Terms of Hire

The Village Hall at Norbury – Conditions of Hire and Hire Agreement

The following information (including the Users’ Guide and Alcohol Licence referred to) will be provided to you by the Administrator as part of the booking process. 

Updated: 1 October 2022

1. About this Hire Agreement

This is a binding agreement between the Hirer and the Trustees of the Norbury Village Hall Charitable Trust (“the Hall” or “the Trustees”). The Trustees agree to hire the Hall to the Hirer, subject to (i) acceptance of the Conditions of Hire as set out in this document and (ii) receipt of the fees and deposits referred to below, and (iii) in reliance upon the indemnities and undertakings set out below.

2. Information Provided by the Hirer

The Hirer confirms to the Trustees the following information relevant to the hire of the Hall (“the Event”). The “Responsible Person” is the person(s) who will be responsible for the final cleaning and handover after conclusion of the event.

[VISUAL OF EVENT BOOKING FORM SHOWING INFORMATION TO BE SUPPLIED]

Visual of event booking form showing information to be supplied

3. Fee and Deposit

[ADMINISTRATOR WILL SUPPLY FEE AND DEPOSIT INFORMATION HERE]

Payment of the fee and the security deposit will be required at the same time as signing this agreement by the Hirer. Payment shall be by electronic bank transfer or, in exceptional circumstances by agreement, in cash or by cheque. If for any reason payment is not received by the Trustees within 14 days from the date of this agreement the booking will be considered to be cancelled.

4. Return of Deposit

Subject to the other provisions of this paragraph the Trustees will return the security deposit to the Hirer within 28 days following the date of the Event. If the Trustees, in their discretion, believe that the hire of the Hall by the Hirer or any party retained by the Hirer to prepare for  the Event has resulted in damage to or change in the condition of the Hall (including any decorations, fixtures, fittings, or any external fabric including the car park) or that any additional cleaning, disposal of waste or repair, is required to restore the Hall to its condition prior to the Hirer’s Event taking place, then the Trustees will deduct from the security deposit an amount which they consider is needed to pay for such damage, cleaning or repair. The Hirer or Responsible Person must supervise the activities of any external parties retained to prepare for the Event.

5. Damage and Loss

(a) Any damage to the Hall or its equipment must be reported to the Administrator.

(b) The Hirer indemnifies the Trustees for any damage or loss to any part of the Hall and car park during the period of Hire caused by the Hirer or any contractor retained by the Hirer, including all of its contents and decoration, and agrees immediately to pay for any such damage or loss where the Trustees show that the cost of remediation exceeds the amount of the deposit paid by the Hirer. Hirers should satisfy themselves that any contractor they retain have adequate insurance. Hirers are solely responsible for any loss of their or any third-party property during the period of hire and must ensure the Hall is properly locked and secured during the period of hire.

(c) In the event of damage occurring to decoration, the fabric of the building or car park the Trustees will arrange for repair work to be undertaken by either an external contractor or in-house resources as the Trustees see fit and advise the hirer of the cost. The Hirer shall not be entitled to make good damage itself, other than with the express written consent of the Trustees.

(d) In the event of damage requiring rectification work, the deposit shall not be returned until the work has been undertaken and its final cost ascertained.

6. Cancellation

If the Hirer cancels the booking prior to the Event taking place, then the Trustees will refund any security deposit in full and a percentage of the hire fee as set out below:

Less than 8 days prior to the date of the booking – 0%

Less than 31 days but more than 7 days prior to the booking – 50%

Less than 61 days but more than 30 days prior to the booking – 75%

More than 61 days prior to the booking – 100%

If the Hirer cancels a booking, the Trustees shall not be responsible for any costs or losses incurred by the Hirer. The Trustees have the right to cancel the booking at any time, and without payment of compensation, if the Hall is unavailable for reasons beyond their control. In such circumstances they will refund the hire fee and the deposit in full and will make reasonable efforts to accommodate a new booking on an alternative date. Hirers planning a large event might wish to consider obtaining suitable insurance protection.

7. Indemnification

The Hirer indemnifies the Trustees against any expenditure which results from the Hirer’s Event or other use of the Hall including, but not limited to, fines, costs or damages imposed by any court, out of court settlements, and the Trustees’ costs in defending any legal action.

8. Users’ Guide

It is the responsibility of the Hirer(s) to ensure that they read the Hall’s Users’ Guide which contains important information concerning safety, usage and fire exits. The Hirer is responsible for ensuring that the Responsible Person who takes responsibility for supervising the Event also reads the Users’ Guide. In signing these Conditions of Hire and Hire Agreement, the Hirer and the Responsible Person are acknowledging they have read and accept the content of the Users’ Guide. The Users’ Guide will be provided with the Booking Form.

9. Supervision by the Hirer or Responsible Person

The Hirer must be in attendance throughout the Event and the subsequent clean up unless they have specified other persons, in which case the Responsible Person(s) must be present instead. The Hirer (or Responsible Person(s)) must supervise the Event to ensure that the terms of this Conditions of Hire and Hire Agreement are being observed by those who are attending the Event, including that no alcohol is being served to persons under 18 years of age.

10. Changes to Agreed Use or Users

The Hirer is not allowed to sublet the Hall during the period of hire. The Event being held must comply with the information about the Event provided in this document. If this needs to be amended, the consent of the Administrator is required who may request a revised fee or deposit depending upon the nature of the change.

11. Laws, Regulations, Permits and Licences

It is the responsibility of the Hirer to ensure that they, and those attending, comply with all applicable laws and regulations and all conditions of permits or licences which apply to any part of the Event which they are holding. The Hirer must ensure that they have available to them any permits or licences which the activities at their Event may require. Please note that the Hall holds an alcohol licence which will be included with the Booking Form.

No activity which corresponds to gaming, betting or lotteries is permitted. This stipulation is not intended to exclude raffles, but it is the responsibility of the Hirer to ensure that any raffle or similar activity is compliant with the laws and regulations on gambling.

12. Health and Safety

The Hirer must comply with all applicable health and safety regulations and ensure attendees at the Event do so. The Hirer must also ensure:

(a) Any electrical equipment brought into the Hall must be compliant with safety regulations.

(b) No heating equipment other than that supplied by the Hall may be used.

(c) No animals may be brought into the Hall except guide dogs.

(d) No explosives or chemicals other than normal cleaning materials may be brought into the Hall.

(e) No smoking is permitted inside the Hall.

13. Capacity

The capacity of the Hall is: Standing 300 persons, Close seating 175 persons, at tables 125 persons. The capacity of the meeting room is 25 persons. These capacity limits must not be exceeded.

14. Reporting Accidents

The Hirer is required to complete the Accident Book for any accident which occurs on the premises during the Event or the subsequent cleaning and the Administrator needs to be notified of any accident, including whether or not the first aid box has been used.

15. Cleaning

The Hall is cleaned and maintained to a high standard, however Hirer(s) are encouraged to visit prior to their Event to satisfy themselves that no additional cleaning is required, if they decide additional cleaning is required, they will need to make their own arrangements at their expense.

16. Condition and Security of the Hall

It is the responsibility of the Hirer and any Responsible Person to ensure that the Hall is left in the same clean condition as it was at the start of the Event. All tables, chairs and equipment belonging to the Hall must be cleaned and neatly replaced in their storage locations in accordance with the instructions in the Users’ Guide.

Before leaving the Hall, all internal doors must be closed, all windows locked, the lights and heating turned off and all the external doors must be locked.

Any equipment or decorations brought into the Hall for the Event must be removed at the end of the hire period. Any materials brought into the Hall by the Hirer or any contractors retained by the Hirer are left at the sole risk of the Hirer and/or their contractors.

17. Keys

No copies can be made of the keys to the Hall (including those held in the kitchen cupboard key tin) and the keys must be returned to the security box (or key tin). If the keys are not returned, the Trustees would need to change the locks and will charge the Hirer for the cost involved. The Hirer and Responsible Person will be responsible for any theft of all or any property located in or at the Hall during the period of hire and must not disclose the key code or part with possession of the key to the Hall or make copies during the period of hire.

18. Disturbances

The Hall is situated in a quiet rural area, private houses are in close proximity and adjacent fields usually hold farm animals which may be distressed by undue disturbance. The Hirer (or the person(s) nominated in the Hire Agreement) must supervise the conduct of people attending the Event to ensure that:

(a) The noise from the Event does not disturb neighbouring houses and good order is maintained.

(b) There is no use of abusive language.

(c) There is no violent or criminal behaviour or excessive consumption of alcohol.

(d) Unless all of the Hall is hired, there is respect for the rights of others who may have hired other sections.

(e) Any cars parked on the road outside do not block the road or cause a nuisance.

(f) Cars parked in the car park do not block or impede the entrance (particularly for emergency vehicles or disabled persons) and are parked with consideration for other users.

(g) The provision of alcohol and playing of music must comply with the terms of the licences held by the Hall.

(h) The Event must be concluded by 1.00 a.m or such earlier time as the licences held stipulate.

(i) Any persons under the age of 18 must be properly supervised.

(j) Setting off fireworks designed for either indoor or outdoor use is totally prohibited. Any breach of this prohibition will result in the automatic forfeiture of the deposit.

(k) Any reasonable complaint from a neighbouring resident is promptly attended to.

The Trustees reserve the right to refuse to book or to cancel any event where they believe there is a risk of unreasonable disturbance or damage to the Hall.

19. Feedback

The Trustees welcome comments about the Hall which can be used to improve the use of the Hall by others. In the first instance please provide these comments to the Administrator.

20. Data Protection


In order to keep proper books and records, the Hall keeps copies of this Conditions of Hire and Hire Agreement for a reasonable period of time. These may be kept at the residence of one or more of the Trustees with normal domestic security precautions. The Hall does not divulge such information to third parties unless required to do so by law or as part of any audit of its books of account. In signing this document, you agree to the Hall keeping the records as described above.

21. Binding Agreement

The Hirer and Responsible Person confirm that they are at least 18 years of age and undertake to be bound by the terms of this Hire Agreement and Conditions of Hire and also agree to read the Users Guide, to observe the safety rules and information that it contains, and to make those attending the Event aware of the Hall’s safety rules and information.