Rental Agreements

Making a Reservation:

It's easy to make a reservation. Simply search our site, pick out your favorite homes, then book online or call us toll-free at 252-261-2000.

Responsible Groups Welcome: The use of the Premises is restricted to You and Your Family. A "family" as used herein means parents, grandparents, children, spouses of children, and extended family members vacationing at the premises. Use of the Premises by Fraternities, Sororities, or Unrelated Groups Under 24 Years of Age is Prohibited. Occupancy is restricted to the number of Occupants for the Premises set forth in the property description. Southern Shores Realty operates under the North Carolina Vacation Rental Act and will commence expedited eviction under this law if a home is rented under false pretense.

PRIORITY RESERVATIONS: Each guest is given the opportunity to make a Priority Reservation for the same unit the following year. You will maintain your priority for the same house and same week as long as you make your reservation before your departure. Only the property owner has a higher priority. (Reservations made through our website by someone other than the guest that has the Priority option will be notified if the unit is not reserved by the Priority guest.)

Partial Week Reservations: Partial Week Reservations (3-night minimum) can be made 14 days prior to the 3 nights to be reserved from June - September. Off-Season (October - May) non-holiday partial weeks may be booked any time. Rate reductions and discounts do not apply to Partial Week Reservations.

Advance Rent and Confirmation: The day you make your reservation, we will send you an email with instructions on how to sign your lease. We ask that you read and e-sign the lease agreement within 24 hours of placing the reservation. The required advance rent payment is 50% of the rent and the cost of Travel Insurance and Vacation Damage Protection if selected.

Taxes: North Carolina sales tax and County occupancy tax are added to your total rent and will be due when the balance of your rent is paid. The current state sales tax is 6.75%. The current Dare & Currituck county occupancy tax rate is 6%. Tax rates are subject to change.

Vacation Rental Damage Protection: Southern Shores Realty also offers an optional Vacation Rental Damage Protection Plan through its partnership with Generali Global Assistance/CSA Travel Protection. Simply make a one time payment of $55, in lieu of a Security Deposit, and avoid the hassle of having to pay for accidental damage later.

Balance of Rent: Remaining balances (rent, taxes, security deposit - if required, and any other fees) are due thirty (30) days prior to your arrival. You may pay this by personal check, a form of cash, or credit card. Should your personal check be returned for any reason, there will be a $25 service charge added to your balance. All payments should be in US Dollars.

Payments: Southern Shores Realty will accept a personal check (if received at least 30 days before your check-in date), a form of cash, or credit card (Visa, Discover or MasterCard). All payments should be in US Dollars. When paying by credit card (Visa, Discover or MasterCard) the following guidelines apply: If a credit card is used the following guidelines must be adhered to:

(1)The person named on the lease must also be the person whose name is on the credit card.

(2)Upon our acceptance of your credit card, your reservation will be considered immediately confirmed, subject to our receipt of a signed lease, which is due within three (3) days. For Late Bookings - If a credit card is used to pay for a last minute booking (less than 30 days prior to arrival), we will charge the entire amount to your credit card including rent, taxes, security deposit (if required), and other fees that apply (pet, home service fee, etc.). In the case of a "No-Show" the reservation will be treated as a cancellation, and will fall under the rules specified in Lease Section: Cancellations.

CANCELLATIONS: Any cancellation by Tenant must be in writing.  Except as stated in paragraph 14 in the event of unavailability of the selected Property, if your confirmed reservation is cancelled by you or Southern Shores Realty for any reason (including but not limited to bad weather, illness, death, evacuations, or economic factors) and the Property you selected is not re-rented for the entire canceled period, then you will forfeit all refund claims (except refund claims available to you through purchased Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance) and will remain obligated to Southern Shores Realty for amounts due for the Property you selected. For this reason Southern Shores Realty encourages you to purchase Trip Cancellation/Interruption insurance as described in paragraph 6. If the canceled Property is re-rented by Southern Shores Realty for the entire canceled period, all money that you prepaid to Southern Shores Realty will be refunded to you except the following amounts: (1) a Cancellation Fee of $175 that is charged to you in the event you cancel a confirmed reservation; (2) any difference /reduction in the rental rate/rental amount to re-rent the cancelled time  (3) fees you paid for services by third parties that were disbursed by Agent prior to cancellation; (4) any Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance premium you paid. ANY change you make to a confirmed reservation (including a transfer to a different week in the same unit with advance Owner approval) will be subject to a Change Fee of $150.

PETS: DOGS ONLY

A. Only MATURE, HOUSE-TRAINED DOGS (2 maximum) are permitted and only when stated in the unit description. A Pet Crate is recommended. Do not leave your pets alone in the unit uncrated. Pets must be accompanied by a Tenant at all times. Tenant is responsible for cleaning the Unit and the areas around property of all pet hair and excretions. No pets are allowed in pools or hot tubs.  If a pet is seen in or if it is determined that a pet has been in a pool or hot tub during Tenants’ tenancy, Tenant will be charged a fee.  Any extraordinary cleaning or material damage by any animal Tenant allows on the rental property and/or pools & hot tubs or grounds will be the responsibility of Tenant and shall be paid immediately upon written notification by Southern Shores Realty. Tenant shall report immediately to Agent, all pet damage (examples: to include carpet stains, other damages to flooring, steps, walls, back of doors, furniture, screens, etc.) and other damages. Southern Shores Realty reserves the right to charge the Tenant for any damages to credit card on file. Cats and other animals besides dogs are strictly prohibited. If you do bring a dog, a non-refundable Pet Fee is collected to aid in cleaning and flea treatment expenses. Since pet units are often rented by families who do not bring dogs, it is the Tenant’s responsibility to declare they have brought a dog and pay the Pet Fee ($165.00 plus tax). Each town has its own leash ordinances, which are subject to change; please refer to the Agent’s website for specific information. B. Houses that DO NOT allow pets: Bringing any animal to a non-pet property will result in immediate eviction, Tenant paying a $500.00 fine, all cleaning costs (including carpet, pool, hot tub and grounds), flea treatment, damages, and no refund of rental monies. Southern Shores Realty cannot guarantee that a non-pet property has not had pets present on the property at some time.

Arrivals and Departures

If you have already made your reservation, check here for arrival and departure information.

Town Websites

Visit the website for the Outer Banks town that you will be staying in. You will find beach regulations, noise ordinance information, parking information, and more.

Standard Equipment