, the traveller can treat it as a significant change, cancel without a fee and receive a refund within 14 days.
If you want to keep pitch bookings simple, sell the pitch as one service. Offer other activities separately and avoid bundling them into one booking or price without checking the rules.
Do not add a payment surcharge
The Payment Surcharges Regulations 2012 ban surcharges on consumer card and electronic payments. The ban has applied since 13 January 2018.
You can charge a flat booking fee if it is the same whichever payment method the guest uses. Surcharges for other payment methods are limited to your cost of accepting them.
Check the fees in your booking system. Do not add a card fee at checkout.
Know how Section 75 and chargebacks work
Under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, a credit-card provider can be jointly liable for a breach of contract or misrepresentation where the cash price of the item is over £100 and no more than £30,000. If the guest pays only the deposit by card, that payment can still cover the whole contract price.
A chargeback is different. The guest asks their bank to reverse a payment. Dispute periods vary, though around 120 days is common. Your payment processor may charge you a fee whether you win or lose.
Keep the evidence together. Save the booking confirmation with the cancellation ladder, proof of check-in, guest messages and refund records. Make sure the confirmation shows the version of the terms the guest accepted.
The Payment Services Regulations 2017 also cover certain unauthorised payments and payments initiated by or through a payee, such as some recurring or stored-card charges. In relevant cases, the customer may request a refund within eight weeks. The provider must refund or give a reason within 10 business days.
Keep a terms snapshot and evidence trail
Save a copy of the booking terms for every reservation. Keep the date and version number. Store the confirmation, payment record, guest messages and any change or refund history with it.
This gives you a clear record of what the guest saw and accepted. It also helps if they dispute a charge later.
Keep your website, booking system, adverts and staff messages consistent. Do not promise a refund in one place and deny it in another.
Offer a route for complaints and access to ADR where appropriate. Avoid terms that give guests only 28 days to complain. The CMA has criticised short complaint windows.
For other legal steps, read our guides to the campsite legal framework and unlocking your land and potential. Your booking terms sit alongside your planning and site duties. They do not replace them.
Five fixes to make today
- Show the total price early. Include every compulsory charge before the guest commits.
- Replace “non-refundable deposit”. Use a payment on account and a fair, evidence-based cancellation ladder.
- Put the terms in the booking flow. Show key information before payment and save a dated copy for each booking.
- Check your products and payment settings. Do not bundle travel services without checking package rules, and remove card surcharges.
- Keep a refund and complaint record. Publish your policy, respond promptly and retain evidence.
A 60-day right protects your field. It says nothing about your checkout page. Class BC may set your planning position in England, while Wales has its own permitted development rules. Check the route that applies to your land. Then make sure your prices and terms meet consumer law.
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