My next door neighbor will be moving out of state and has asked if i would list his house on airbnb and vrbo and host all bookings etc. Not sure what would be a fair fee to charge but was thinking of 15% plus $250 for setting up the listings, taking photos etc. Would that be reasonable?
It depends on what you will be required to do- if everything, then 15-25% plus expenses seems like standard fees. If the homeowner is going to still deal with online communication with guests, then the lower end of that.
Do not set the listing up in your name. Make sure the homeowner is listed as the account “owner”, with you as co-host. Otherwise, if your business relationship goes south at some time in the future, the listing will not be transferable to the homeowner or another property manager.
2 Likes
I do this for a number of properties and charge 15%-20%. There is a LOT to consider. It is much easier to be a co-host on Airbnb than it is on VRBO - the user interface doesn’t allow co-hosts on VRBO so you have to log in as the owner. You need to decide a lot of things - how to handle maintenance issues that come up, who is communicating with guests, what to do when you are out of town, housekeeping. Make sure that the owner has the property in very good condition - all systems HVAC, appliances, plumbing electrical in good working order. You do not want to inherit headaches and things that you need to react to immediately. $250 for setting up the listing is a little low to me. Muddy is right - have the owner set up the accounts, then add you as co-host. You want all payouts going to the owner for tax reasons. Then you bill for the percentage you charge. Feel free to reach out with questions. I have learned a ton on the co-hosting journey.