Essex, including lford, Dagenham, Barking, Upminster, Hornchurch, Tilbury, Standford, Basildon,Grays, and all surrounding areas up to Purleigh.

Frequently Asked Questions

We are often asked questions with regard to booking equipment with us. Below are some frequently asked questions that may be able to assist you. Should you require further assistance, please contact us via email or call us on 07795 553 854 where we will happily assist you.

Q: How do I book with you?

A: To hire a Bouncy Castle, Garden Games, Mascot, Ball Pond, Sumo Suits, Gladiator Duel or any other equipment from our range, please either use our online 24 hour Booking System or call us on 07795 553 854 between 8:00am and 22:00 hours.

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Q: What are the delivery and collection times?

A: Our delivery times start from 07:00 am until 12:00 midday. However, If you would like to ensure an early delivery time you are able to hire the unit from the night before for a small fee. Please check out Early Drop off to arrange this. Otherwise we will ensure your equipment has been delivered to you by midday on your party day.

Our collection times start from 18:00 hours until 20:00 hours. We cannot guarantee a specific time of collection within the time frame stated, but we will ensure our equipment is picked up within this time frame.

We do however offer a late collection pick up fee of £10.00 per hour starting from 18:00 hours for a specific time of collection, or we offer an overnight collection for the next morning for a fee of £30 per inflatable. Please can you confirm if you require a late collection when placing your order. You can contact us via email or call us on 07795 553 854 to discuss your collection time.

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Q: What do I need to do on the day?

A: We will need clear access (At least 3 feet wide) to your front door or side / back gate. The Bouncy Castle will be wheeled to the location on a sack trolley. Please tell us at the time of booking if you have any narrow access area, awkward routes or lots of steps to the location and we will advise you from there. If vehicles are parked on the driveway to your house, please make sure you have left enough room for us to wheel the Bouncy Castle past and that the area where it is to be sited is free from ANY obstructions (Trampolines, Swings, and Pet fouling !) PRIOR to us arriving, otherwise this will delay further deliveries to other customers and therefore cannot be allowed and may therefore affect the delivery of your castle.

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Q: Can I hire equipment overnight?

A: Yes we offer an overnight collection for an additional £30 (per inflatable unit). Other items may vary and will be listed on the description page when booking.

We will agree a collection time of the inflatable and equipment for the following morning directly with you.

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Q: How do I pay?

A: We require a 25% deposit upfront to secure your booking. The remaining balance of your hire cost will then be payable in cash on the day of delivery to our driver.

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Q: What is included within the price?

A: For a standard inflatable booking, you will be supplied with a ground sheet, fan blower, extension cable, RCD plug (circuit breaker) safety instructions and safety crash mats where applicable. Our price also includes set up and collection as stated within our delivery and collection time frame. Prices DO NOT include Generators or Staffing although these can be provided at an extra cost along with extra mats.

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Q:How much notice do I need to give for a booking?

A: You can book using our online booking system, but we do require at least 2 days notice so if you are booking late, you will need to call our office on 07795 553 854 to discuss your party requirements.

We are very busy during our peak months (July & August), particularly at weekends and bank holidays, so you are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.

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Q: When are your bouncy castles available?

A: We are able to supply you with our equipment 7 days a week all year round including Bank Holidays, if available. although outdoor hires may cease from October through to April depending on the weather conditions.

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Q: How much space is needed?

A: You will need to allow a minimum of 4 feet to the rear of the castle and 2 feet to either side and the front of the castle.

Please make sure all garden items such as garden toys, swings, slides, patio furniture, rubbish bins, washing lines etc are removed from the area where the castle is to be sited. Any overhanging trees and prickly bushes will need to be pruned back before our delivery staff arrive, as failing to ensure a safe environment for our equipment may result in our driver refusing to set up.

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Q: What type of surface do I need?

A: All inflatables placed outdoors need to be on a flat grassy area (slight slopes are ok) so that they can be staked down. The area needs to be free of any sharp objects, dog mess etc.... If our delivery staff have to wait while you clear access, prepare the site, or if the access/site is unsuitable, we reserve the right to cancel the booking. Our recommended surface is a grass lawn. It would be ideal if you were able to mow your grass before delivery.

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Q: Can you set up a bouncy castle / inflatable outdoors on a concrete, tarmac or paved surface?

A: Unfortunately we do not allow our inflatables to be used on outdoor hard flooring.

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Q: Can the bouncy castle be inflated inside a hall?

A: Yes our Bouncy Castles can be inflated indoors as long at you have checked the measurements of the inflatable and hall.

Very important that you check the ceiling height of the venue before booking. Please take into consideration any ceiling obstructions such as light fittings, beams, ceiling projectors etc...... as this may cause an issue if we were to arrive and are unable to inflate.

If you have not carried out a survey to the area as advised when we arrive on site but cannot inflate, you will be required to pay a delivery cost of £20.00 as it would have been a waste of the drivers time and petrol to attend your location.

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Q: How long does it take to set up and pack away the inflatable and can it go up steps?

A: The bouncy castles will take 15-20 minutes to set up and 20-25 minutes to pack down. However this is only an estimate, times may vary depending on which equipment you hire. Please note because of the size and weight of the inflatable we cannot cope with a flight of steps, but one or two steps are achievable and if someone is available to help it is easier.

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Q: Can you deliver with no side entrance?

A: This will all depend on what inflatable you hire and the space you have at your front door / access pathway to your garden.

We do need lots of room and may need someone available with good physical ability to help with the lifting. Bouncy castles are often bigger and heavier than most people expect, and so to move them we use large sack trucks. Unfortunately if it should rain, water will get inside the inflatable and this can drain out whilst being removed and sometimes on your carpet! We cannot take responsibility for any damage caused to your property whilst transporting the unit through the house.

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Q: When I hire the castle is there anything I need to provide?

A: We supply all the equipment you will need to set up a bouncy castle. You will need to provide us with a mains power supply. Our extension leads are 25m long. Please tell us if the Bouncy Castle will be further away from an electricity supply than this, as we will need to provide a longer extension lead up to 50 meters max total).

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Q: How long do I get the equipment for?

A: As most parties are in the afternoon. We will deliver and set up your castle between 07:00 - 12:00 noon. The typical range of hire time is 5 hours to all day (7 or 8 hours, please select collection time when booking). We will then come and take the castle away after your party has finished usually from 6 pm on wards on a geographical basis. All Adult castles are picked up at our last pick up time at the latest (see last pickup times above), after this time an overnight fee will apply (subject to T&Cs). If you hire a bouncy castle, slide, etc for only a few hours, such as an indoor event or an after-school activity, the price will be the same because the same amount of work is involved for us.

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Q: How does the castle operate and will I be able to put it down?

A: All units run on an electric blower - extension leads are supplied at no extra cost and whilst the castle is in use it needs to be plugged in and switched on to keep it inflated. To deflate the castle, simply unplug the blower and it will slowly deflate (make sure nobody is using the castle at the time).

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Q: What if it rains?

A: Most of our castles have built in shower covers. However if the rain is heavy and persistent, for safety reasons we will advise you not to go ahead with the booking. There will be no cost to yourselves in the event of cancellation due to adverse weather. If it rains during use of the inflatable, firstly remove all people from the inflatable until rain ceases . Once the rain ceases, simply dry the inflatable with a towel and play can commence.

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Q: Can I cancel for bad weather?

A: If you decide that you want to cancel due to bad weather, that’s understandable. If the weather is borderline we would contact you to ask what your wishes are for booking, but if we do deliver the inflatable then payment is due on delivery. The key factor in the final decision is safety as a wet inflatable is also very much more slippery and obviously the risk of accidents then increases.

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Q: Do you charge for booking cancellation?

A: You may cancel your booking without charge, so long as you give us notice the night before 6 pm, so that we do not have to load / travel with the equipment in our vans. If you give us no or very little notice, you may incur a £25 cancellation fee unless it is via our FREE RAIN CANCELLATION SERVICE.

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Q: Is the equipment safety tested?

A: Yes. All inflatables have current safety certificates and the blowers and extension leads are PAT tested as recommended by HSE. We also provide RCD plugs when needed.

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Q: Do you have Public Liability Insurance?

A: Yes, to the value of £5million, however, it is important that the hirer appreciates what this means. PLI covers the hirer against loss, damage or injury caused by inappropriate or unsafe set-up, or faulty equipment. It DOES NOT protect against loss, damage or injury caused through either negligent use of the equipment, or altering any aspect of the set-up after delivery, or through normal use where accidents may occur. The hirer is responsible for ensuring that there is adult supervision of the unit, equipment and of the people using it, at all times. We will provide you with detailed written safety/operating instructions based on current guidelines issued by the Health and Safety Executive on the day of hire.

A: Our standard Bouncy Castles are suitable for children up to the age of 12, and will NOT withstand the weight of an adult. Our Adult/All Age Bouncy Castles are built to withstand the weight of older children and adults, and use a much more powerful inflation fan making the Bouncy Castle bed firmer and more bouncy.

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Q: Do you supply safety instructions?

A: Yes we provide detailed safety instructions with every hire.

A: The electric blower is very cheap to run and costs usually around 20p to 40p per hour (less than your hair dryer!). NOTE: All blowers and wiring are safety checked before delivery.

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Q: What if it is to windy on the day of setting up?

A: Under BSEN14960:2013, our safety guild-lines are 24mph which is the maximum wind speed that is safe to inflate a bouncy castle.

You and your children's safety is our utmost priority and it would be highly irresponsible if we were to set up in theses unsafe conditions.

We carryout regular checks leading up to your hire date and if wind speeds were predicting to high, then we would advise to seek an alternative location indoors.

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If you have any questions that we have not covered, please contact us on 07795 553 854 or email us at book@kensbouncycastles.co.uk and we will be happy to help.