Hire Agreement Terms & Conditions

These Terms & Conditions, together with submission of a completed booking form, govern the hire of the venue, (or part thereof), and will form the basis of the contract of hire between Riverside Ventures Ltd (us) and you, the Hirer.

1. Bookings

1.1 Bookings are to be made digitally on our website by completing the online booking form. This can either be done through our website or in person at The Riverside Centre.

1.2 Upon completion of the booking form with the ‘this is a firm booking’ tick box selected, and by agreeing to our Terms & Conditions of hire, we will consider your booking confirmed and will be subject to any cancellation fees from the date of submission.

1.3 The nature of the function must be disclosed in advance at the time of booking; we reserve the right to refuse or cancel bookings where we consider:

• Such events may be contrary to the interest of the general public or contrary to any law or act of Parliament.
• The booking prejudices the reputation of The Riverside Centre or Community Action Isle of Wight.

1.4 The hirer shall not exceed the maximum capacity for the premises, or room hired.

1.5 Bookings made more than 1 year in advance of the date of hire are subject to the full understanding that the rate of charges that are in existence on the date of the event will apply, not those at the time of the booking, which may differ. Any deposit paid in advance will be deducted from the final invoice.

2. Cancellations

2.1The Riverside Centre may cancel a booking at any time, for any reason, prior to the start date of the booking, in which case the Hirer will be fully refunded any deposit paid, as soon as is reasonably possible. The Riverside Centre shall incur no liability to the Hirer whatsoever.

2.3 The Hirer may also cancel at anytime for any reason, by giving written notice, in which case the following charges  will apply;

• Over six calendar weeks before the date of hire: no charge
• 6-4 weeks; 25% of room hire charge* 4-1 weeks 50% of room hire charge*
• Within 7 days: 75% of room hire fee, plus full cost of any pre-arranged catering*

*excluding all-day hire of the Trafalgar Room on any day of the week and Saturday hire of any room, where a 100% cancellation fee will apply.

Same-day cancellations and no-shows will incur the full room hire fee plus the full cost of any pre-arranged catering and refreshments.

3. Room Hire & Allocation

3.1 Preferred rooms should be requested at the time of booking and will be accommodated where possible, although Riverside Ventures Ltd reserves the right to amend bookings at our discretion. Rooms will be allocated based on the number of attendees, table and chair configuration and catering requirements.

3.2 Bookings must include sufficient time to set-up and pack away and allow attendees to arrive/depart before and after meetings and events; access to the building and/or rooms may not be possible before the booking start time, and could incur additional charges. Any additional fees will be calculated to the nearest half hour at the relevant room rate and invoiced accordingly.

3.3 For Saturday venue hire where removal of personal belongings and equipment, whether hired or otherwise, is not possible immediately after the event, an additional fee of £50 will be applied for Sunday access between the hours of 10am and 12pm. The Riverside Centre shall accept no responsibility for theft, loss or damage to personal belongings left on the premises overnight.

3.4 If any additional equipment such as staging, stands, lighting, scaffolding, bouncy castles or similar is supplied and used by the Hirer, such equipment may only be used in such a way that it does not require any destructive fixings to any structure or part of the premises.

4. Payment

4.1 Payments can be made by card over the telephone or in person, by BACS, or cheques made payable to Riverside Ventures Ltd, or by cash in person at The Riverside Centre.

4.2 Full day hire bookings on Saturdays must be paid in advance/ All outstanding invoices must be paid no later than 14 days after the date on which the booking took place; any late payments could result in a 25% surcharge.

5. Deposits

5.1 For bookings taking place on Saturdays, or full-day hire of The Trafalgar Room on any day, a non-refundable deposit of 50% must be paid at the time of the booking. The remaining balance must be paid in full no later than 2 weeks prior to the booking, including the cost of any pre-arranged catering.

6. Additional Charges

6.1 The Hirer shall also pay Riverside Ventures Ltd any additional charges incurred in relation to:

• The use of the designated hired space by the hirer (or any attendees associated with the hirer), outside of the agreed period of hire.
• The restoring of the premises, fixtures and fittings or any other designated area used by the Hirer (or attendees associated with the hirer), to their original state at the start of the hire period resulting from damage or negligence, reasonable wear and tear excepted.
• Professional or additional cleaning charges arising from the hired space or any other area of the building used by the Hirer being left in an unacceptable condition of cleanliness as a result of the hirer’s activity, chargeable at £25 an hour.
• Any additional reasonable costs and expenses incurred by Riverside Ventures Ltd which are caused by the hirer’s failure to provide instructions or failure to company with obligations.

7. Parking

7.1 Riverside Ventures Ltd provides limited free parking for guests, delegates and attendees at The Riverside Centre for the duration of their booking only; an TouchPad is provided in reception to register vehicles and a QR code is displayed on the ‘Important Information’ in the rooms. However, it is the responsibility of the room hirer to ensure all attendees register their own vehicles. We use a third-party ANPR Parking Management System: any vehicle not registered will receive a fine and Riverside Ventures Ltd will not be liable to pay, reduce or cancel the fine.

For more information on how we manage our parking, click on the link to Civil Enforcement Ltd where you can also find information on how to appeal a fine, and their Privacy Policy.

8. Catering

 8.1 All food, drink, snacks and alcoholic beverages for any meeting or event being held in any area hirable space The Riverside Centre must be provided by Riverside Ventures Ltd unless by prior agreement with the This includes regular and repeat bookings.

8.2 Menus provided are guidelines only and are subject to variation. Confirmed menus are also subject to availability, market fluctuations and are also subject to change without In this instance a similar alternative of equal value will be made available.

8.3 Final numbers for pre-arranged catering must be confirmed no later than 2 weeks prior to the booking, after which point an increase in numbers may not be possible and a decrease in numbers may not be possible and a decrease in numbers may not be

9. Provision of Food

9.1 Hirers who have been permitted to provide their own catering are not permitted to use or enter the kitchen facilities in The Riverside Centre under any circumstances.

9.2 The hirer must ensure their provider follows food hygiene regulations including allergen information; Riverside Ventures Ltd cannot be held liable for any illness or death resulting from food poisoning or allergic reaction.

10. Supply of Alcohol

10.1 The Riverside Centre is Licensed to sell Alcohol under the Licensing Act 2003, between the hours of 10.30am and 12.00am. Only alcohol purchased on the premises may be consumed on the premises.  

11. Equipment, Fixtures & Fittings

11.1 Projectors, screens, flip charts, whiteboards and other equipment are available to hire and should be requested at the time of booking, subject to Equipment hire is also subject to reparation fees incurred by damage caused by negligence and/or misuse.

11.2 It may possible to store equipment and other items on the premises before or after the booking, however prior arrangement must be If items are left in the building by the hirer, we accept no responsibility and you do so entirely at your own risk.

11.3 Nothing shall be stuck, nailed, screwed or fixed in any way to the walls, doors or any other furniture, without prior agreement from the management. Additional costs may be incurred for damages or cleaning.

11.4 The Riverside Centre does not allow confetti, steamers or party poppers of any kind to be used inside or outside of the building.

12. Dogs

12.1 Dogs are not permitted in the Riverside Centre unless by prior agreement, and will be limited to non-carpeted areas only. Where permission is given, dogs must kept under strict control and must not be left unattended.

12.2 Any fouling of internal areas shall require professional cleaning and the cost shall be invoiced to the dog owner, for payment within 14 days of the date of hire.

12.3. Smoking

The Riverside Centre is a no smoking site between the hours of 8am and 6pm; this information is displayed throughout the premises on ‘Important Information’ notices. The hirer is responsible for relaying this information to all guests, delegates and attendees.

13. Health and Safety

13.1 The Hirer assumes full responsibility for ensuring that all guests, delegates and attendees are aware of the fire evacuation procedures, fire exits and fire assembly points, information for which is located throughout the premises and in each room. 

13.2 The hirer is responsible for holding a list of all attendees or conducting a head count in the event of an emergency evacuation.

13.3 Fire exits are to be kept clear and visible at all.

13.4 The hirer is responsible for ensuring that maximum capacity/numbers are not exceeded.

13.5 Members of the public, visitors and guests must not move furniture; if you require anything to be moved you must ask a member of Riverside staff to do this for you. Riverside Ventures Ltd takes no responsibility for any accidents, incidents and/or injuries that may occur from moving any furniture.

13.6 All children and young people under the age of 16 brought in to the building must be supervised at all times.

13. Good Order and Nuisance

14.1 The Hirer shall be required to keep all attendees/guests under a reasonable level of control. This obligation shall extend to noise levels, general behavior and sobriety. This obligation shall also apply to the Hirer’s staff, performers, exhibitors, contractors or any other individuals that are in attendance for the purpose of the event and not under control of Riverside Ventures Ltd. Riverside Ventures Ltd reserve the right to remove anyone who is in breach of this clause, or who behaves in a manner which Riverside Ventures Ltd considers is unacceptable.

15. Data Protection

15.1 Personal data supplied on the Room Hire Booking Form will be held and used in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. More information on how and why we collect, store and use such information can be found on our Privacy and Cookie Policy.

16. Force Majure

16.1 Events of Force Majeure refers to any events that are beyond the reasonable control of a party and cannot be avoided with reasonable care by the Affected Party, including but not limited to; government acts, natural disasters, fire, explosion, storm, flood, earthquake, tide, lightning or war. However, insufficient credit, capital or financing shall not be deemed as matters beyond the reasonable control of a party. The party under the impact of an event of force majeure (the “Affected Party”) shall be exempted from its obligations in part or in full depending on the extent of the impact of the event of force majeure. Any Affected Party seeking to be exempted from its obligations under this Agreement because of an event of force majeure shall notify the other party of the event of force majeure no later than ten (10) days after the occurrence of the event of force majeure, and the Parties shall revise this Agreement according to the impact of the event of force majeure and exempt the obligations of the Affected Party under this Agreement in part or in full.

17. Exclusive Use

17.1 This agreement is for non-exclusive use of the premises and/or part thereof.

18. Children

18.1 The Hirer shall ensure that they have appropriate child protection policies and procedures in place to protect the rights and interests of children where an event involves activities aimed predominantly at children, and/or where events are attended by children.

19. Insurance & Indemnity

19.1 Riverside Ventures Ltd will not accept responsibility for loss or damage to any property belonging to the Hirer or any property brought or left upon Riverside Ventures Ltd’s premises either by the Hirer or by its Agents, Contractors or Delegates.

19.2 The Hirer shall be liable for and indemnify Riverside Ventures Ltd against any claims in respect of death, injury, loss or damage where any such claim is caused by or arises by reasons of the act, omissions or claim is caused by or arises by reasons of the act, omissions or neglect of the Hirer, Agents, Contractors or Clients.

19.3 The hirer must take out and maintain an insurance policy covering third party liability, including all liabilities listed above, for a limit of indemnity of not less than £5,000,000 (five million pounds) in force for the period of hiring.

19.4 Riverside Ventures Ltd extends its Public Liability Insurance to charitable organizations, voluntary organizations, not-for-profit groups and individuals for a fee of £10, obtainable via the online booking form. The Hirers’ Public Liability Summary of Cover can be found on our website.

19.5 The Hirer shall at the request of Riverside Ventures Ltd provide evidence that valid and suitable insurance policies are in place. Failing to comply with this clause 9 shall amount to a fundamental breach of this Agreement.

20. Miscellaneous

20.1 Riverside Ventures Ltd reserve the right to make changes to our Terms & Conditions at any time.

20.2 The laws of England and Wales shall govern these Hire Agreement Terms & Conditions.