Referral Programme Terms and Conditions

​1. Introduction

Thank you for participating in the Empire Signature Stays Ltd Referral Programme.

These Referral Programme Terms and Conditions govern the relationship between Empire Signature Stays Ltd (“the Company”, “we”, “us”, “our”) and any individual or organisation making a referral (“the Referrer”, “you”, “your”).

The Referral Programme allows eligible Referrers to introduce individuals, businesses and organisations requiring furnished accommodation.

You may receive a £100 referral reward when your referral results in a qualifying accommodation booking of twenty-eight (28) consecutive nights or more.

By making a referral, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

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2. Who Can Participate

The Referral Programme is open to:

• Individuals aged 18 or over;

• UK-registered businesses;

• Estate and letting agents;

• Relocation professionals;

• Insurance, restoration and property-repair businesses;

• Construction, engineering and infrastructure companies;

• Recruitment and staffing agencies;

• Employers and corporate HR teams;

• Removals and storage companies;

• Other approved organisations or professionals; and

• Members of the general public.

Referrers must be legally permitted to receive a referral reward.

The Company reserves the right to refuse or remove any person or organisation from the Referral Programme at its discretion.

2.1 Public-Sector and Regulated Organisations

Employees, representatives and office holders of the NHS, universities, councils, government bodies and other public-sector or regulated organisations must comply with their employer’s policies relating to:

• Referral payments;

• Gifts and hospitality;

• Conflicts of interest;

• Outside interests; and

• Anti-bribery requirements.

Where required, the Referrer must obtain written approval from their employer before accepting a personal referral reward.

The Company may:

• Request evidence of the required approval;

• Arrange an approved payment to the organisation instead of the individual; or

• Decline to pay a referral reward where payment may create a legal, regulatory, contractual or ethical concern.

 

3. How to Make a Referral

A referral can be made in either of the following ways:

• The prospective Client may complete the accommodation enquiry form on the Empire Signature Stays website or contact the Company directly and enter the Referrer’s name or business name in the referral section; or

• The Referrer may complete the accommodation enquiry form on the Client’s behalf, provided the Client has given permission for their details to be shared.

The referral submission should include:

• The prospective Client’s name;

• The Client’s contact details;

• The Client’s accommodation requirements;

• The Referrer’s name;

• The Referrer’s business or organisation name, where applicable; and

• The Referrer’s contact details.

The referral must be recorded before, or at the time, the prospective Client first contacts the Company.

Referrals submitted after the Client has already contacted the Company may not qualify.

 

4. Permission to Share Client Information

A Referrer must not submit another person’s personal information without their permission.

Before submitting an enquiry on a Client’s behalf, the Referrer must have permission to share the Client’s:

• Name;

• Telephone number;

• Email address;

• Accommodation requirements; and

• Any other personal information included within the enquiry.

The Referrer must not state that a Client has agreed to receive marketing communications unless the Client has given separate permission for this.

 

5. Qualifying Referrals

A qualifying referral is a new accommodation enquiry that:

• Is correctly attributed to the Referrer;

• Was not already recorded in the Company’s enquiry or Client records;

• Results in a confirmed accommodation booking arranged through the Company;

• Is for twenty-eight (28) consecutive nights or more;

• Has been paid for in accordance with the agreed booking terms;

• Results in the guest checking into the accommodation; and

• Meets all other requirements within these Terms and Conditions.

A booking originally made for fewer than twenty-eight (28) nights may qualify if it is extended to at least twenty-eight (28) consecutive nights.

The referral reward will only become payable once the extended booking is confirmed and all applicable payment conditions have been satisfied.

 

6. Duplicate and Existing Enquiries

Only the first eligible Referrer recorded against an enquiry will qualify for the referral reward.

A referral will not qualify where:

• The Client is already recorded within the Company’s active enquiry or Client records;

• The Client is already discussing accommodation requirements with the Company;

• The referral is submitted after the Client’s initial contact;

• The same Client has already been referred by another person or organisation;

• The referral is a self-referral; or

• The Company cannot reasonably verify who made the original referral.

The Company’s records will be used to determine when the enquiry was first received and which Referrer was first recorded.

 

7. Referral Reward

The referral reward is £100 for each qualifying booking.

There is no limit to the number of eligible referrals a Referrer may make.

Each referral will be assessed separately and must meet the requirements within these Terms and Conditions.

Only one £100 reward will be paid for the same Client and qualifying booking.

An extension of the same stay will not create an additional referral reward.

A separate future booking may qualify for another reward where:

• It is treated as a new accommodation requirement;

• It meets the qualifying-stay requirement; and

• The Company confirms that it is eligible for a further reward.

 

8. When the Referral Reward Becomes Payable

The £100 referral reward will become payable when:

• The accommodation booking has been confirmed;

• The guest has checked into the accommodation;

• All accommodation payments required at that stage have been received and cleared;

• The Company has received the commission due from the accommodation provider; and

• The booking continues to meet all qualifying requirements.

Once these conditions have been satisfied, the Company will normally arrange payment of the referral reward within fourteen (14) days.

No reward will be payable while any relevant accommodation or commission payment is:

• Outstanding;

• Disputed;

• Reversed;

• Refunded;

• Subject to a chargeback; or

• Otherwise unpaid.

 

9. Payment Method

Referral rewards will normally be paid by bank transfer.

The Referrer must provide:

• Their full name or registered business name;

• Accurate bank details;

• Their contact details; and

• Any further information reasonably required to verify their eligibility.

Business Referrers may be asked to provide an invoice before payment is released.

The Company will not be responsible for a delayed or failed payment caused by incorrect information supplied by the Referrer.

 

10. Tax Responsibilities

The Referrer is responsible for declaring the referral reward and paying any:

• Income Tax;

• Corporation Tax;

• National Insurance;

• VAT; or

• Other tax or liability that may apply.

The Company does not provide tax advice to Referrers.

Business Referrers should obtain independent advice where necessary.

 

11. Cancellations, Refunds and Booking Changes

No referral reward will be payable where:

• The booking is cancelled before check-in;

• The booking is reduced to fewer than twenty-eight (28) consecutive nights;

• The booking does not proceed;

• The Client fails to make the required payments;

• The accommodation payment is refunded in full;

• The booking is found to be fraudulent; or

• The referral otherwise fails to meet these Terms and Conditions.

Where part of a booking is refunded, the Company may review whether the referral still qualifies.

If a reward has already been paid and the booking is later reversed because of fraud, a chargeback or materially false information, the Company may request repayment or offset the amount against a future referral reward.

 

12. Direct Accommodation Rates for Referred Clients

Referred Clients will receive access to the direct accommodation rates available through Empire Signature Stays.

These rates may offer savings compared with booking the same accommodation through Airbnb or another online booking platform.

The amount saved will depend on:

• The selected property;

• The booking dates;

• The number of guests;

• The length of the stay;

• Availability;

• The property owner’s pricing; and

• The applicable booking terms.

A specific saving is not guaranteed.

Any price comparison must be made on a like-for-like basis using the same property, dates, guest numbers and booking conditions at the time the quotation is issued.

 

13. Promotional Materials

The Company may provide approved promotional materials to Referrers, including:

• Business cards;

• Referral cards;

• Leaflets;

• Digital graphics;

• Website links; and

• QR codes.

Referrers must use the most recent materials supplied or approved by the Company.

Referrers must not alter the Company’s branding, reward amount, qualification requirements or promotional wording without written permission.

Promotional materials remain the property of the Company and may be withdrawn or replaced at any time.

 

14. Referrer Conduct

Referrers must describe the Referral Programme accurately and must not:

• Guarantee that accommodation will be available;

• Guarantee a particular property or price;

• Guarantee that a referral will qualify;

• Make misleading claims about potential savings;

• Impersonate the Company;

• Enter into contracts on behalf of the Company;

• Accept or collect accommodation payments on behalf of the Company;

• Provide unauthorised discounts;

• Use unlawful or misleading advertising;

• Send unsolicited marketing messages in breach of applicable law; or

• Use the Company’s name or branding in paid advertising without written permission.

Referrers must make it clear that they may receive a reward if a referred booking qualifies.

 

15. Social Media and Public Promotion

Where a Referrer promotes the Referral Programme publicly or on social media, the Referrer must clearly disclose the commercial relationship where required.

Any statement made about the Company or Referral Programme must:

• Be truthful;

• Use current information provided by the Company;

• Clearly explain the main qualification requirements; and

• Avoid guaranteeing availability, prices, savings or referral payments.

The Company may require any inaccurate, misleading or unauthorised promotional content to be amended or removed.

 

16. Data Protection

The Company will use personal information to:

• Respond to accommodation enquiries;

• Source and arrange accommodation;

• Administer bookings;

• Track and verify referrals;

• Prevent duplicate or fraudulent claims;

• Arrange referral payments;

• Maintain accounting records; and

• Communicate with Referrers about the Referral Programme.

Personal information will be handled in accordance with applicable data-protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Referrers must:

• Only collect information that is reasonably necessary;

• Obtain permission before sharing another person’s information;

• Keep personal information secure;

• Not retain Client information for longer than necessary; and

• Not sell or disclose Client information to unauthorised third parties.

 

17. Programme Changes and Withdrawal

The Company may amend, suspend or end the Referral Programme by providing reasonable notice where appropriate.

Any changes will not normally remove a reward already earned under the terms in force when the qualifying referral was recorded.

The Company may withhold or refuse a referral reward where:

• These Terms and Conditions have been breached;

• Information supplied is false, incomplete or inaccurate;

• The referral cannot be verified;

• Fraud or misuse is suspected;

• Payment would breach applicable law or organisational policy; or

• Payment would create a legal, regulatory, ethical or reputational risk.

 

18. Limitation of Liability

Nothing in these Terms and Conditions excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Subject to this, the Company shall not be liable for:

• A Client deciding not to proceed with a booking;

• A Host declining an accommodation enquiry;

• Accommodation being unavailable;

• Changes to accommodation prices;

• Loss of anticipated referral income;

• Indirect or consequential losses; or

• Actions or omissions of the Client, Referrer or accommodation provider.

The Company’s maximum liability relating to a referral shall not exceed the referral reward that would otherwise have been payable for that referral.

 

19. Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.

Any dispute arising under these Terms and Conditions shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, unless mandatory consumer law provides otherwise.

 

20. Contact

Questions about the Referral Programme, referral eligibility or reward payments should be submitted using the contact details published at:

www.empiresignaturestays.com

When contacting the Company about a referral, please provide:

• The prospective Client’s name;

• The Referrer’s name or business name;

• The date the referral was submitted; and

• Any relevant enquiry or booking reference.

Please do not provide unnecessary personal or sensitive information.