FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: How do I go about contracting with Dumbarton House for my event?
All parties interested in renting Dumbarton House are required to schedule a visit with the Marketing and Events Manager before contracting for an event. To schedule a site visit, please call 202-337-2288 x230. Once you have visited the house and indicated a desire to rent it, you will be asked to fill out an event client information form and submit a security deposit in the amount of $500.00. This deposit is fully refundable, once the event has taken place. Once the contract has been drafted and signed by the Dumbarton House representative and the contracting party, 50% of the rental fee is due within two weeks. The final payment is ultimately due three weeks (or twenty-one days) prior to your event.

In addition to the security deposit and rental fee, all parties renting Dumbarton House are required to provide event insurance to cover guests while present at their event. Coverage is often included in a home owners or corporate policy, or can be acquired from the insurance provider listed on our vendor list.

Q: What is your cancellation policy?
If written notification is received by the Marketing and Events Manager at least six months in advance, your entire deposit will be refunded. If written notification is received between six months and one month in advance, all but your security deposit of $500.00 will be returned. No refund will be issued if an event is cancelled one month or less prior to the event.

Q: What do the rental fees include?
The rental fees at Dumbarton House include private touring of the museum and use of the Belle Vue Room and all outdoor terraces and gardens. For every event, two facility staff persons are on duty for the duration of the event and four docents are scheduled to be in the museum rooms throughout the cocktail hour. It is also assumed that for every event, clients will schedule at least two site visits with the Marketing and Events Manager.

Rental fees do not include any catering, tenting, transportation or valet services, or equipment (tables, chairs, linens, etc.) Please review our list of vendors for help with these services.

Q: Am I required to use only the vendors on your preferred vendors list?
The only vendors on our list that you are required to use are our tent companies, as tenting is very particular to each individual event space. This requirement only guarantees that you will receive excellent service for all your tenting needs.

Otherwise, you are welcome to use vendors not yet on our preferred vendors list, if they complete a prior site orientation visit with the Marketing and Events Manager, have a current DC commercial license, and provide evidence of required insurance coverage.

Q: How do people generally deal with parking and transportation to Dumbarton House?
Dumbarton House has a very small parking lot onsite; however, this lot cannot be used by guests at events. This lot is generally filled by your vendors, house staff, and occasionally a space or two may be reserved for the contracting party or a designated VIP.