When someone hears vacation rental management fee 20 percent, the reasonable next question is: twenty percent of what, and then what else? Fair. The vacation rental industry has trained owners to expect add-ons. So here's the plain version of what our management fee covers, what it doesn't, and how to read someone else's quote.
What the 20% includes
The fee is a 20% management fee of the rental revenue your home earns. Inside that number:
- Professional photography at onboarding, and re-shoots when the home changes.
- Listings on Airbnb, Vrbo, and our direct booking site, built and maintained by us.
- Dynamic pricing, adjusted daily against demand, season, and events.
- Guest messaging around the clock, including the 11pm "how does the hot tub work" text.
- Cleaning coordination for every turn.
- Maintenance coordination: we find the plumber, schedule them, and let them in.
- Lodging-tax registration, collection, and remittance.
- A monthly owner statement and an owner portal where you can see everything.
- A human in Oregon who answers the phone seven days a week.
What it doesn't include, and why that's normal
We're not paying your mortgage. Utilities, internet, property taxes, insurance, and HOA dues are yours. When the water heater dies, we coordinate the replacement and you pay the plumber's invoice; you'll see it on your statement clear terms. Supplies and consumables (toilet paper, coffee, dish soap) are typically billed through at cost as well. Hot tub service and landscaping are set up as recurring vendors on your behalf. None of that is a hidden fee. It's the cost of owning a house, and it would exist whether we managed it or not.
The fees we don't charge
This is where the industry gets creative, and where a lower headline percentage often ends up costing more:
- No setup or onboarding fee. Some managers charge hundreds or thousands to "launch" a home.
- No per-night damage waiver or insurance add-on retained by the manager. Guests are covered through the platforms and your policy.
- No linen program fee, no marketing fee, no technology fee, no credit-card pass-through.
- No long-term contract.
Third-party analyses of the largest national managers have put effective costs in the 35 to 45 percent range once add-ons are counted, against advertised rates that look far lower. We're not going to name names outside our comparison page, but the pattern is real: the headline number is the beginning of the conversation, not the end.
How to compare two quotes honestly
Ask every manager the same five questions, in writing:
- What percentage, of what base (nightly rent only, or rent plus cleaning fees)?
- What fees are charged to me beyond that percentage? List them all.
- What fees are charged to guests, and who keeps them?
- Is there a reserve, a setup fee, or a minimum contract term?
- Who owns the listing and the reviews if I leave?
Then model a real month. Take a plausible gross, subtract the percentage, subtract every add-on, and see what lands in your account. A 15% quote with a per-night waiver kept by the manager, a linen fee, and a reserve can net you less than a 20% management fee.
What flat pricing changes about behavior
When our only revenue is a share of yours, our incentives line up. We don't make more by adding a fee to the guest. We make more when your home is booked at a good rate with a five-star review at the end. That's why we allow dogs at every home, argue for the right minimum stay instead of the longest one, and don't penalize you for using your own house. We explained the owner-use side in how owner use works.
Is 20% right for every home?
Honestly, not always. A home that only rents six weekends a year might do fine self-managed. A home in a market where cleaning costs are extreme might need a different structure. We'd rather tell you that up front. The earnings review is a real conversation about your specific home, and our owner page has the full inclusion list if you want to read it before we talk.
One number, one statement a month, one phone number. That's the whole pitch.