Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ for Vacation Rentals

1) What time is check in/out? Do you have late check out or early check in?

  • Check in is at 3:00pm
  • Check out is at 10:00am
  • Early check in/late check out is only available during certain times of the year and is never available during the months of May – August. You will need to inquire with your rental agent to see if it is available during your stay.

2) Do you have after hours key pick up or drop off?

  • To pick up keys after hours, you will find a lock box in front of our office that requires a code to open. You will find the code to the lock box in the rental confirmation you receive after booking a property.
  • To drop off keys when the office is closed, you simply put them in the key drop out front of our office door.

3) What are your office hours?

  • Our office is open Monday – Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm.
  • During the peak season we are open Monday – Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm and Saturday 9:00am – 4:00pm

4) How much of a deposit do I have to make, when is it due and is the deposit refundable?

  • All deposits are ½ of the rental rate only and are usually required within 10 business days of booking.
  • We do make exceptions for some of our reservations that are booked further in advance. You will need to speak to your rental agent to see when the actual deposit is due.
  • For refunds on deposits, please see our cancellation policy.

5) Do you have a damages deposit?

  • At this time we do not take damage deposits, however we do require all tenants to have an active credit card on file to use in case of damages during their stay.

6) What is your cancellation policy?

  • There is a $100 processing fee on all cancellations.
  • Deposits will only be refunded, less the processing fee, if a reservation is cancelled over 60 days prior to your scheduled arrival date.
  • If you cancel within 60 days of your scheduled arrival date, you will not receive a refund unless we are able to rent the scheduled dates to another guest.

7) What fees are associated with a reservation?

  • Georgia State Tax is 7% on all vacation rentals less than 90 days.
  • Glynn County Local Hotel/Motel Tax is 5% on the first 30 days of all vacation rentals.
  • Georgia State Transportation Excise Tax of $5 per night is charged on all vacation rentals under 30 days.
  • Taxes are charged on the rental amount, cleaning fee, reservation fee, credit card fee (if applicable), and pet fee (if applicable).
  • All reservations are charged a $75.00 reservation fee.
  • All reservations have a cleaning fee that is paid by each guest. Cleaning fees are not negotiable and are set by our cleaning companies. The charges vary by unit.

8) What are the fees associated with using a credit card? What credit cards do you accept?

  • We accept Visa and MasterCard only at this time.
  • There is a 3% processing fee associated with all credit card charges. The fee is only applied to the actual amount you are charging to the card the day of the transaction.
  • If you do not want to pay with a credit card, you may mail in a check, money order, or cashier’s check.
  • All reservations must be paid in full 30 days prior to arrival.

9) Do you offer any pet friendly properties?

  • We do have several properties available that are pet friendly.
  • At this time most units have a limit on the amount of pets allowed in each unit, normally two and there is also a size limit of 40lbs per pet.
  • If you intend to bring a pet, please call the office first.
  • We often require a copy of the rabies vaccination certificate from your vet. They may fax/email directly to our office. There is a nonrefundable pet fee of $200 for each reservation.

10) Do any of your properties allow smoking inside?

  • There are no properties available that allow smoking inside of the units.
  • All units are listed as nonsmoking and anyone who is discovered to have been smoking inside of any of our properties will be responsible for paying all fees associated with removing the smell of smoke from the property.

11) Do properties offer wifi and cable?

  • All of our properties are equipped with internet/wifi and have some form of cable/satellite unless otherwise noted in the property description.

12) What do I do in case of an emergency while at a property?

  • If this is a true emergency always dial 911 first.
  • For property emergencies please call 912-638-8623 and listen for the number provided to contact our on call agent.

13) Am I able to reserve the same property for the same dates next year?

  • We do allow all of our guests the first right of refusal for the same time frame at the same property for the following year.
  • Please remember that you are allowed the same week of the year, not the same exact dates.
  • Example: Mary and Sam rented July 15 -22, 2017. On the calendar that is the 29th week of the year for 2017. So the dates they would receive the following year would be July 14 – 21, 2018 which is the 29th week of the year for 2018.

14) Where is your office located?

  • Golden Isles Realty is located at 330 Mallery Street, St Simons Island, GA 31522. If you are using GPS or Navigation, it will sometimes try and send you to 330 Mallery St EXT; that is not the correct address. This will bring you to a condominium complex.

15) Do you have any age restrictions or occupancy guidelines for your rental properties?

  • All properties are limited to adults and families only.
  • We do NOT allow any teen or college group rentals.
  • All adults renting a property together must be over the age of 25.
  • No events are allowed on properties such as weddings, reunions or other gatherings.
  • All guests must adhere to all property occupancy guidelines. Each property has a maximum occupancy number listed. If you are unsure of your maximum occupancy number, please speak to your rental agent to make sure.