Nantucket Insights by Brent

How to Book a Nantucket Vacation Rental

From first search to lease and payment, here is how booking works when you have a local rental agent in your corner. Adapted from my Fisher guides Step-by-Step to Book a Nantucket Vacation Home and I've Chosen My Summer Rental, Now What?

1. Search and shortlist

Start with Fisher's rental search. Filter by location, bedrooms and amenities, and read each listing closely. If the right home is not in Fisher's inventory, an agent can search across the island.

2. Talk to an agent

Share who is traveling, whether you are bringing pets, and any layout needs, such as a first-floor primary bedroom. More detail helps me find a better match. Reach out to me here.

3. Confirm availability

Sometimes it is simple: you find the right house and I confirm it with the homeowner. Other times you choose two or three favorites, or give me your dates and a description of your ideal home, and I check each homeowner's calendar. Speed matters. I am an intermediary, and the longer a decision takes, the more likely your dates will be booked by someone else.

4. Say "book it" and sign the lease

Once you have chosen and I confirm the weekly rate and availability, I draft the lease and send it for e-signature. Review the dates and rates carefully. The home is not yours until both you and the homeowner have signed, and weeks can be in demand, so I suggest signing within 24 hours.

5. Payment

Payment is typically due within 7 to 10 days of signing, by wire transfer. Credit cards are not accepted. Under current terms:

• Stay more than 4 months away: 50 percent of base rent plus a $50 administrative fee up front. The remaining 50 percent, plus taxes and the security deposit, is due 60 days before your stay. You are welcome to pay in one payment.
• Stay within 4 months: one payment up front.
• Taxes and fees: Room Occupancy Tax is 11.7 percent. A 3 percent Community Impact fee applies to some properties but not all, so ask your agent whether it applies to the home you choose. The security deposit is typically 10 percent of base rent.

6. Get ready

Before arrival I reconfirm your travel details and coordinate with the homeowner, cleaners and caretakers. Check-in is usually at 3 p.m. Then see your countdown to arrival.

Terms vary by property and lease, and your signed lease governs. Please confirm current rates, taxes and payment timing with your rental agent.

Keep reading: Why book with a rental agent, What's included and If you need to cancel. Ready to start? Let's find your Nantucket home.

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