Below are a few helpful things to note as well as some rules to respect the home.
Cleaning
Cleaning products and equipment are provided in the home (usually in the laundry). If you are unable to locate any cleaning products, please contact the office. Our service team will inspect the home after your departure and we reserve the right to charge you for a clean if it is not up to standard. If you would prefer to relax rather than clean, you can take advantage of our cleaning service and pay us to do it on your behalf. Contact us to find out more.
For more information about cleans, please refer to the ‘Cleaning Guide’.
Linen and Washing
If you have hired linen, this can be found in a linen bag near the entrance to the home. On the day of check-out, please remove the sheets from the beds and place everything back into the linen bag. Leave this near the front door. Do not include tea towels, dish cloths, cleaning cloths, or any soiled mattress protectors or duvet covers in this linen bag, simply leave those on the top. Our service team will pick this up and ensure it is all accounted for.
Linen hire is available from the Hanmer Holiday Homes Office should you need any.
Rubbish
Rubbish
Our homes provide a green wheelie bin for your use. The wheelie bin is emptied only when it is full. If it becomes full during your stay, please let Hanmer Holiday Homes know so we can arrange for it to be emptied. Please leave the wheelie bin where it is located, it will be picked up from there.
Kitchen Tidy Bin Liners
As part of our Sustainability Plan, we do not use Kitchen Tidy Bin Liners. The kitchen bin is washed after every guest.
Rubbish and Recycling Days
If you are leaving on a Sunday or Monday, please place the blue recycling bin and Hurunui District Council Rubbish and Recycling Bags on the kerbside. If you are leaving on any other day or if your glass bin becomes full, please take your glass to one of the locations below:
- Next to the public toilets on Chisholm Crescent
- Outside the Library on Cheltenham Street
- At the entrance to the Transfer Station near the corner of Hanmer Springs Road and River Road
- Or take it home
On Departure
Checkout time is 10am if you have booked a paid clean or 11am if you are cleaning yourself (unless otherwise arranged). Please refer to the Cleaning Guide in this compendium.
Please adhere to these times as the next guests could arrive any time from 3pm and we have a limited time window to inspect the home and do maintenance etc.
Freeview and Sky TV
You can view TV in Hanmer Springs by either Freeview or Sky TV. Typically, the viewing channel for either of these will be via HDMI 1, AV1, or channel 1 on the TV. If you find you are having problems with your TV and DVD, please do not try to adjust. Either turn off the power supply at the wall and wait 30 seconds or call the office and someone will help you out.
If it is snowing and your decoder says “rain fade” then it is very likely your dish is covered in snow. Please clear this off yourself using a garden hose or contact the office.
Ovens
From time to time the village gets power cuts which can cause the oven to turn off or reset. This can mean that when it is turned back on by default it goes to the automatic setting - especially if the clock on the oven is a digital one. To get the oven off automatic on a digital oven you will need to press a combination of buttons - normally five or six of them that are located on the control panel. If this doesn’t work, try pressing the far two left buttons at the same time as the far two right buttons. If all else fails, please call the office and we will help you.
Water
Sometimes during winter when it is particularly cold water may be turned off. Most water boxes are located on the front boundary of the property. Upon departure, please leave the water as you found it, i.e., if it was on when you arrived, leave it on. On rare occasions the pipes do freeze during winter. If this happens in your home, please contact us so we can be aware. It is very unlikely we will be able to defrost the pipes, but we may be able to provide other solutions. Generally, pipes that freeze overnight tend to defrost and clear during the day.
Gas Water Heating
Some homes have gas water heating. In the unlikely event that you run out of gas, please contact us and we will install a temporary supply. If you cannot get any hot water, please first check that the control panel for regulating the heat of the water is on. You will normally find this either in the kitchen (sometimes in the pantry), laundry, or bathroom. It should be turned on and set to a temperature of approximately 46-48 degrees. Please do not attempt to fix anything yourself as this can be dangerous.
Noise Complaints
We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding noise. Noisy parties or gatherings are not permitted. We ask that you respect the neighbours. If a noise complaint is received a $100 call out fee may be charged, and you may risk being evicted from the property. Large gatherings for birthdays, weddings, conferences, or similar such activities where the number of people in attendance at any one time far exceeds the stated number the home sleeps, must first be approved by Hanmer Holiday Homes.
Occupancy
Please do not exceed the maximum number or occupants permitted in the home. Pitching tents, parking caravans, campervans, or house buses and plugging into power is not permitted.
Radio
Radio reception is quite weak in the village, however, Compass Radio on 103.9 or Brian FM on 105.3 are two good options.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is available in several of the holiday homes. Please check the website listing to see if Wi-Fi is offered in this home. If Wi-Fi is available, the network name and password will be displayed on a note on the fridge or will be near the modem. Please note the network names “Hanmer Holiday” is not one of ours and is not accessible.
Barbeque's
Should the home provide a BBQ then you are welcome to use it, however you will need to provide your own gas bottle or hire one from our office. If you have arranged to hire one from our office, please collect it from the office and return it back to the office on departure. BBQ gas bottle hire is included in all bookings who booked their accommodation through a popular booking platform. Should you use the BBQ please ensure you clean it (there is a $30.00 fee for failing to do so).
Damage and Guest Insurance
We have a unique Guest Insurance Scheme that is provided with your booking. This means that accidental damage to the home, up to the value of $2,000 is covered with no excess. Please report any damage that you notice on arrival, or any accident that you have during your stay and we will endeavor to fix or replace the item immediately. Any damage caused intentionally is not covered by Guest Insurance and Hanmer Holiday Homes will seek reimbursement of all costs relating to repair or replacement. All homes are inspected after each guests stay.
Pets
Some of our homes allow pets and some don’t. It is essential for health reasons (i.e., allergies) that this is complied with.
It is the guests responsibility to dispose of all faeces at the time of vacating the property. Should we find animal hair or odour inside the premises at the time of inspection, you will be liable for any costs associated in remedial work required. You are also liable for any damage caused by pets in the property during your stay.
How to Light A Log Fire
Here are instructions on how to light a log fire which may be helpful on cold winter nights:
- Scrunch up some newspaper and put into the fireplace.
- Put 3-4 bits of kindling in the fireplace (if there is no kindling, use the axe and cut some large logs into kindling).
- Using a match or lighter, ignite the newspaper.
- Once the kindling starts to burn, slowly add more kindling.
- Add some logs of firewood.
Lost Property
Please ensure that you take all your possessions with you on departure. Hanmer Holiday Homes takes no responsibility for belongings left in the houses; however, we will endeavor to return any items that we may find. Items will be held for 3 months before being disposed of. There may be a small retrieval fee charged to return lost property.
Faults
We do not guarantee that the products and services that are listed in this home will be continuous or fault free. We will endeavor to repair/replace any faulty item but given the limited services available in the village this may not always be immediately possible. Events beyond our control, such as poor weather, power cuts, or unforeseen electronic breakdowns, do not give you the automatic entitlement to a discount unless such event has prevented you from being able to safely occupy the property altogether and we are unable to relocate you to a property of equal size and standard.
Gardening and Lawns
Due to the popularity of holiday homes, it is, at times, unavoidable that we may be mowing the lawns during your stay. Before we begin, we will ask if it is OK to do so, and if so, we will carry out the task as quickly as possible to cause you the least possible inconvenience. It should usually take about 10 minutes or so. Please be aware that our equipment is noisy and to keep away from it as best as you can. Children are often fascinated with what we are doing, so please ensure they stay away from us - indoors is best, where it is not so noisy and they can watch us safely.
Smoking and Vaping
Smoking and vaping is prohibited inside all Hanmer Holiday Homes. Please ensure that all evidence of smoking outside is cleaned up prior to departure.
Air Conditioning/Heat Pumps
Heating Mode
When a heat pump/air conditioning unit is first turned on in heating mode (represented by a sun symbol on the remote), there may be a delay of a minute or more before the indoor unit springs into life and warm air is felt. This is normal and is simply the outdoor unit preparing to send the heat inside. When in heating mode, the heated air from the indoor unit is always emitted at 40-50 degrees. Contrary to popular belief, this is never influenced by the temperature selected on the remote control. This remote control setting and display is simply the temperature at which the system will decrease its output and may even appear to turn off – until it senses the room temperature has dropped enough to reach a point at which the unit will automatically begin to heat the room again.
A heat pump is not a heater! It is in fact a far more efficient and effective air “conditioner”. Walking into a cold room and turning the system on to the highest temperature on the remote – like selecting high output from an old-fashioned wall panel heater – is not the way to use a heat pump. This kind of use results in more frequent defrost cycles (read below) and can actually slow down the heating of the room. Instead, set the remote to the temperature you would like the room to become, perhaps 20-24 degrees, and the system will quickly condition the air to meet your needs.
Cooling Mode
Unlike heating mode, in cooling mode (represented by a frost symbol on the remote) the unit will give a flow of air inside as soon as the system is turned on. This may not feel particularly cool at first, but this air will chill down within a couple of minutes.
Cooling, like heating, is far more effective if all doors and windows leading outside the room are kept closed whenever possible.
Defrost Mode
When working correctly to heat a room in cold weather, heat pumps occasionally need to stop working for several minutes every now and then. This is to defrost ice that can build up on the unit outside. During these times you may hear some unusual noises from both the indoor and outdoor units. In really cold weather, the most effective and efficient way to run your AC system is to leave it on a low temp (10–16 degrees) overnight and increase to a comfortable temperature (20-24 degrees) when you are in the room. Selecting anything over 26 degrees during a hard frost or unusually cold weather will cause more frequent defrosts – which in turn will extend the time it takes for the room to reach your desired temperature. When a defrost cycle occurs, a slight draft may be felt from the indoor unit while ice is melted from the outdoor fins. A hum and occasional cracking noises are also common and completely normal.