Frequently Asked Questions
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- What is Trip Insurance?
- When is my first payment due?
- Do you send a reminder for the unpaid balance due?
- Where do I pick up my keys?
- What if I arrive after your office closes at 5:00 pm?
- Can we check-in earlier than 4pm?
- What is the phone number to my vacation home?
- What do I need to bring?
- I see on all of your property descriptions that you quote the rates for Bed Linens or Bed Linens and Towels, how does that work?
- What do I have to do when I check-out?
- What if we are planning to leave the Outer Banks area before your office opens in the morning?
- We had a great time. We would love to stay in this Outer Banks vacation home again next year ! How do we make an advance reservation for the same week in the same house for next year?
- What if we are planning to come the Outer Banks area for the first time and we are planning our vacation well in advance of our travel date?
What is Trip Insurance ?
Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates offers the option of purchasing a trip insurance policy with each vacation rental. Most guests think vacation rental insurance is just for hurricane evacuations, but it really covers much more. "Trip Preserver" from Red Sky Travel Insurance provides valuable coverage, benefits and 24-hour emergency assistance services to take care of you while traveling to and from your vacation destination and protects your hard-earned vacation investment. The trip cancellation and trip interruption component includes coverage for sickness, injury and death; extension of school year; armed services leave revocation; hurricane evacuations and much more! The emergency assistance services are available 24/7.
Please keep in mind that payment for the plan must be received prior to or with your final rental payment, and there are terms and conditions that apply. For complete details, you should reference the Trip Preserver Policy Details.
When is my first payment due?
Once a reservation request is received a signed Vacation Rental Agreement and Advance Rent Payment must be received in our office within five (5) days. We encourage an e-signature on the Vacation Rental Agreement which you can make on Guest Web. Then you can print a payment coupon and mail your advance rent payment to us. The mailing address is P.O. Box 1030, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949. An exception to this policy occurs when reserving a web special or a period for which check-in will occur in less than thirty (30) days of the request. In such case all payments are due at the time of the reservation request and must be paid in full by credit card or e-check.
Do you send a reminder for the unpaid balance due?
We do send payment reminders via e-mail ! The balance of the rent, including a state tax, county occupancy tax, and the security deposit (where applicable) is due no less than thirty (30) days prior to your check-in date.
Where do I pick up my keys?
Our office is located at Milepost 2.7 in Kitty Hawk, NC at 4607 Croatan Highway which is the same as US Highway 158. This is where you will check-in and get the keys for your vacation rental home. We will have directions ready for you. Some homeowners have keyless entry. You will be given the instructions via e-mail for a keyless entry arrival.
What if I arrive after your office closes at 5:00 PM?
If you arrive after hours the keys or key code and directions to your vacation home will be put in the after hours box. Our office has a big box just to the left of the front door. Your package will be clearly marked with your last name, rental number on the outside of the envelope.
Can we check-in earlier than 4pm?
We set our check-in time at 4:00pm so that service providers such as housekeepers, inspection crews and maintenance vendors have time to do their jobs. Most every home has new guests arriving each week. With just a short time between check-out time and check-in time, we have to allow enough time to get your vacation home ready for you and your family. We will make every attempt to let you into the home earlier but only if it has been released for occupancy. Please do not park at the home and ask the service vendors if the home is ready for you to go into. We have specific processes in place to ensure that everything is ready for you. We do not have a pay to check-in early program.
What is the phone number to my vacation home?
You can contact us to get the phone number on the Monday prior to your arrival day. It will be listed on your check-in package information. We do not give phone numbers out any earlier because of privacy issues and because when houses are sold the new owners usually have to get a new number. Phones are for local calls only and there is no charge.
What do I need to bring?
All Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates vacation properties are equipped with standard kitchen amenities such as cooking pots and pans, dishes, silverware, basic cooking utensils and glassware. You will need to bring paper products like garbage bags, toilet tissue, paper towels, hand soap, dish and laundry soap. You might want to pack any items that you use regularly at home that the homeowner may not provide like crock pots, salad spinners or your favorite chef knife. The things we find most folks forget are spices, coffee filters, aluminum foil, dish towels, sponges and dish cloths. Even if you do forget something you can easily pick it up at a nearby grocery or retail store. Beach chairs, coolers and umbrellas can be rented locally.
I see on your property descriptions that you quote the rates for Bed Linens or Bed Linens and Towels, how does that work?
You can rent these items, just let us know when we review your rental agreement with you or make a request when booking online. Add the rate quoted (plus tax) into your reservation total amount due. The bed linens and towels are provided by an independent company that delivers directly to your vacation home. Their service makes the beds for you (except for trundles, tops of bunks, sleep sofas, futons and rollways) and leaves the towels for you. When renting towels you will receive a bath towel, a hand towel and a wash cloth for every person that the house sleeps. You will also be provided with bath mats for the full baths only and 2 kitchen towels.
The house I want to rent says : Bed Linens Provided (Beds Made) w/Full Week Rental. Optional Towels. What does that mean?
A good number of our vacation home owners provide bed linens with full week rentals but do not provide bath towels. Some provide both the bed linens and towels with full week rentals . You can find out what is supplied by looking at the specific description of the property you want to rent. When renting a home that provides bed linens the service will make the beds, (except for trundles, tops of bunks, sleep sofas, futons and rollways) unless other wise noted. If it says Optional Towels followed by a price then you can rent towels for that rate plus tax or bring your own. We can add the rental of towels to your reservation. It is preferred that you order them prior to sending in your final payment that is due no later than 30 days prior to your arrival date.
What do I have to do when I check-out?
Please be considerate and leave the home in a neat and clean condition. You will need to wash and put away all of the dishes. Wipe off counters and empty the refrigerator and cabinets. If you rented linens you will need to strip the beds and replace the mattress pads, comforters, pillows, etc. back on the beds the way they were when you checked in. Take out the trash and roll the containers to the street. Do not leave anything outside of the trash container. Set the air conditioner to 75 degrees if it is during the summer; set the heat to 60 degrees if it is winter or the heat is needed. Lock all doors and windows. You will need to vacate you vacation home no later than 10:00 am, feel free to have breakfast and enjoy your last day here. Just remember to bring the keys, and your advance reservation form to our office before you leave town. Please don't leave the keys inside the home.
What if we are planning to leave the Outer Banks area before your office opens in the morning?
If you plan on getting an early start on your trip back home, feel free to drop your keys, and advance reservation form in the after-hours box. Our office has a big box just to the left of the front door. If you put everything back in the check-in envelope we will note that you have checked out early.
We had a great time. We would love to stay in this Outer Banks vacation home again next year ! How do we make an advance reservation for the same week in the same house for next year?
You have a special request form in your check-in package. Please fill it out and turn it in with your keys when you check-out. Keep in mind the owners of the Vacation Home always have the first choice of weeks. As the repeat guest of the house you have first right to reserve the same rental week for the next year by submitting the request form at check-out. It is best to contact us within a week of departure to verify the receipt of your request. Remember the calendar is always changing. Certain holiday weeks change, as a repeat guest your are given the right to request the same dates as you are staying in the home. You are not guaranteed the holiday will be included in your repeat week.
All reservations taken in advance are tentative and subject to change. They are not guaranteed. We will send you notification when your reservation request is approved by the homeowner. Once you receive the approval form and a rental agreement, your deposit is requested. The deposit will be due no later than December 1st. Look on your rental agreement for the advance deposit amount due.
What if we are planning to come the Outer Banks area for the first time and we are planning our vacation well in advance of our travel date?
You can call us at 800-552-6257 as early as one year in advance. You can also book online. Weekly Rental rates will not show online until the homeowners have approved the weekly rental rate and released the weeks for the upcoming year.
All reservations taken in advance are tentative and subject to change. They are not guaranteed. We will send you notification when your reservation request is approved by the homeowner. Once you receive the approval form and a rental agreement, your deposit is requested. The deposit will be due no later than December 1st of any given year. Look on your rental agreement for the deposit amount due.
252-261-4444 / 800-JLambJR / 252-261-3270 (Fax) / info@joelambjr.com






