FAQs

When you book, we will send the booking confirmation and rental agreement by email, to the address provided when booking. After that, our primary way of communicating with guests is through text message; although we do send some of the information by email, as well.

Starting two weeks before your stay, we will establish a text channel between you and our team. Initially, we will send a few reminders about our concierge offerings, let you know when you are eligible to add an early check in/late check out, and send over a destination guide to help you plan your vacation.

Three days before your stay, we will send a link via text to the home's digital guestbook, custom made for your stay. It will have the details of your reservation, as well as important things like the door code, home address, wifi password, and everything else you might need to know for your stay.

We highly recommend sending this link out to everyone in your party and screenshooting important information as photos to your phone (the door code, home address, and wifi tend to be the most important).

During your stay, we ask that you text us if you need anything. We are very responsive! You are always welcome to give us a call, but for the fastest service possible, consider communicating via text.

Check in is at 4pm and check out is at 10am. Each reservation is issued a custom door code for access to those. The door code does not activate until it is time to check in.

If there is no other guest arriving or departing the same day as your arrival or departure, we can accommodate an early arrival or late departure for an additional fee.

Depending on the size of the property, this fee will either be $175 or $250 (for an early check in or a late check out; two fees would apply to add both).

In order to have a better idea of our guest schedule, we cannot add an early check in or late check out until approximately two weeks before your arrival. You will be sent a text to let you know your options once you are inside this window of time.

If you've made a credit card payment and would like to pay with an e-check in the future, please reach out to us.

Our system is set up to auto-charge any credit card on files in accordance with the billing schedule in your contract. We will have to disable the credit card auto-payments.

If you used a credit card to make an initial payment, we cannot refund the credit card transaction in order to reverse the credit card processing fee.

(If you booked a stay through Airbnb, this does not apply)

Most likely not. All of our homeowners consider their homes to be small businesses and like you, they rely on the revenue from their rentals to maintain their homes and ability to vacation at Deep Creek Lake. Securing one of their homes negates the ability of others to rent.

Here's how it works: we will have you place an online order through the local Oakland, Maryland Walmart. You get to pick out exactly what you would like and pay for it directly. Schedule the pick up 11am on the day of your arrival, putting the order under the name that matches your reservation with us.

We'll take care of it from there! We will send our team to pick it up and stock the home with it before you come in. There is an $75 fee for this service.

We generally only accept grocery orders 72 hours (3 days) before you arrival, so that we have the opportunity to properly assign our staff in order to complete this order.
Please forward your grocery pickup confirmation email to ResTeam@redbarnvacations.com and we'll handle it from there.

Just email ResTeam@redbarnvacations.com a list of desired items! We will pick it up before your arrival and have it waiting in the house for you. We will bill you for the items purchase directly, after they have been purchased + a $25 service fee.

We have a caterer that we love working with, Alder Street Bistro and Bar. They have awesome food and tons of options.

They have made several pre-priced menus, including breakfast, lunch and dinner meals, as well as charcuterie packages. They are also happy to work with guests directly to make custom meals.

Email ResTeam@redbarnvacations.com for more information and to see our menus.

Absolutely! Due to liability reasons, the marinas won't let us coordinate directly with them, but we can certainly point you in the right direction.

We can advise on the closest marinas and the ones with the best deals for what you are looking for. Email ResTeam@redbarnvacations.com for more information. If possible, try to include: roughly what dates you are looking for, what rental period is of interest (hourly vs several days, for example), and what type of boat you are most interested in (pontoon, speedboat, kayak, paddle board).

Nope! All of our linens are 100% clean.

While other rental companies do not wash comforters and duvets between every guest stay (yuck!), we are devoted to providing a clean and comfortable backdrop to your vacation. So you can rest easily— literally— knowing that we send every piece of linen, included our duvet covers, to be professional laundered in a commercial facility between each and every guest stay.

So, if you are in the habit of replacing the duvet covers or washing them yourself to feel comfortable, there is no need. You can settle right in!

The door code is not broken. Unless you have previously arranged for an early check in, your home's door code does not activate until 4pm.

If the house is fully ready and you are here, we may be able to get you in early if you shoot us a text or give us a call.

The door code takes a few minutes to adjust on the backend, so if it is 3:55 or later, it is often quickest to just wait until 4pm for the door code to activate.

If you are here early, please be patient and kind to our team while they take a few minutes to ensure that the house is ready for your arrival.

Please see the home's digital guestbook, especially in the tab "about our home." Chances are that the question you have is answered in the guestbook!

If your question is not answered, feel free to reach out to our team, preferably by text.

During your stay, we do not recommend: sending a message through VRBO or Airbnb, emailing our general inquiry address, emailing any one specific individual on our team, or sending an inquiry on our website. You will notice a significant delay in our ability to respond to you if you communicate with us through a non-preferred channel.

Yes! Quiet hours are in effect throughout the county from 11pm to 8am.

Please remember that there are many people that are lucky enough to call the Deep Creek Lake Area home. It is important and respectful that you move all activities inside after 11 pm and before 8 am, and to be mindful of the noise even then.

Sound carries while in a swimming pool, hot tub, or across the lake so while it may not seem loud to you, it very well be to others. Noise infractions after dark could result in the police arrival.

It depends. Two of our homes (A Longview and All Decked Out) come with kayaks and stand-up paddleboards that can be used by renters.

The rest of our homes do not come with watercraft access. If you happen to see some, it is the owner's private property and it is more than likely locked up. We apologize but it cannot be used by renters.

The same thing applies if you are in a community and see community kayaks that are locked up. They are not accessible by renters.

Mistakes happen! Just let us know as soon as you can. If you let us know and it seems that the accident occurred during normal home use, you won't be charged. Charges may apply if you fail to alert us that an item was broken during your stay.

While we love dogs and trust that yours is the best ever, we are firm in our decision as to which homes will accept pets and which will not. We do not make exceptions. Sorry!

Be sure to add "pet friendly" to your filtered search to see which homes allow pets.

Wherever possible, we recommend that the reservation be made under the name of the person who is most likely to interact with our team.

In the unlikely event that there is a problem with the home or reservation, we will only be able to work with the reservation holder. Please note: you must be 24 years of age or older to book any of our homes.

We strongly advise the use of e-checks, wherever possible. E-checks work just like regular paper checks, pulling money straight from your checking account. All you'll need is the account number and the routing number at the bottom of your paper checks. When you book online, our payment wizard will walk you through how to issue an e-check. It's easy!

You may choose to pay via credit card, but an additional 4% credit card processing fee will apply with every credit card transaction. This fee is non-refundable; the screen does notify you that this fee will apply before you submit a credit card transaction.

Most companies charge this fee to you by bundling it into the reservation rate automatically. We are trying to give all guests the opportunity to save 4% by issuing an e-check.

(If you booked a stay through Airbnb or VRBO, this does not apply)

Some of our home only accept weeklong summer reservations that go from Friday to Friday. Try switching the dates in the search engine to a Friday to Friday time period.

Generally, our homes do not accept two night reservations in the summer. Try selecting three or four nights to yield results.

If you are looking to book at the Red Barn Inn or Stone House, please know that we rarely have weekend availability in the summer and early fall as we tend to book out for private weddings.

Travel Insurance is an optional fee added into your reservation total. It costs 7% of the reservation total.

If needed, it allows you to cancel your reservation at any time leading up to, or during your stay, as long as the reason for the cancellation meets one of the covered cancellation criteria. Things like injury, illness, hospitalization, jury duty, and military orders are all covered.

See https://redbarnvacations.com/travel-insurance/ for more information

If you have to cancel your vacation and have opted to not purchase travel insurance, we will do our best to rebook the home to another guest.

If we are successful in rebooking the home, we will refund however much of your reservation total that we were able to recoup from the next guest, minus 10% of the reservation total as a cancellation fee.

If the home does not rent, we cannot issue a refund. If the home rents for partial dates or for a reduced amount, you refund will match the money that we were able to recoup and you will not receive a full refund.

As you research the perfect Red Barn Vacation elite hone for your summer vacation, it is important that you understand the various definitions of lake access. Here they are: Lakefront - just as it sounds, this label describes homes located directly on the lake. Be sure to study the property descriptions so that you understand the proximity of the home to the lake and any barriers that may exist. Lake access - This means that your home is not directly on the lake but the home provides space on the lake to swim and fish and perhaps even a dock slip for your personal watercraft or rental. Split Lake Front - If you book a split lakefront home, you can expect that there will be a road to cross to get from your home to the designated lakefront.

We ask our guests to book directly with Red Barn Vacations in order to give our team the best opportunity to get to know you and offer the best rate available. You have the promise of our ‘Best Rate Guarantee’ when you book through our website. Red Barn Vacations is locally owned and operated, and all our homes are owned by individual homeowners. When you book direct, all of the money you pay goes to support our vision and local ownership, and not giant corporations.

We've Got These Things Covered: - Linens for all beds, including any sleeper sofas.
- Bath towels for the full occupancy of the home

We'll Provide a Couple Starter Items: - One roll of toiler paper per bathroom
- A sample size of dish soap and one dishwasher detergent pack
- One paper towel

But These Are On You: (You'll want to pack anything disposable that you may need, like the following) - Toilet paper
- Paper towels
- Hand soap
- Dish detergent
- Laundry detergent
- Trash bags
- Dish sponge
- Toiletries like shampoo and conditioner
- Beach towels for hot tub or pool, if you home has one
- Cleaning agents/ Clorox wipes
- Wood, if your home has a wood-burning fireplace or fire pit

Commonly Forgotten Cooking Items:
- Butter/cooking oil (Something to grease a pan!)
- Tin foil or plastic wrap for Leftovers
- Spices, especially salt + pepper
- Condiments

Want to Pack Less? Buy It From Us!
- Bundles of wood (for purchase)
- Beach towels (for rental)
- Bath robes (for rental)
- Drink delivery (wine + beer) (small delivery fee)
- Grocery delivery (small delivery fee)

(Email ResTeam@redbarnvactions.com if you are interested in any of the concierge items above. We can have it delivered before your stay)

All homes have remote check in! No need to stop by our office. You can find the home's address and door code in the digital guestbook that was texted and emailed to you. Simply use the door code on the front door, and you are good to settle in and enjoy!

The home's door code is custom made for your trip and will be generated a couple days prior to your arrival. Look under "arrival" in the home's digital guestbook.

Reminder: the code does not activate until check in! So if you are scheduled for a normal 4pm arrival, the code will not work until then.

The home's address can be found under "arrival" in the home's digital guestbook, which is texted and emailed to you three days before arrival.

If you need the address before then, look at the rental agreement. The address is near the top under "overview of your stay."

The number of parking spaces available can be found in the home's digital guestbook (under "about our home") and on the home's property page online. Look for the words "parking space" and hover over the words to see the number of vehicles that can be parked at the house.

If you need additional parking, we can help arrange an off-site place to park. Just let us know.

The type of coffee pot found in the home can be found in the digital guestbook (under "about our home") and on the home's property page online. Look for the words "coffee" in the amenity listing.

We also try to make sure the coffee pots are easily visible in any kitchen photos, if you want to flip through the image gallery.

The type of grill (gas or charcoal) in the home can be found in the digital guestbook (under "about our home") and on the home's property page online. Look for the words "grill" in the amenity listing and hover over the icon to see what type it is.

If the home has a gas grill, we will provide the propane.

If the boat trailer is able to nicely fit in the driveway, you are welcome to do so, but please take care not to park in the grass or on any public roadways. It will count as one of the allotted vehicles.

If there is not room in the driveway, we recommend looking at "Double G RV Park." They have the best rate for boat trailer storage.

Homes that will most likely not be able to fit the boat trailer in the driveway include: Hunny Home and Relaxation Ridge.

The Red Barn Inn is operated in a fairly unique manner. Each of the ten bedrooms is available for individual rent— or the inn may be rented out as a whole— but, either way, all guests have access to the common living spaces and grounds. Unlike traditional inns, there aren’t staff on-site and you don’t need to check-in at a front desk. Walk in, get settled, and relax, savoring the special ambiance all around you.

You will be given a code to the front door of the inn, as well as a confirmation of which bedroom you have rented.

Your room will have a key hanging out of the lock on the door. Take the key out and go on in!

Yes! There is a Keurig coffee maker in the kitchen, as well as K-cups and lots of coffee pots. Help yourself.

Absolutely! All common spaces (living room and kitchen) can be used by any guests. That includes the fridge and oven in the kitchen.