North Carolina requires the owner to reimburse renters for all days that they were not allowed to stay in the cottage due to mandatory evacuation UNLESS the owner included in the lease agreement the offer (notification) of travel insurance that would cover it.  The renter does not have to buy it, but if there is an evacuation, the owner is released from responsibility of refunds.  I've suggested CSA in my lease agreement.  Several of the rental agencies on the OBX use it.  In addition, I include in the email (to which my lease agreement is attached) links to the insurance agreement and to another page that was put up by one of the agencies to help renters understand about the evacuation part.

Here's what's in my lease agreement:

"

1. HURRICANE OR STORM POLICY: No refunds will be given. We highly recommend you purchase travel insurance.
   
   TRAVEL INSURANCE: The insurance company that is used by many rental agencies here on the OBX is CSA.  Among other things, it covers days lost due to mandatory evacuation by the local government.

The number for CSA is 1-800-348-9505. Wait through the menu and you’ll get a human.  Tell them you want CSA Insurance plan code 330CSA and TELL THEM YOU'RE STAYING AT A HOUSE ADVDERTISED ON VRBO.  The premium will be 6.95% of the prepaid rental cost (don't count tax or security deposit). Their hours for questions and purchasing are:

6-6 M-F Pacific Time

6-3 Weekends Pacific Time

We do not receive any commission from any purchases made from this company.

  Of course you can purchase any trip insurance you please or none at all.  We just need to have on record that we offered you an insurance option. We have been told by one of our renters that purchasing the CSA insurance is extremely quick and simple.

I agree that all rental monies are non-refundable per cancellation policy above. I have read my rights to purchase travel insurance. By Signing Below, I agree to all terms and conditions of this agreement.

Sign ____________________________________________________________"

Here's the policy: http://chatterboxtoo.com/insurance330csa.pdf

Here's the evacuation information shown by one of the rental agencies that uses it:

http://chatterboxtoo.com/insurance.pdf

I talked to them on the phone to get the information that I put in the lease agreement.  One of our regular renters bought it for this May and next October and said it was very easy.  You can't order it on line, have to call them.  I spent hours on line before I found this company.  The one that VRBO recommends does not cover evacuation reimbursement.

Here's my entire lease agreement:

http://chatterboxtoo.com/2012LeaseAgreementSample.htm

Linda

http://vrbo.com/315522

I would recommend a travel insurance comparison site. That way you can give guests a good resource, but not have to recommend a specific company. I've used this site in the past and it gives a good overview with lots of different prices.

http://blogs.squaremouth.com/press-room/money-saving-tips-when-buying-travel-insurance-advises-squaremouth/

Tourists purchase travel insurance to protect against unforeseen events such as inclement weather, sudden business closure, lost luggage and other nuisances. Insurance policies may even cover rare occurrences like terrorist evacuation and plane crashes. They're a security blanket that could save time and money in the long run. However, some argue that travel insurance is superfluous and a waste of money, pointing out that many airline carriers cover lost baggage, while credit cards frequently cover losses from shuttered transportation concerns.

Addo Lodge