Friends House Rental Terms and Conditions

In these Terms and Conditions, "Renter" refers to an organization or individual who rents space at Friends House. If space at Friends House is rented by an organization, it is the responsibility of the individual who  signs the required Release form to ensure that they are duly authorized to sign the Release on behalf of organization referred to on that Release. 
1. Booking

  • Renters must agree to the Friends House Terms and Conditions before submitting a booking request.
  • Bookings are only confirmed after a completed booking form has been received and an invoice has been emailed back.
  • An individual from the renting group must be appointed as a delegate person. This person is responsible for the general conduct of the group, for organizing any clean up required, for checking in with staff before leaving, and for delivering payment. If several dates have been booked and different individuals are responsible for various dates, the name and contact information of these individuals must be provided.
  • Rooms are booked in four-hour sessions. Rooms are not booked by the hour.
  • Rooms are booked for the full time during which access to the room is needed, not the start and end time of the event publicized. Bookings must account for set up and strike time.
  • Unless other arrangements are made, access to Friends House is restricted to the spaces rented. 
  • Renters must have completed and submitted a Release. The individual signing the Release must have the authority to bind the organization using the space.
  • The name of the group on the booking form must be the same as the name of the group on the associated Release.

2. Set up / take down / general use of space

  • Friends House opens at 9am, and earlier only by arrangement.
  • Renters are responsible for checking in advance that the rooms and equipment rented are suitable to their needs. When using video equipment, it is recommended that Renters test for compatibility with the video output of their laptops.
  • Renters are responsible for having rooms set up as needed at the beginning of the time booked. Friends House staff may be able to help with set-up, but also may be busy with other work. Renters must include set-up time in the time booked, and should arrive with enough personnel to help as needed.
  • Any use of posters, notices, or work sheets on walls must be done only with the agreement of Friends House staff. No pushpins, nails or screws may be used to hang items on the walls or from the ceiling.
  • Use of candles, smudging, or any source of open flame are discouraged, and must absolutely not occur without prior agreement with Friends House staff. If use of open flame or smudging is agreed to, the Smudging and open flame Risk Control Policy and Procedures must be followed. 
  • Garbage, recycling and compost must be sorted as per the instructions and signage laid out by Friends House staff.
  • Renters are responsible for leaving rooms tidy and fully vacated at the end of the booked time.
  • Friends House has three long-term tenants – Friends Day Care, the Canadian Friends Service Committee, and the TMM Refugee Committee. Use of Friends House must not interfere with the use of the house by these groups, by other renters or by Toronto Monthly Meeting.
  • No smoking, vaping or alcohol is permitted on Friends House property, including the front yard, the back yard, and the garden.
  • No firearms are permitted on the premises
  • No pets are allowed on the premises, with the exception of service animals.
  • On Saturdays, the house closes at 9:30pm. On Saturdays, Renters must leave by 9:15pm at the latest.
  • Rental of audio and video devices: When renting audio or video devices from TMM, including laptop computer, projector, microphones, wireless microphone adaptors, OWL 3 conferencing camera/microphone, and any associated audio or video cables or adaptors, the signee of the application form/waiver or the organization represented by the signee is responsible for payment up to the cost of replacement for any devices or cables that are damaged or stolen. When finished renting audio or video devices, the signee will return the equipment into the hands of the staff on duty.


3. Payment and Cancellations

  • Payment is due on the day of use of the space, and on the first day of consecutively booked days.
  • Payment can be received only via cash or a cheque made out to “Toronto Monthly Meeting”.
  • For bookings made far in advance of the requested date, Friends House may require a deposit.
  • Cancellations made by the Renter with less than two weeks notice must pay 50% of the cost, if the requested rooms are not subsequently booked by another group. Renters that cancel bookings with less than one week notice must pay the full rate.
  • In the event of an unexpected and inflexible congregational need (for example, a death requiring a timely memorial) Toronto Monthly Meeting may rearrange or cancel a booking.
  • Toronto Monthly Meeting reserves the right to cancel a booking and to refuse any future bookings with any renter, at all times. Any fees paid before cancellation will be returned. Examples of the circumstance for cancellation include:
    • The Renter does not agree to or breaches the conditions outlined in these Terms and Conditions
    • The numbers in attendance exceed the occupancy limits of Friends House
    • Contravention of Fire or Health and Safety regulations are anticipated
    • Misconduct of a group or its participants has occurred at past events booked by the Renter
    • Violence or the encouragement of violence at the event may be reasonably anticipated
    • The aims, policies or practices of the group or individual are in conflict with Quaker values
    • The building requires urgent renovation or maintenance work
  • Toronto Monthly Meeting reserves the right to cancel the booking without advance notice and/or to refuse any future booking with any Renter.


4. Publicity

  • Toronto Monthly Meeting must be made aware of the means by which public events are publicized, and be included in the recipients of publicity materials. Toronto Monthly Meeting reserves the right to insist on particular wording in such materials as a condition of the rental.
  • The event's contact details must be clearly stated on any publicized information about the event(s). Friends House must not be listed as the contact for registration or general information about the event(s) or the rental group.
  • It must be apparent that events booked at Friends House are not being directly sponsored or presented under the auspices of Friends House or Toronto Monthly Meeting.
  • All event promotions must be done in accordance with Canadian Anti Spam Legislation (CASL): https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/internet/anti.htm.
  • Requests to post hard copies of promotional material on Friends House's bulletin board will be considered at the discretion of Friends House staff.
 

 5. Safety and Liabilities

  • The Renter must ensure that numbers of attenders or participants do not exceed the published room capacity, as listed on Friends House website.
  • The Renter is responsible with becoming familiar with fire extinguishers and exits, and must ensure that exits are not blocked. The Renter is responsible for the safe entry and exit of the attenders or participants of the event, including any who are disabled.
  • Rental of Friends House is at the Renter’s risk. The Renter is responsible for any damage to the building, premises, or any property or equipment thereon, caused by attenders of the event, and must take reasonable steps to ensure that damage does not occur, and inform staff immediately if it does occur.
  • Toronto Monthly Meeting will not be responsible for any injury to any persons, or loss or damage to any property during the use of the premises, other than those caused by the negligence of Toronto Monthly Meeting or its staff.
  • Any property belonging to the Renter or attenders of an event is left on the premises at their own risk.
  • Toronto Monthly Meeting reserves the right to hire extra staff for an event as a condition of booking, costs for which will be charged to the Renter.
  • The Renter must ensure that they have insurance coverage for a minimum of $2,000,000 with regards to the liability to any persons, or loss or damage to property, including personal injury and death of third parties (including employees and volunteers) and damage to the building or to the property of others. The Renter must also insure they have adequate insurance coverage with regards to their own property, assets or operations during the use of the premises.
  • The Renter is responsible for safety at their events. Regarding  activities involving children or vulnerable adults, the Renter must comply with current legislation and ensure that all necessary police checks have been done. Toronto Monthly Meeting will not accept responsibility for Renter’s failure to comply with these requirements.