Policies

Outer Banks Vacation Rental Agreement

(CLICK HERE to View a Copy of Our Outer Banks Vacation Rental Agreement)

Explanation Of Locations

Locations of the rental units are defined as follows:

  • Oceanfront: No homes between rental and the ocean. On Ocean-Side of Beach Road. Distances to beach vary
  • Semi-Oceanfront: One home back from ocean and on Ocean-Side of Beach Road. Distance to ocean and ocean-views may vary.
  • Oceanside: On Ocean-Side of Beach Road. Two or more homes back from ocean.
  • Between Beach and Bypass: Between beach road and HWY 158.
  • Soundfront: Located on the sound, the waterway between islands and mainland.
  • Soundside: Located on the sound-side of the main road.
  • Canalfront: Located on one of the many canals through the Outer Banks.
Rates/Seasons

All units are rented on a Friday to Friday, Saturday to Saturday, or Sunday to Sunday basis. However, some of our homes do allow partial-week rentals during shoulder and off season weeks. For more information, please refer to specific rental homes.

Check-In 4:00pm

Report to our Cove Realty office on the date your reservation begins. A key and directions to your vacation home will be given you, as soon as it has been determined that the unit is ready for occupancy. Check-in time for all units is 4:00pm, however, if your cottage is cleaned before this time you may check-in earlier. It is rare that extra cleaning is required from the vacating tenant that will run past check-in time, however, the maids reserve the right to occupy a cottage until the unit is clean.

Check-Out 10:00am

Please vacate the vacation cottage by 10:00am of your last reserved date of stay. All Cove Realty keys must be returned to the Cove Realty office in order to be considered "checked out." A tenant will be charged a 25 dollar fee for any and each key which is not returned to the Cove Realty office.

If your departure time is before or after our office hours of 9am-5pm, then please leave your keys in the drop box located at our office.

Prior to vacating the unit, please empty all refrigerators, wash dishes and replace dishes in the proper cabinets. The maids are not responsible for dirty dishes - which are unpleasant to in-coming tenants. All trash must be removed from the unit and placed in the proper outdoor receptacle at the street. The cleaners reserve the right to charge additional cleaning fees due to a cottage being left in a condition other than which it was found. If trash is left behind, dishes not cleaned, and/or so forth, the extra cleaning fee will be deducted from the tenant's security deposit.

Please be sure that all doors and windows are secured and that all lights and fans are turned off. In Summer, leave the air conditioning on 78 degrees. In Winter, leave the heat at 55 degrees. Also, please be sure that all personal belongings have been removed, as Cove Realty cannot be responsible for retrieving items from units or for returning items left behind. A 10-25 dollar handling fee, plus postage, will be required before any item is to be returned.

A fee of $50 will be charged for each additional hour after 10 a.m. that the tenant is late in checking out.

Reservations

Call, write, or stop by the Cove Realty office at 105 E. Dunn Street at Nags Head on the bypass at MP 13.7. We are easily accessible from either US 158 or the Beach Road (Virginia Dare Trail). Our office is open seven days a week, 9am to 5pm for your convenience.

For reservations, call toll-free 1-800-635-7007 or locally at (252) 441-6391. Or you can contact us by Email at info@coverealty.com

A lease will be mailed out to you upon reserving a cottage. The confirmation deposit will be due 5 days from the date of reservation. If you are a non-family group occupying a non-family home, there will be a damage deposit of $1,000.00. The security deposit will be returned within 45 days of your vacating the unit as long as the cottage is left in good condition (the condition which it was found).

Confirmation

After you receive your lease, please read it carefully. The confirmation deposit will be equal to one half of the total rent and travel insurance (if you opt for this). At the time we receive your deposit, a receipt will be mailed to you confirming your reservation.

The second payment is due 30 days prior to the check-in date. This balance consists of the second half of the base rent, state sales tax and local lodging tax, and any optional additions (linens, beach items, non-family security deposit, etc.).

PERSONAL CHECKS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED AT CHECK-IN OR 30 DAYS PRIOR TO CHECK-IN DATE!!!

A $25.00 handling fee will be assessed for checks returned for any reason.

CSA Travel Insurance
Protecting Your Investment

We offer a lodging insurance that can help assure tenants that the money they have invested in their vacation will be secure. This insurance will cover delays, cancellations, mandatory evacuations due to inclement weather, and any other covered documentable reasons that your are unable to make part or all of your stay. The insurance is 6.5% of the base rent plus the tax of your stay. For more information on CSA Travel Insurance, please call CSA at (866)999.4018.

Cove Realty policy does NOT allow the cancellation of CSA Travel Insurance after the insurance has been paid for.

If CSA Travel Insurance is declined, be advised that neither Cove Realty or the owner of the rented cottage will be responsible for any type of refund.

Cancellations

In case of cancellation, no refund of rents paid will be made until the cancelled period is re-rented and confirmed. If the unit is not re-rented, then the renter will be held responsible for that week and be liable for all rent, the processing fee, and taxes. If the canceled period is re-rented, any rent and taxes paid will be refunded less a 10% cancellation fee. The processing fee is NOT refunded. Balances due for leases two weeks or longer must be paid in full prior to check-in if the canceled period has not been re-rented. Transfers occurring from a higher rental rate to a lower rental rate will remain at the higher rate unless the original higher rate week is re-rented and confirmed. A $50.00 transfer fee applies to all transfers including transfers within the same unit.

ALL CANCELLATIONS MUST BE CONFIRMED IN WRITING.

TRIP CANCELLATION/INTERRUPTION INSURANCE IS AVAILABLE AND HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Refunds

Once you have entered into a contract to rent a property you are binding yourself to that property for that time frame. Please do not expect to be compensated or moved to a different house because you do not like the unit or some equipment in the property is not working to your satisfaction. As stated below, we make every effort to ensure your comfort, yet as per the Vacation Rental Act, NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED.

Rental Home Equipment/Repairs

Each unit is equipped with basic furnishings and housekeeping items, including kitchen appliances, dishes, pots/pans, eating utensils and glassware. Pillows, mattress pads and bedspreads are provided. Blankets and linens are not provided, although blankets are an optional item. As these units are individually owned, they are furnished and decorated to reflect the owner's taste. Coffee makers and toasters are required in each unit, but blenders are optional. No rebate will be offered for faulty equipment - though every effort will be made to ensure that we service the problem as quickly as possible. We will make every effort to correct any problems at once. But due to workload of service personnel or parts availability, we can make no guarantees. Please keep in mind that service calls are charged to the home owners. Guests will be charged for any unwarranted calls.

NO GRILLING is permitted on decks!

Damage Insurance

Damage Insurance is now included with all cottage reservations. Any un-reported or malicious damage will be charged to the leaseholder's credit card on file. Intentional damages are not limited to physical destruction but also to trash left in cottage, dirty dishes and so forth.

Cleaning

Please notify the office of any cleaning problems within 1 hour of arrival. If you are a late arrival, please contact the office before 10:00 am the next morning. If we are not notified, we will consider everything was found to be clean and to your satisfaction. We are offering a mid-week cleaning service. The cost will depend on the size of your unit. If interested, please call the office to make arrangements.

Lock-Out Policy

If, for any reason a tenant should find that they have inadvertently locked the unit and can not regain entry, a $25.00 lock-out fee will be charged.

Non-Family Groups

Please CLICK HERE to view NON FAMILY group homes

Some owners will allow non-family groups to occupy the property. However, a security deposit equal to $1000 and individual responsibility statement's will be required. Persons making reservations for non-family groups must inform the Cove Realty reservationist. A failure to do so could result in your party not being allowed to take possession of the unit - or in immediate eviction. If you have not notified the reservationist before taking occupancy and, at a later date, it is determined that the unit is occupied by other than a family group - your group may be evicted. No monies will be refunded.

Rental Home Capacity

The number of beds for each unit is listed. Your group is restricted to the limit that the unit is set to accommodate. Allowances will be made for infants and toddlers. As units are on septic systems, care must be taken to avoid over-taxing them.

RV'S, MOBILE HOMES, AND CAMPERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE OCCUPIED AT ANY OF THE UNITS AS PARKING MAY BE VERY LIMITED.

Dogs

Please do not allow your dogs onto the couches, beds, chairs, or any other furniture in your pet friendly cottage. Pets must be cleaned up after, including properly disposing of your dog's droppings from the yard. A tenant's security deposit may be charged for dog damages or extra clean-up due to the animal (ex. dog hair on blankets, muddy paw prints on carpets, and so forth).

Dogs will be allowed in designated units only with a non-refundable dog spray fee of at least $75.00 plus tax (some cottages have higher dog spray fees which can be found on a cottage's individual link). Please be advised of local ordinances that may prohibit your pet from being on the beaches during certain seasons.

Limit of 2 dogs maximum!

Ocean-Front Notice

Due to storms that occur on the Outer Banks, Cove Realty cannot guarantee the environment, size or condition of the beach, parking areas and access to the beach, both public and private. Please be aware that some of our properties are closer in proximity to the ocean than others. Many of these properties do not have access from the house to the beach and you must access the beach from another area. Please take this into account when booking your vacation property because NO REFUNDS will be given .

Partial Weeks And Off-Season Weeks

Most units that do not have a full week rental at any given time may be rented on a partial week basis. Partial rentals may only be made 7 days prior to the time of occupancy and depends on availability.

OBX Best of the Beach callout
OBX Best of the Beach
OBX Best of the Beach
Providing Fantastic Outer Banks Rentals for More than 40 Years, We're Proud to Serve the Outer Banks...
More Details
Outer Banks Beach Nourishment callout
Outer Banks Beach Nourishment
Outer Banks Beach Nourishment
Outer Banks Beach Restoration Project to Protect Businesses and Homes in the Community
More Details
The Company that Cares callout
The Company that Cares
The Company that Cares
Friendliness, Diligence, and Responsiveness to All Your Needs!
More Details
Things To Do on the Outer Banks callout
Things To Do on the Outer Banks
Things To Do on the Outer Banks
No Matter the Season, the Outer Banks Has You Covered with Events and Activities!
More Details