How to choose an Airbnb property manager

By Jake Falkinder, co-founder of Let Minder Last reviewed

Holiday home illustration beside a checklist of what to check before signing with a manager
Four things to check before you sign with an Airbnb property manager.

Choose a manager who is licensed where your home is, already runs similar homes nearby and will show you how those homes perform. Then compare what the fee covers, how it is calculated, who owns the listing and how easily you can leave. A low commission often costs more once the extras are added.

Most owners compare managers on the commission rate, because it is the one number every manager puts in front of you. It matters, but it is rarely what decides whether the next two years go well. The questions below are the ones that do.

What does an Airbnb property manager do?

A full-service Airbnb manager runs your home as a short-stay business on your behalf. That covers the listing and photos, nightly pricing, guest messages and check-in, cleaning and linen between stays, small repairs and paying you each month after their fee.

Some businesses offer less than that. A co-host might handle the listing and guests while you organise cleaning yourself. A traditional letting agent might take holiday bookings as a side line to long-term rentals. None of these is wrong, but they are different jobs at different prices, so make sure the quotes you compare are for the same job.

Is the manager licensed in your state?

In Queensland, anyone who manages short-term lets for an owner and is paid for it needs a real estate licence under the Property Occupations Act 2014. Owners can list their own home without one. In June 2026 an unlicensed Mount Tamborine operator was fined $5,000 and ordered to repay $9,594.70 in fees plus $9,250 in costs, close to $24,000 in total.

In New South Wales, guest payments for short-term rental accommodation are treated as trust money. They have to be paid into the agent's trust account and handled under the Property and Stock Agents Act 2002, and the agent needs a written agency agreement with you.

Licensing protects you in a practical way. Your rent sits in a trust account rather than the manager's business account, and in Queensland a claim fund may cover certain losses if a licensed agent mishandles it. Other states have their own rules, so ask every manager which licence they hold and look it up on the state government's licence register before you sign.

New Zealand does not license property managers yet. In March 2026 the government announced a light-touch regime for residential property managers, but it is still to become law and the announcement does not say whether holiday lets will be covered. Until then, references and a clear contract do more of the work.

Do they already manage homes like yours, near yours?

A manager with a dozen homes in your suburb has cleaners, a handyman and a linen supply that already drive past your door. A manager whose nearest home is forty minutes away will be slower to every problem, and the travel shows up somewhere in the bill.

Ask for three live listings they manage near you and look at them yourself. Read the last twenty reviews on each, and pay attention to anything about cleanliness, check-in and how quickly problems were fixed. Then check the availability calendars over the next couple of months. Homes that are booked solid at good prices tell you more than any projection in a pitch deck.

Type of home matters as much as location. A manager who runs studio apartments well may not be the right fit for a five-bedroom house with a pool, and the reverse is true too.

How much should an Airbnb manager cost?

Published industry guides put full-service management at 15% to 30% of booking revenue (Guesty, July 2026). Houst, which manages homes in several Australian cities, puts the Australian range at 15% to 25% (May 2026). The rate alone does not tell you what you will pay. Two things change it a lot.

Gross or net

Some managers take their percentage from the total booking. Others take it from your payout after the platform's fee. Airbnb now charges a single 15.5% host fee to hosts who price through property management software, which covers most professional managers. On the same headline rate, a fee on gross revenue costs you noticeably more.

GST

If the manager is registered for GST, ask whether their rate includes it. A quote of 20% plus GST is 22%.

Bar chart showing an owner keeps $6,250 with a fee on gross and $6,591 on net
The same 20% fee on $10,000 of bookings, charged on gross and on net. Let Minder worked example, November 2026.
Same month, same 20% commission, two ways of charging it. Figures exclude cleaning fees paid by guests.
One month of bookingsFee on grossFee on net
Booking revenue$10,000$10,000
Airbnb host fee at 15.5%$1,550$1,550
Manager fee at 20% plus GST$2,200$1,859
Paid to you before other costs$6,250$6,591

That is $341 a month, or about $4,100 a year, between two quotes that both say 20%.

The extras to ask about

Most of the difference between managers sits outside the commission. Ask for a full schedule of charges and check each of these.

CostWhat to ask
Onboarding or setupIs there a one-off fee, and does it include photos, a deep clean and a lockbox or smart lock?
CleaningDo guests pay it in full, or is any of it charged to you?
Linen and consumablesIs linen hired per stay or bought by you? Who pays for toiletries, coffee and cleaning products?
MaintenanceIs there a call-out fee or a margin on trades? Above what amount do they need your approval?
Owner staysIs there a charge to clean after you stay in your own home?
LeavingIs there a minimum term, notice period or exit fee?

What should the management agreement say?

Read the agreement before you talk about anything else, because it is the only part of the pitch you can enforce. These are the clauses owners most often wish they had read first.

  • Who owns the listing. If your home goes onto the manager's own Airbnb account, the listing and every review on it usually stay with them when you leave. You would start again with none. A listing on your own account, with the manager added as a co-host, keeps the reviews with the home.
  • Term and notice. Look for the minimum term, the notice period and any fee for ending early.
  • Bookings after you leave. Some agreements let the manager keep commission on stays booked before you gave notice, even if they happen months later.
  • Your own dates. How much notice you need to give to block dates for yourself, and whether peak periods are excluded.
  • Spending limits. The amount a manager can spend on repairs without asking you first.
  • Payments and reporting. When you are paid each month and what the statement shows. You want every booking, every fee and every repair listed, not one net figure.

How will they price your home?

Ask what pricing tool they use and who checks it. Software sets a base, but a person still needs to decide minimum stays, school holiday rates and what happens when a gap opens up next week.

Be careful with revenue estimates. Every manager has a reason to quote high, because a big number wins the listing. Ask what the estimate is based on and which homes it was compared with. If they manage similar homes nearby, ask what those homes earned over the last twelve months, not what the best month looked like.

Who looks after guests and the home?

Ask who answers a guest's message at 11pm on a Saturday, and how quickly. Ask whether cleaners are staff or contractors, how cleans are checked, and how often someone inspects the home for wear that guests do not report.

Then ask how damage is handled. Airbnb's AirCover for Hosts can reimburse some guest damage and includes US$1 million of host liability insurance, but Airbnb says it is not a substitute for your own insurance. Check that your home or landlord policy covers short-stay guests, and ask the manager what insurance they hold for their own business.

Which local rules should a manager handle for you?

A good manager knows the rules for your area and builds them into how they run your home. Two examples show why it matters.

In New South Wales, every short-term rental has to be on the state's premises register, and since 1 November 2021 letting agents cannot advertise a home without its registration number. Agents also have obligations under the state's short-term rental code of conduct.

In Victoria, a 7.5% short stay levy has applied to stays of under 28 days since 1 January 2025. Booking platforms collect and pay it on their bookings. For direct bookings the owner is responsible, so ask your manager who registers and lodges the levy for anything booked outside a platform.

Council rules, strata by-laws and night caps vary by area. Ask each manager what applies to your address and how they make sure your home stays within it.

What questions should you ask before you sign?

Take this list to every meeting. Good managers answer these easily. If one of them makes a manager hesitate, take note.

AskA good answerBe wary if
Which licence do you hold?A licence number you can check on the state registerThey say holiday letting does not need one
Can I see homes you manage near me?Three or more live listings, close by and similar to yoursOnly photos, or homes in another region
Is your fee on gross or net, and is GST included?A clear answer, in writingThe answer changes when you ask again
What else will I pay for?A full schedule of charges"It depends" with no examples
Whose account will the listing be on?Yours, or a clear plan for moving it if you leaveTheirs, with no way to take the reviews
What did similar homes earn last year?Twelve months of real figuresOnly a projection or a best month
How do I leave?A short notice period and no exit feeA long lock-in or commission on future stays

Frequently asked questions

How much do Airbnb property managers charge in Australia?

Published industry guides put full-service Airbnb management at 15% to 30% of booking revenue (Guesty, July 2026), and Houst, which manages homes in several Australian cities, puts the Australian range at 15% to 25% (May 2026). Check whether the rate is charged on gross bookings or on your payout after platform fees, and whether GST is added on top.

Does an Airbnb manager need a licence in Australia?

In Queensland, anyone who manages short-term lets for an owner for payment needs a real estate licence under the Property Occupations Act 2014. In New South Wales, guest payments for short-term rentals are trust money and must go through a licensed agent's trust account. Rules differ by state, so ask any manager which licence they hold and check it on the state register.

Who owns my Airbnb listing and reviews if I change managers?

Whoever owns the account the listing sits on. If your home is listed on the manager's account, the listing and its reviews usually stay with them when you leave, and you start again with zero reviews. Ask before you sign, and get the answer written into the agreement.

Can I leave an Airbnb property manager if I am unhappy?

Usually, but check the notice period, any minimum term and any exit or termination fee before you sign. Also check what happens to future bookings already taken, since some agreements let the manager keep the commission on stays booked before you gave notice.

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This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules and fees change, so check the current position with the relevant state or national agency before you sign anything.

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