Pet Friendly OBX Rentals offered by Ocracoke Island Realty in the Outer Banks of North Carolina

Rental Agreement and Policies

Ocracoke Island Realty

Please feel free to contact one of our Vacation Specialists 7 days a week from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM by calling us here on Ocracoke at 1-877-646-2822. Ocracoke Island Realty also offers online reservations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Your Ocracoke Vacation Home

We pride ourselves on maintaining the highest standards in every home. Standard features in most of our homes are central AC/heat, washer/dryer, refrigerator, range, dishwasher, microwave, coffee maker and other features of a fully equipped kitchen, i.e. cookware, dishes, etc. Also included are phones, cable or satellite color TV(s), pillows and blankets. Please carefully review the selected property’s detailed description, as some exceptions may pertain. Please remember that the homes are individually owned and the contents and furnishings reflect the desires of the homeowner. Ocracoke Island Realty will make every effort to supply or repair any advertised items. Grills should be used with caution away from the house and decks. Ocracoke Island Realty welcomes all vacationing families and responsible groups but our contractual agreements with our homeowners do not allow high school or college groups. No sororities, fraternities, or other unrelated groups will be allowed. Likewise, our vacation rental agreement requires the leaseholder to be at least 25 years old.

Rental Payments

Ocracoke Island Realty offers two methods of making a reservation. You may make an online reservation at which time you will accept the terms of the Rental Agreement, e-sign and arrange payment. As an alternative, you may make your reservation with one of our Vacation Specialists by contacting us at 877-646-2822. After making a reservation with our staff, a Vacation Rental Agreement will be available online within 90 minutes via GuestWeb. You will be able to read the agreement and e-sign/accept the terms and make a payment.

A signed Rental Agreement must be received within *7 days along with your advance payment of 50% of the rental amount (plus the Trip Insurance, if you choose to purchase it). Each reservation includes a $75 administration fee. If your lease and payment are not received within 7 days, the reservation will be cancelled. Visa, MasterCard and checks are accepted for this initial payment. All monies must be in U.S. funds. Please note that any credit card used for payment must be in the name of the leaseholder. To arrange for payments by individuals other than the leaseholder please contact our office.

The balance of your rent, taxes, fees and security deposit is due no later than 30 days prior to arrival. Reservations made within 30 days of arrival require payment in full by Visa, Mastercard, certified check or money order. No personal checks can be accepted within 30 days of arrival.

State and county taxes are subject to change without notice. A $25 service fee may be charged for any returned checks.

All funds are placed in an interest bearing account at East Carolina Bank, Ocracoke/Nags Head, NC, on which interest shall accrue to the benefit of Silverwater Traders dba Ocracoke Island Realty.

We encourage you to take advantage of the convenience of our GuestWeb. As an alternative, we are happy to fax you a lease and accept credit card payments by phone. We are also able to email you a lease. Please discuss these options with a vacation specialist so that we can provide a lease to you to review, sign and fax or priority mail back to us with payment.

Please carefully review all information sent to you including details of your Rental Agreement.

Security Deposits

A Security Deposit may be required at Agent’s discretion. Tenant is responsible for damage caused by willful negligence and/or damage by pet(s). If a security deposit is required, the amount varies by property. The house should be left broom clean and damage free. If required, the security deposit must be paid in your final payment. If the home is left damage-free, the security deposit will be returned 45 days from check-out. You will be notified by mail of any itemized damage charges and the total will be deducted from your security deposit.

Trip Cancellation Insurance

Trip Insurance is available to cover mandatory hurricane evacuations and family emergencies such as illness or death in the family. We strongly urge you to purchase this insurance when considering your Ocracoke vacation. NO REFUNDS WILL BE MADE FOR MANDATORY HURRICANE EVACUATIONS WITHOUT TRIP CANCELLATION INSURANCE. Trip insurance cost: the cost is 6.9% and this amount is indicated on your lease. If you do not wish to purchase the trip insurance you must sign to decline coverage. There is a clearly designated space on the front of your rental agreement to sign when declining the insurance. This fee is due with your first payment and is non-refundable. The total on your lease will include the trip insurance in most cases so please review carefully. Trip insurance may not be purchased after your reservation is paid in full. If you are making a last minute reservation (within 30 days of arrival) and there is a named storm in the Atlantic Ocean, Trip Insurance is not available. Please call our office at 1-877-646-2822 if you are unsure of this policy or have any questions. More information is available in the Description of Coverage document or by visiting the Red Sky Website.

Cancellation Policy

If you must cancel your reservation after making payments, we will do our best to re-rent your vacation period to another party. If re-rented at the full rental rate, your rental monies will be refunded by Ocracoke Island Realty, less the trip insurance premium paid if applicable. You may be subject to a $50 cancellation fee. If the property is not re-rented, all monies paid will be forfeited. If re-rented at a lower rate, any monies in excess of the original rental rate will be refunded. In any case, trip cancellation insurance is non-refundable as it is paid to the carrier immediately upon receipt.

As you plan your Ocracoke Island vacation

Remember you are coming to a small place with limited resources. It is important to conserve water and limit your vehicles. You cannot exceed the maximum advertised occupancy for your rental home as all the properties are on individual septic systems. All of our vacation properties are owned by families just like yours, so please care for it as if it were your own. Our homes are not owned by big investment companies but by people who have realized their dream of owning a small piece of paradise.

Pets

Pets are not allowed unless specifically listed in the home's description. Those homes that do allow pets are limited to two domestic housebroken dogs or cats unless otherwise noted. We are not able to make exceptions and allow pets in NON-PET homes. Many guests are highly allergic to pets and choose specific homes because they do not allow pets; many of the home owners also have severe allergies to pets of any kind. If you are not sure if the home you have chosen allows pets please call our office.

Check-In/Check-Out Time

Check-in time is 5:00 PM on your arrival date and check-out is 10:00 AM on your departure date. Please plan to travel accordingly. We make every effort to have all our homes ready by 5:00 PM but we cannot guarantee this due to unforeseen circumstances. Please do not buy perishable groceries prior to checking in to your home and please do not go to the home before you are given the keys. Our maintenance staff may have to complete some repairs or routine maintenance, the pool and/or hot tub will need to be serviced (if an amenity at the home) and the home must be cleaned and inspected prior to your arrival. All this must take place in a very short time and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we get your vacation home ready for your arrival.
If you arrive after the rental office has closed, your check-in package will be in the late check-in box on the front porch near the rental office door. The packages are left in alphabetical order by leaseholder last name and will also show the house name and number and street address of the property. Inside the package you will find some local information and your keys. The back of your package contains a map with directions to the house highlighted. If you have rented linens or other items from Beach Outfitters they will have been already delivered to the house.
All too soon, vacation is over and it's time to go home. We will take care of your departure cleaning. All we ask is that you wash all your dishes, take out your trash (must be bagged and in a trash can at the road) and basically leave the property as you found it. Check-out is 10:00 AM. Any Beach Outfitters rental items delivered to the house will be picked up after check out.

Office Services

Mail and phone messages may be received during our regular office hours. Our guests are welcome to use our fax services for a nominal fee, $1 per page, for incoming and outgoing faxes. The fax number is 252-928-1065. Please make sure incoming faxes are clearly identified with your name and cottage number. We cannot deliver mail, packages or faxes so please stop by the office during your stay if you are expecting something.

Construction

Homes and property on Ocracoke Island are privately owned. An owner’s decision to build or remodel a property in close proximity to the home you have rented is outside the control of Ocracoke Island Realty. While we always hope that your vacation is not disrupted in any way, we are not able to control construction activity on private property. We will attempt to contact the contractor concerning noise, start times, etc., if necessary. However, no refunds or moves can be made in this event.

Tentative/Advance Reservation Policy

Ocracoke Island Realty is happy to offer our guests who stay with us this year first option to pre-reserve the same home for the same corresponding week(s) (not dates) next year. All properties will be opened for anyone to book starting at 9:00 AM on the Tuesday following your departure. To pre-reserve your home all that is needed is a $30 NON-REFUNDABLE pre-reservation fee (which includes tax). Pre-reservations are only tentative and will be based on the home’s availability in the Ocracoke Island Realty rental program for the following year. However, should the property become unavailable we will make every effort to place you in a comparable home. Please note that this fee is not credited toward your reservation. We will do our best to provide the accommodations you have requested. Rental Agreements, including the new rates and reserved week(s) will be mailed to you in the Fall.

How long can you stay?

Weekly Rentals

Our rental properties rent weekly from either Friday to Friday, Saturday to Saturday or Sunday to Sunday. We hope you can stay with us a week or more! The only additional fees will be state and county taxes and the trip insurance which is highly recommended, but is optional.

Mini Vacations

A limited number of properties are available for "Mini Vacations". Many families cannot always vacation for a full week or two full weeks and would like to be able to plan months ahead for their trip. For these specific properties, you can book a stay with any arrival and departure date, subject to a three night minimum, months in advance. For rates and more information on mini-vacations please call our office toll-free at 1-877-646-2822, and speak with one of our vacation specialists. While mini-vacations are limited to a three night minimum, you may also book 4, 5, or more nights with flexible arrival and departure dates.

Partial Week Stays

This means that the property will allow reservations of less than one week, but these homes can only be booked two weeks prior to your actual arrival date. For a list of available properties and rates for a partial stay please contact the office toll-free at 1-877-646-2822 and speak with one of our vacation specialists. Three night minimum also applies to partial stays.