Renting a cottage at the Jersey Shore offers an idyllic escape filled with sun-soaked beaches, charming boardwalks, and a relaxed coastal vibe that’s perfect for creating lasting memories. With the comforts of a home-away-from-home, a cottage rental provides privacy, flexibility, and a personalized experience that hotels often can’t match. However, before you book your seaside retreat, it’s essential to consider a few factors, beyond just a great location, such as the suggestions below.
1) Make sure your Math is mathing! Before you book a vacation rental cottage at the Jersey Shore, make sure that there are enough beds at the property to accommodate all of the individuals in your guest group. Don’t book a 3-bedroom space for a group of six single adults, who have the expectations of their own sleep space. It will be AWKWARD when you arrive. In addition, you cannot create sleep spaces by throwing down sleeping bags, air mattresses or adding rented beds, as this will violate fire code and local law.
2) Reservation for 1 or maybe not? Most Jersey Shore towns have strict occupancy for cottage rentals, so make sure you properly disclose your group size to your host or realtor. *If you exceed occupancy your summer rental booking may be canceled, so the guests and landlords can stay compliant with Certificates of Occupancy, local law and avoid fines.
3) Room for your Vroom-Vroom? If your cottage or rental has a parking spot for one car, don’t try to jam in 2 or 3 with creative parking, like a Tetris champ. Many boroughs/ towns in New Jersey have parking rules and some call out how many vehicles can be parked on property. *Thus, if you jam in extra cars you may be risking a parking ticket or getting your car towed.
4) There may be a reason why the rental was cheap! Make sure your booking comes with linens, bath towels and bedding. There are many cottages on the Jersey Shore that do not offer these items, and the guest must rent them from a separate linen company. After trying renting linens ourselves, we found that it cost over $300. There was also the hassle of getting the linens delivered, having to dress all the beds, put out the towels, then bag the items up and call for pick up. If your goal is to have a camping-like experience, then have at it.
5) Can you spare a square? Make sure your booking comes with a reasonable amount of paper products to support the length of your booking. These paper products include toilet paper, paper towels and napkins. *Traditional cottages don’t provide linens, and also only supply 1 roll of toilet paper to get you started. Oh, the humanity!
6) Is it Pet-friendly? If you and Fido are going to the beach, then make sure the cottage is pet friendly before you bring your dog. Hosts of pet/ESA friendly properties will also require your dog’s info and shot records prior to check-in. These properties usually have fenced yards, dog bowls, treats and waste bags prepared for your stay.
*If the cottage isn’t pet friendly, then don’t be an ass and sneak in a dog. You risk polluting a dander-free environment that the next guest family may be relying on due to health
reasons. In addition, landlords can remove you from the property for sneaking in an unauthorized pet.
7) Is my Service Animal allowed? A pet / ESA is categorized differently than a Service Animal by booking platforms and federal law, thus different rules will apply. Service animals are defined as dogs individually trained to perform tasks for individuals with disabilities, and they must be accompanied by their handler at all times. Service Animals should always be accepted, whether the property is classified as a pet friendly property or not. Handlers may still need to provide vaccination records for their Service Animal to the landlord, as required by the owners’ insurance liability policies.
Keep in mind even Service Animals have Federal guidelines to follow. Puppies in training are not considered Service Animals. Service Animals need to be in the care and control of their handler at all times, off leash or on leash. If the Service Animal excessively barks, lunges, menaces others, or causes destruction of the property, their handler may be asked to find other accommodations for their animal. The handler cannot leave their dog alone in the cottage or in the yard, while they leave the property.
With these helpful hints, you should be able to select the perfect cottage for your vacation, while avoiding any unnecessary surprises!
Our summer calendars are now open to book your beach fun in Seaside Heights or Point Pleasant Beach, NJ.
Our rentals are on beach block and come with parking, beach badges, linens, bedding, guest toiletries, propane grills, patio areas and guest seating!
We have 5 bedroom / 3 bath houses, 2 bedroom / 1 bath cottages and 3 bedroom / 1 bath cottages available a short walk from the beach and boardwalk. See below to browse by town and property!
________________________________________________
tion, such as the suggestions below.
Top things to know before you rent that Jersey Shore Cottage
