I think it totally depends on the demand and competition in your area.
Yes, and the picture that Airbnb use to define Villa looks downright palatial.
By the sound of the description now, I would say perhaps it is a multi-plex. Between a duplex and a quadplex with amenities.
Duplexes perform quite well where we live full time (Mid Wilshire, Los Angeles). Especially if the duplex has a bungalow/small house feel. We actually live next to a set of Airbnbâs across the street from us that do just that. I think it rents for about $350 per night and is booked out almost every night.
Traditionally , although yes it can sometimes be semi detached, a villa usually stands in its own grounds. Unfortunately when people are doing business on the internet, which is most people these days, using language and descriptions that are specific to one country or location is not only frowned upon, it can also be seen as deceptive.
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To answer the original question, itâs probably because each location, nation, and housing type is different and many of us wouldnât be doing anything similar to what the OP is. So the details of how to do it might be of purely academic interest, if any.
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I also answered all the time like that when I started but not after I was asleep. Sometimes just as I put my head down it will go off so then I will sit back up and deal with it but apart from that my phone automatically goes on silent from 11pm-8am. However, the first thing I do when I wake up is reach for it to deal with Air.
I got canned in a review a year ago because they had messaged me at 12.30am and I didnât respond until 7.30am (I had only gone to sleep 5 minutes before). So I have now added to the house rules and the messages. I am sorry I canât offer after hours service, it itâs an emergency call 000.
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Because I deal with the millennials it is normal for me to wake up in the morning to a couple of enquiries or bookings that came in at 2 or 3am, (this seems to be their favourite time to message, which is why we have we have so much trouble getting them out of bed at 11am check out).
It doesnât seem to affect my rating positions as my listings are always number one and I am still listed as âresponds in an hourâ. So I am not sure whether Air doesnât count the ones that come in in the wee hours of the morning in your statistics or because I answer the others immediately it evens out.
When I was on the other side of the world earlier this year my business partner and I were on messages 24 hours a day. It worked really well as when one of us was going to sleep the other one was woken up.
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Thatâs interesting as I went to a talk with one of the owners of Dynamic Pricing and his opening line was raise your hand if you have booking 3 months out. He then told these people their prices were too low.
I do think a fly to destination is very difference to a drive to one. I have my calendars open 3 months in advance and that works for me. But then again I deal mainly with the under 30 age group.
Calling units villas in Australia is not frowned on or deceptive. It usually implies they are nicer than an older unit and renovated. Units are single story, normally within a group. Townhouses are also in a group but are on at least two levels. Apartments are in multi level buildings.
I donât understand a lot of the house terminology that has been used on this thread so I can understand international guests must also be confused in Australia! I do have guests from other countries but luckily they are a minority.
There you are then, point proved. Itâs a myth that seems to pop up every now and again. We have several repeat guests who book a year in advance (yes, they like to come at roughly the same time every year) and Iâm sure that other established hosts do too.
So funny that he told people their prices were too low. How would he know what their prices are? 
Why do you say âluckilyâ?
I say âluckilyâ because of all the confusion about what âvillasâ are. If they turned up expecting a palatial, stand alone home and found a 1970âs brick unit they wouldnât be happy!
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Very true! Although thereâs a whole world out there - full of potential guests. I know that in the past Australia has been thought of as an expensive place to visit but tourism is evidently on the up so itâs as well to consider the possibility of international guests.
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They are welcome to book, but we are at least an hour and a halfâs drive from the airport on a good day, make it 2 to 21/2 hours in peak hour traffic so we are really only a destination for those that have their own car and time to explore the countryside.
@Poppy Hi Poppy, I feel that if you are going to write about the properties that you manage and how you stage for photos, etc, it would make sense for you to share your listingsâŚ
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I have addressed this in an earlier message. If I listed the properties I hate to think what would happen to me.
I have had some very unpleasant situations on this forum where I have not been treated well (they were removed by the moderators). So unfortunately Iâm not game enough to share them and possibly open my business and villas to online abuse.
Also there have also been messages on this thread claiming that I am looking at using the forum to expand my management business or I am trying to sell something. Nothing could be further from the truth and by listing them people would use that as proof of their incorrect theories about my post.
I have also been accused of only being interested in money and I have tried to point out that I donât do this for the money, I donât earn that much.
I have written a long reply to another message about what I feel makes the villas so profitable. And I am interested and willing to share what I have found attracts guests and would like to hear from others that rent similar properties to mine and their thoughts on what works well for them. A lot of things that I do with these properties I learnt from this forum.
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Poppy, if your landlord is making such a killing from your hard work, have you considered asking for more than 20%? My sisters and I employ our cousin to manage our log cabin, and he gets 40%, which he said, when we started, was the going rate. For that he does everythingâŚbookings, communication, stocking, maintenance, etc. He also cleans and gets the cleaning fee.
I pay my co-host 33%, and she and I split the work about 50-50. Whoever does the cleaning gets the cleaning fee.
In light of my limited experience of these two cases, it seems 20% is on the low side, especially if you are helping your landlord rake in such wealth!
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Thatâs a really interesting suggestion, I thought 20% was the standard rate for managers. My cleaners do the stocking, we donât pay them for their time, we tell them to do it when they do their own shopping. I do some of the shopping as I can get things like toilet paper in bulk and am close to a hotel supplies place for hotel type spreads and butter etc. I charge $60 an hour to go and do this, but only do it a few times a year and spread the cost throughout the villas I manage.
The owners handle their own maintenance as they already have contacts in those areas. I have managed properties where I arranged maintenance and often got complaints that owners thought they were overcharged - it was a thankless task.
The reservation payments come to me, I take 20% of the gross, which includes the cleaning fee. I deduct all costs, including paying the cleaners their $25 an hour and then pay the owners what is left at the end of the month.
I had never thought of increasing the percentage. I would be interested in hearing what other managers charge. Maybe I should start a new topic on it.
This is a forum of hosts , so I donât think you will find too many managers on here. However I think it would be definitely worth you doing some market research in your area to see what other managers are charging, to help you see if you are charging at below market rate for manager services in your area.
Airbnb themselves suggested co-hosts charge 20% so it certainly isnât out of kilter. 40% which @SarahP indicates she pays her cousin would certainly be considered on the high side.
At the end of the day it depends on what the co-host/manager does, whether they are set up as a management company or an individual, what services are included and demand in your location.
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Because it reads like a scam headline? Sorry but it does. If you truly wanted to share you would have just provided the intel.
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Ja[quote=âPoppy, post:93, topic:26242, full:trueâ]
They are welcome to book, but we are at least an hour and a halfâs drive from the airport on a good day, make it 2 to 21/2 hours in peak hour traffic so we are really only a destination for those that have their own car and time to explore the countryside.
[/quote]
Jaquo has a good point about international travel. 85% of my guests are international visitors and my nearest airport is 2.5 hours away. Many people fly into Heathrow, which is even further, and thatâs without factoring in rush hour.
They hire a car to get here.
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Youâre right, it really all depends.
We charge our clients 24% but that includes maintenance (light electrical, light plumbing, surface repair, switching out bulbs, installations, and appointments once a month). We also do all the supply ordering for our cleaning team and that is included as well. But that is also because clientâs homes are usually close to an Amazon fulfillment center and very easy to get supplies. We even use Amazon Prime Now and last minute items arrive to our guests within 3 hours. Clientâs homes are usually close to our own homes as well (that we host). It works for us and our business.
I think 20% without scheduling or doing any maintenance is quite decent actually. Iâve worked for a company which only paid 10% to persons handling just the bookings. Personally, I wouldnât ask for more from existing clients. One could try their luck with future clients if so inclined.
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