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COVID-19 Safety Protocol

We look forward to providing you with an amazing vacation experience, despite the current COVID-19 situation.  With this said, we need you to read and understand the following protocol that now apply to our check-in/out procedures for all upcoming stays:

  • Our office will be open from 9am-5pm every day, however, our doors will remain locked to the public.
  • IF POSSIBLE, we recommend guests to bring their own pillows and blankets. When you arrive to your rental home, the beds will be stripped of pillows and blanket, with only a mattress pad on the bedding.  If you are unable to bring your own bedding, pillows and a blanket will be in the bedroom’s closet.  There will also be a plastic bag in the closet with additional bedding items, DO NOT OPEN THIS BAG (more on this later).
  • On check-in day, due to heavier cleaning measures, please know that your rental home will most likely not be ready until 4pm.
  • Do not park your car or wait at the rental home.  Our cleaners are instructed to not enter a home while other cars are present.  This applies to both keyed entry homes and keyless entry.  For keyless entry, only arrive on the premises after you have been contacted with your door code.
  • If your rental home is a keyed entry and we have notified you that it’s ready, please call us a few minutes prior to your arrival at the office so that we may ready a packet outside for you.
  • On check-out, please check out promptly at 10am and, if your home is a keyed entry, leave your key package on the kitchen counter.  Also, expect a call from us around 9am-10am asking about your stay and reminding you to leave your keys at the rental home.

We understand your concern for cleanliness, and we have increased our guidelines for cleaning rental homes to match recommended COVID-19 disinfecting measures, which now entail the following additions to our standard cleans:

  • EPA registered disinfectants will be used to disinfect against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
  • Point-of-contact items will be disinfected, including but not limited to light switches, remote controls, cabinet knobs/handles, doorknobs, railings, chairs, and so forth.
  • Cleaners will be disinfecting and cycling pillowcases and blankets.  After a guest stay, cleaners will disinfect the bedding with an EPA registered disinfectant.  The cleaners will then bag pillows and blankets and put them in the matching closet of each bedroom.  During your stay, DO NOT open or tamper with these bags that are in the closets, as they will be used for the next guest stay.
  • IF RENTING LINENS – Linens are offered through a third-party provider, Moneysworth, who have their own safeguards in place for providing sterile linens to guests.  If renting linens, your linen box(es) will be placed in a black bin outside of the rental home.

Due to these additional cleaning measures, we again want to remind you that the rental home will most likely not be ready until around 4pm, so please do not arrive early or purchase groceries beforehand and expect to get in earlier, use certain rooms, stay in pool area, and so forth.

Other Considerations:

  • We strongly suggest bringing toiletry items, household paper items, and hand sanitizer from your hometown, or somewhere during your travels to the Outer Banks. Our rental homes do not come supplied with toiletry items and such materials are still hard to come by in our area.
  • Many owners have removed small items like kids’ toys, puzzles, board games, knick-knacks, and so forth. If you are a returning guest, please do not assume and rely on these items being at the rental home for this year.
  • Please respect the “6 feet” rule when using the beaches and other public areas.
  • Most of the grocery stores on the Outer Banks now allow online ordering with curbside pick-up.
  • Our restaurants are operating by carry-out and half occupancy.  However, many restaurants have adopted their own unique rules and regulations, so it is recommended that you call prior to arrival.
  • If any member of your group suspects they may have COVID-19, DO NOT allow that member to vacation with your group and advise them to stay home. If you, or anyone in your group, suspect to have contracted COVID-19 and are currently on the island, please let us know so that we may take extra precautions when cleaning and inspecting your rental home.
  • Dare County requires the use of a mask when going to any inside, public area, including grocery stores. We also highly recommend using hand sanitizer after going inside any public place or after touching any public item like gas pumps, credit card terminals, etc.
  • While your rental home will be cleaned up to new COVID-19 requirements, as an extended precautionary measure, we always recommend performing your own wipe-down of touch-points when entering a rental home, wash dishes prior to use, and always place linens on beds before sleeping in them.

 Maintenance Issues:

While on vacation, things can happen from time-to-time, such as internet going out, trouble working the TVs, a burnt-out lightbulb, and so forth.  To reduce contact between guests and our maintenance team, many of these troubleshooting items will need to be performed over the phone between guests and reservationists.  The rental homes will now supply a full stock of batteries, light bulbs, WD-40, ant traps, plungers, and so forth, where reservationists will walk guests through any small issues, including internet outages and input troubleshooting on TVs.  In situations requiring our maintenance team, our maintenance staff will be required to wear gloves and a mask at all times inside the rental home, while guests will be asked to reduce people in the problematic area to just one person.

With all this said, concern for the safety of our guests and staff is of primary importance to us.  We thank you for your understanding during these trying times, and we look forward to providing you a fantastic vacation experience here on the Outer Banks!

We look forward to accommodating you,

The Cove Realty Family