FAQs / Frequently Asked Questions

Travel Insurance is not required, but it is strongly encouraged for many reasons, the most important reason being, no refunds will be given for hurricane evacuations without Travel Insurance. 

Trip Preserver from Red Sky covers trip cancellation or interruption due to:

- Mandatory evacuation due to a named hurricane or other natural disaster

- Uninhabitability of the destination vacation home caused by a natural disaster

- Uninhabitability of your primary residence or your traveling companion's primary residence caused by a natural disaster

- Sickness, injury, or death of you, a family member, or traveling companion

Want to learn more? Visit our Travel Insurance Page for more details.

Yes! Many of our homes offer flexible and short stays. You can search for the dates of your stay and browse the available homes. Our homes list in the amenities section whether the home is available for Nightly or Hybrid (nightly during part of the year) stays.

Search for your next favorite vacation home on this website and book directly with us online. We hope you enjoy browsing our website and find it easy to use!

If you have questions, our friendly Vacation Specialists are available at 252-995-2188. We are happy to answer any questions you may have to help you book the perfect Hatteras Island vacation.

We look forward to having you as our guest!

Our calendars for the following year open at varying dates based on the property and its owner.

If you have a specific property and dates in mind, but don't see it open on the calendar, give us a call at 252-995-2188 and our dedicated Vacation Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Reservations are made on a first come, first serve basis, meaning that when the property is open, it is available to anyone to book. So don't delay. Once you find the right home for your next vacation, book it. 

Provided for you:

• Linens (sheets, pillowcases, blankets, bath towels, washcloths) are provided.
  
• Pillows are included.
  
• Each home will have one roll of paper towels and one roll of toilet paper per bathroom. 
• Well-appointed kitchen for preparing and enjoying meals at the home.

You will need to bring the following:

• Food, Condiments, Spices
  
• Specialty Food Equipment (if needed)
  
• Paper Products (paper towels, toilet paper, etc.)
  
• Trash Bags
  
• Cleaning Supplies
  
• Beach Equipment (chairs, umbrellas, toys, fishing items, etc.)
  
• Beach Towels 
  
• Flashlights, Radios, and Batteries
  
• Baby Equipment - cribs, highchairs, baby gates, etc. 

Check-in begins at 4 PM.

Our service teams will be working diligently to prepare your home after the previous guests to ensure everything is ready for you.

If your home is ready prior to the 4 PM check-in time, you will receive a text notification making you aware. Please rely on this notification system for early access, as much of our staff spends turnover day in the field prepping houses for your arrival. 

Any changes, including changing dates, switching of properties, or complete cancelations will invoke the cancelation policy.

Any cancelations must be submitted to us in writing (email is acceptable) and are subject to a $50 cancelation fee. No refund of monies paid will be made unless the property is re-rented for the same price and time period of this original vacation rental agreement. If the property is re-rented for a lesser price or time period, you will receive a refund for the difference between the originally agreed upon rental amount and the re-booked rental amount, as the homeowner is entitled to receive the full amount of the original rental agreement. 

We will make every effort to re-rent the property at the full amount, but we will negotiate rental rates in an effort to get the property re-rented to get you the highest refund possible.

We strongly recommend the purchase of Travel Insurance offered at time of booking to protect you from an unexpected event affecting your vacation. Visit our Travel Insurance Page for more details.

Electing Travel Insurance is not required to make a reservation with us, but we strongly encourage electing Travel Insurance for many reasons. One reason being, No Refunds will be made for mandatory hurricane evacuations without having elected travel insurance.

Want to learn more? Visit our Travel Insurance Page for more details.

Some properties may require physical keys but most will have keyless entry. You will not need to come to the office prior to your stay.

Access instructions will be sent via text to the leaseholder's cell phone before your arrival, so keep an eye out.

If you have any questions regarding your specific home's access instructions you may call 252-995-2188.

Charcoal grills are provided at many of our properties for our guests to use while occupying the home for their vacation (see listing for each property to see if a grill  is provided as sometimes this can change during the course of the year).

Guests are responsible for cleaning and removing the remnants from around and on the grill after usage.

Grills are not permitted to be moved or placed on the wooden decks of the house due to the hazard of fire. (These rules also apply to large propane deep fryers.) The heat and grease can cause extensive damage to screens, wood & siding on the home as a result of being placed or left too close and of course also present a fire hazard. Grills and fryers should only be used on concrete surfaces away from the house for safety’s sake.

Bed Linens:

Yes, all bed linens will be provided at no additional cost to you. Our laundry service packages the linens after laundering and they will not be opened until they are opened to make the beds. (top bunks and sofa beds are not made) 

Bath Towels:

We provide one bath towel and one wash cloth per guest permitted at the property as well as two hand towels per bathroom. The kitchen will have two hand towels and hot pads.

Beach Towels:

We ask that guests bring beach towels, as the towels provided cannot be used at the beach or pool. 

If you're bringing a pet, don't forget to bring a towel for them, too! 

No. Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the premise of the rental home. Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, marijuana, drugs of any kind and vaping are prohibited. 

Upon your departure, if there are signs of smoke remaining at the property, fees will be charged to clean and repair the home of any damage.

Hot tubs are open year-round (unless stated otherwise in the description).

Private Pools are open the weekend before Easter through the week of Columbus day (unless stated otherwise in the description).

Pool Heat:

If your home has a heated pool, it will be listed in the amenity section of your home's description. If pool heat is not listed, your home does not offer pool heat.

Pools that offer pool heat are heated on the dates listed below (when the pool heat fee is paid):

• Spring: the week before Easter through Memorial Day week
• Fall: Labor Day weekend through Columbus Day week

Pool temperatures vary and degree of warmth cannot be guaranteed.

If your home is listed as Dog Friendly, absolutely! Our Dog Friendly homes typically permit up to two dogs (no cats or other types of animals are permitted).

Is your dog a Service Dog? Click here for Service Dog and Assistance Animals information.

Here are some tips below to ensure your pet has a great vacation, too. 

• Keep your dog leashed whenever you're outside of your home (most municipalities here have strict leash laws).
  
  
• Sand and pavement get extremely hot during the Summer. If you can't walk on the sand or pavement barefooted, neither can they! Early mornings and evenings are the best times for walking your dog.
  
  
• Fleas and ticks are prevalent at the beach. Ensure your dog is protected prior to your stay.
  
  
• Bring plenty of fresh water for your dog to drink. Drinking salt water could cause vomiting and diarrhea. 

No problem! We have a 24 hr on-call line with staff to assist you. However, we do ask that non-emergencies wait until the morning when our office is open.

And of course, call 911 for medical emergencies or fire.

Please report any issues with cable or internet to our office and we will contact the local provider (vendor) to report the problem.

Hatteras Realty is not responsible for any cable and/or internet connectivity or speed. 

Check-out is no later than 10:00 am.

Our dedicated cleaning teams will be arriving beginning at 10:00 am to prepare the home for the next guests, so make sure all of your personal belongings are out no later than your check-out time. For keyless entry homes, your code will expire promptly at 10:00 am. 

We appreciate you taking care of these details prior to your departure. Thank you!

- Strip the sheets and pillow cases (leave the mattress pads in place) and leave them piled on top of the beds.

- Gather the bath towels and washcloths in the bathrooms.

- Don't forget to take all of your personal items and food when you leave.

- Any remaining food should be removed from the fridge and kitchen cabinets and disposed of properly.

- Dishes must be washed and put away or loaded into the dishwasher and started.

- Place trash in exterior property trash cans.

- Clean the BBQ grill

- Tidy the pool or deck areas, removing pool toys, seashells, trash, etc. (if applicable).

- Clean the yard after your dog (if applicable)

- The thermostat must be set to 75 degrees for AC or 55 degrees for heat.

- Ensure all windows and doors are securely locked.

If there are non-perishable items you wish to donate to the local food pantry, you may drop those items off at the office on your way out or simply leave them on the kitchen counter. 

If your home is keyless entry, your code will expire promptly at 10 am on the date of your check-out.

Our team will attempt to locate your items and if found will contact you to set up a return. You will be responsible for the cost of postage to return your items. Items not claimed within 30 days of check-out will be donated to a local charity.

Hatteras Realty will not be responsible for any items left behind.