Rental terms

This English translation is provided for convenience. The German version is legally binding.

These terms apply to stays in holiday apartments and holiday houses booked directly with Harztraveler, for example through this website, by email or by phone.

1. Parties to the contract

Harztraveler is the joint name under which we let our accommodation. The landlord and your contractual partner for a particular apartment or house is the person or company named in our offer.

2. Making the contract

Your enquiry through the website, by email or by phone is without obligation. We check availability and send you an offer in text form (for example by email) with all details of the stay, the price and payment. The rental contract is concluded when you accept this offer in text form. Under Section 312g (2) no. 9 BGB there is no right of withdrawal for accommodation booked for specific dates.

3. Prices and extras

All prices are in euros and include final cleaning and the running costs of the apartment. The following are charged in addition: tourist tax according to the statutes of the town; bed linen and towels on request at €25 per person and stay (to be ordered at least 24 hours before arrival); dogs at €10 per dog and night; early check-in or late check-out by arrangement at €100 each.

4. Payment and deposit

The payment details and due dates are stated in the offer. The tourist tax and a deposit of €80 are due at the latest 14 days before arrival by bank transfer or PayPal. We refund the deposit within 14 days after departure if the apartment is returned in proper condition; we may offset justified claims for damage.

5. Arrival and departure

You can check in from 15:00 contactlessly via key box or code lock. We send you the code on arrival day at 14:55, provided you have completed the online registration under section 11 and payments due have been received. Please leave the accommodation by 10:00 on departure day and put the key back where you found it. Earlier arrival or later departure is only possible by prior arrangement.

6. Use of the accommodation

The apartment may be used by the number of people stated in the booking at most. Subletting is not permitted. Smoking is not allowed inside the apartments, and parties and events are not permitted. Please treat the apartment and its contents with care and tell us about any damage without delay. The house rules of the respective house apply.

7. Dogs

Up to 2 dogs per apartment are welcome if you state them in your booking. Other pets only by prior arrangement.

8. Cancellation and early departure

You can cancel at any time in text form, for example by email. Cancellation is free of charge up to 14 days before the arrival date; the exact date is stated in the offer. If you cancel later or do not arrive, the agreed price for the nights remains payable. We deduct what we save as a result, for example on final cleaning and utilities, and anything we earn by letting the accommodation to someone else; in this case we do not charge tourist tax or extras. If you leave early, this applies accordingly to the unused nights; extras you have already used remain payable, and we refund the tourist tax for unused nights in accordance with the town's statutes. We recommend travel cancellation insurance.

9. Withdrawal and termination by the landlord

If payments due are still not received after a reminder with a reasonable extension, we may withdraw from the contract. If, despite a warning, you use the accommodation in substantial breach of the contract, for example for a party, by more people than agreed or in a way that endangers others, we may terminate the contract without notice; no warning is needed if it would obviously be pointless or if immediate termination is justified for special reasons, weighing the interests of both sides. In both cases you compensate us for the resulting loss, up to the agreed price for the nights minus what we save and anything we earn by re-letting; this does not apply if you are not responsible for the reason.

If we cannot provide the accommodation for reasons for which we are not responsible, for example force majeure, an order by the authorities or substantial damage to the building, we refund all payments already made.

10. Liability

We are liable without limitation for intent and gross negligence and for injury to life, body or health. For slight negligence we are only liable if we breach an essential contractual obligation, meaning an obligation whose fulfilment makes proper performance of the contract possible in the first place and on whose fulfilment you may regularly rely, for example providing usable accommodation. Liability is then limited to the damage that was foreseeable and typical for the contract when it was concluded. These rules also apply to people working for us. Your right to reduce the price because of defects or to terminate for good cause remains unaffected. You are liable for damage caused through your fault or that of your fellow travellers or visitors.

11. Guest registration, registration form and tourist tax

The towns require all guests to be registered for the tourist tax and the guest card. You enter your details online before arrival; the link comes with your booking confirmation. For guests who do not hold German citizenship, we also keep a registration form under the German Federal Registration Act. Where the town has its own online registration form (currently Wernigerode), you fill it in there; this link also comes with your booking confirmation. In the other places (currently Bad Harzburg and Vienenburg), you upload a photo of your passport or ID card in the guest area before arrival; we take the required details from it, check them and then delete the photo. Accompanying spouses, civil partners and minor children are only counted on the form; other adult fellow travellers who do not hold German citizenship need their own form. The amount of the tourist tax is set by the statutes of the town; we collect it and pass it on.

12. Final provisions

German law applies. If individual provisions are invalid, the statutory provisions apply instead.

Last updated: September 2026