POLICIES:

A new short-term rental ordinance, imposed by the Town of New Shoreham, restricts occupancy of each rental property. There will be enforcement & fines if you exceed the property occupancy limits.

DEPOSIT & CONTRACT: You will receive an emailed rental contract with property-specific information & an outline of the rental policies when we receive your deposit check. We do not send out a contract before payment is received. This contract must be signed & a copy returned to our office promptly. You should also retain a copy for your records.

CHECK-IN:  Check-in time is 3PM. Please be sure to update our office if your ferry time has changed from the time you listed on your contract. All check-ins will be done remotely. Please call our office once you arrive on island for mobile check-in procedures. If your arrival is before 3pm we cannot guarantee you will be able to check in early. Directions to your rental will be emailed to you. You may not go to your rental under any circumstances until granted permission from our office. If anyone from your group goes to your rental prior to being given permission it will be considered trespassing. This includes dropping off items (bikes, groceries, etc.) & will not be allowed under any circumstances. Failure to comply with new check-in procedures will impact your ability to move into your rental. We will contact you as soon as your rental is ready.

CHECK-OUT: On the day of your departure please leave the house unlocked & leave the keys in a visible location in the kitchen. Check-out time is 10 AM sharp. There is no flexibility with the check-out time frame & failure to depart from the property by 10 AM will result in forfeiture of your entire security deposit. Due to the limited turnover, time requests for late checkouts cannot be granted.

NO SMOKING OR FIRES: Smoking is not allowed in any of the rental homes & fires are strictly prohibited on all rental properties.

PETS: Dogs are not allowed unless specified above under property information under “other” on your contract. In the event, that the property you are renting does allow dogs, neither PRE nor the property owner will in any way be held responsible or liable for any damage, harm, or injury caused by the dog. Dogs are not allowed on any furniture, cannot be left at properties alone for more than 2 hours, & must always be picked up after. Failure to clean up after the dog around the property will result in fees. Not all dog-friendly rentals allow more than 1 dog.

OCCUPANCY: The maximum number of persons allowed (as listed on your contract) at a rental property is not to be exceeded; additional occupants will be evicted & you will be responsible for violation fines imposed by the town. Please be advised that, regardless of the number of beds in a house, occupancy limits are strictly enforced, & tenants may incur fines for non-compliance with the Town of New Shoreham’s short-term rental regulations.

SPECIAL EVENTS: Special events are NOT permitted at any rental property under any circumstance.

CLEANING & TRASH: All properties require a mandatory cleaning & trash removal service, arranged by PRE, no matter the length of your stay.  This is a set fee that is included in the rental fee on a per-week basis. Should a property be left in a condition beyond normal wear & tear an up-charge will be deducted from the security deposit. Should any trash removal exceed 100 lbs. an up-charge will be deducted from the security deposit. PRE will arrange mid-stay services for all rentals over one week & notify you of the scheduled time upon your check-in.

PHONE: In the event of long distance phone charges being incurred during your stay, there is a $25 charge in addition to the cost of the calls. All charges will be deducted from the security deposit.

INTERNET: Due to the island’s infrastructure, both internet & satellite TV services can be intermittent &/or fail without an ability to restore services quickly. We are unable to offer refunds for the failure or partial failure of these services.

AIR CONDITIONING UNITS: If the house you are renting does not provide air conditioning, you are NOT allowed to bring your own units. If you do, you will lose your security deposit & may incur additional fees.

TV SERVICES: Many properties have been connected to broadband internet service & purchased Smart TVs or streaming devices like Roku, thus giving you the ability to log into YOUR OWN streaming services. As a result, most homeowners have cancelled their satellite TV services. Some homes may still provide services such as DirecTV or include a subscription to YouTube TV, supplying some local & news channels, but overall, unless noted otherwise on the specific property information page on our website, most of the homes only provide you with the ability to sign into any streaming services you subscribe to yourselves.

SUPPLIES: Rental properties include fully equipped kitchens, basic cleaning supplies, & all utilities except phone. Staple goods (i.e. paper goods, laundry detergent, garbage bags etc.) are not included in the rental & PRE advises you to bring these items with you as they can be quite costly on island.

LINENS: Most rental properties include pillows with protectors, mattress pads, & blankets only. You are responsible for supplying your own sheets, bath towels, & beach towels or they can be rented on island through Block Island Linen Rental: http://www.blockislandlinenrental.com/

MISCELLANEOUS: We attempt to answer all questions regarding the rental properties as accurately as possible but to ensure satisfaction we encourage you to preview properties whenever possible.

DAMAGE: Should there be any unsatisfactory conditions or damages to the house &/or its contents, it must be reported to the office within 24 hours of arriving on the property or you may be held responsible.

PAYMENT: Please remember we do not accept credit cards or any form of a mobile payment app (i.e. Venmo, Zelle etc.). Payment can be made by check, wire transfer or cash. Rentals of 1 week or less require the full amount of the rental cost plus a $100 non-refundable reservation fee within 2 weeks of making a reservation. The 8% tax & the security deposit is due no later than mid-March or early April, depending on the time of booking. All rentals of 2 weeks or longer require a payment of 50% of the total rental cost plus a $100 non-refundable reservation fee within 2 weeks of making a reservation. The other 50% of the rental cost plus the 8% tax & security deposit is due no later than mid-March or early April, depending on the time of booking.

SECURITY DEPOSIT: In most cases, security deposits are held & not cashed unless there are fees incurred or damages. In order for your security deposit to be held & not cashed, it must be a separate check from all other payments & dated for the date of your check-in. Security deposits are held for 20 days following your check-out per state law. The security deposit is fully refundable pending any damages or additional charges, which may be deducted from the security deposit prior to the balance being returned at the address listed at the top of your contract. If your check is being held, it will be shredded if there aren’t any deductions to be made.

FERRY: We strongly recommend that you call to arrange for a car reservation as soon as you have confirmed a rental house. The Interstate Navigation phone number is 401-783-4613. When you have scheduled a time please inform our office of the time of your arrival & departure.

CANCELLATION POLICY: All cancellations must be in writing. There is a $200 charge for all cancellations & the $100 reservation fee is nonrefundable. The remainder is refundable, only if, we are able to rebook the entire period cancelled. Should a reason arise that precludes you from traveling to the island for this reservation (weather, airline, ferry travel, pandemic, etc.) you will be refunded ONLY IF the reservation is able to be fully re-booked. This policy also applies when cancelling a portion of your reservation. In the event that either Block Island, Rhode Island or federal mandate prohibits you from traveling to Block Island, you will be refunded.

SALES LISTING: If the property you are renting is listed for sale, 12 hours notice will be given in the event of a showing request. In the event of a sale, all leases will be honored.