In this guide
- We wrote this page, so Perfect Booking comes first. Every other company follows in alphabetical order.
- Each fee is shown as the company publishes it on its own website, with a link to check it. Fees checked October 2026.
- Compare three things, not one: the percentage, what it is taken from, and whether VAT is added. Then check the setup fee and how long you are tied in.
How we chose the companies
We searched for Airbnb, short let and holiday let management in Kent and its main towns, from Medway and Maidstone to Canterbury, Thanet and Tunbridge Wells, and took the management companies that came up most often. Some are based in Kent and some cover it from London or Essex.
Every figure below comes from the company’s own website, and nothing has been estimated. Where a company does not publish something, the table says so. Fees change, so treat this as a starting point and ask each company for a written quote.
Fees checked October 2026. If a figure here no longer matches a company’s website, call us on 0330 124 5672 and we will update it.
Perfect Booking, who wrote this page
We are based in Kent, with our office in Medway, and we run homes across the UK. Our fee covers listing your home on the booking sites and our own website, pricing, guest messages, and arranging cleaners, checks and trades.
Direct bookings through our website carry a 5% plus VAT platform fee in place of a booking site’s commission. On those, our 15% plus VAT and the platform fee are both worked out on what the guest pays.
Setup. There is a one off setup fee, and photography is priced separately, both agreed before you sign. Guests pay a cleaning fee that covers cleaning and washing between stays. Our fees page sets out every charge.
Kent managers’ fees at a glance
Our own fee comes first, then every other company in alphabetical order: the fee as it publishes it, what it says the fee is taken from, and how it treats VAT. Where a company gives a range, the lowest rate usually needs the longest term.
| Company | Fee as published | Taken from | VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect Booking (us) Medway, Kent | 15%, which is 18% including VAT | What the booking site pays out | Plus VAT |
| ADLIV Host Thanet | 20% for its complete package | Booking income after the booking sites’ fees | Not stated |
| AV Property Sittingbourne | 22%, 18% or 12%, on a 3, 6 or 12 month term | Gross booking revenue | Plus VAT |
| Bloom Stays Canterbury | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Coastal Host Ramsgate | 17.5% for its fully managed plan | Not stated | Not stated |
| Coaste Sandwich | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Houst London, covers Kent | 14% full time, 20% part time | Gross booking revenue | Not stated |
| Lets Host For You Broadstairs | From 19.5% | Not stated | Plus VAT |
| Ovitzia London, covers Kent | From 12% for its fully managed package | Not stated | Not stated |
| Pass the Keys Franchises across Kent | From 18% | Guest payment less the booking site’s commission | Plus VAT |
| Perchd Canterbury | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Rockman Residences Brentwood, Essex, covers Medway | 22%, 18% or 14%, on a flexible, 6 or 12 month plan | Gross booking revenue | Not stated |
| UnityStays London, covers Maidstone | From 22% down to 14% | Gross booking revenue | Included in the fee |
Ovitzia also sells packages from 5% that cover less than full management, so only its fully managed package is compared here.
Why the percentage is not the whole story
Two managers can both say 15% and charge you different amounts, because they take it from different figures.
- Gross booking revenue is everything the guest pays for the stay. A fee taken from it is the largest for the same percentage.
- What the booking site pays out is the guest payment less the booking site’s commission. Pass the Keys calls this net booking value, and it is what our fee is taken from.
- The nightly rate alone leaves out the cleaning fee, so the base is smaller again.
Say a guest pays 100 for a stay and the booking site keeps 15. A 15% fee on the gross is 15. The same 15% on the payout of 85 is 12.75. Then check VAT: a fee shown plus VAT costs a fifth more if, like most landlords, you are not registered for VAT.
Setup fees, terms and notice
A low percentage can come with a long minimum term, a setup fee or a monthly charge, so read these alongside the fee.
| Company | Setup or onboarding | Term and notice |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect Booking (us) | One off setup fee and photography, agreed before you sign | 30 days’ notice in your first three months, then 90 days |
| ADLIV Host | Not stated | Not stated |
| AV Property | One off onboarding fee set by the size of the home | Minimum term of 3, 6 or 12 months by plan, and a minimum monthly charge if the home is unavailable |
| Bloom Stays | Not published | Not published |
| Coastal Host | Not stated | No contract |
| Coaste | Not published | Not published |
| Houst | No setup fees | Not stated |
| Lets Host For You | Onboarding fee from £150 plus VAT | Not stated |
| Ovitzia | Not stated | One month’s notice |
| Pass the Keys | One off onboarding fee of £149 | Not stated on its pricing page |
| Perchd | Not published | Not published |
| Rockman Residences | £0 onboarding | Minimum term by plan |
| UnityStays | Setup fee from £570, plus £80 a month for software | Most start on a six month term |
Questions to ask any manager, and our answers
Put the same questions to every manager you speak to. To save you asking us, here are our answers.
What exactly is the percentage taken from?
Our answerWhat the booking site pays out after its commission, including the part that covers cleaning. On direct bookings through our website, it is worked out on what the guest pays.
Is VAT added, and what is the fee including VAT?
Our answerYes. Our fee is 15% plus VAT, which is 18% including VAT. Direct bookings also carry a 5% plus VAT platform fee in place of a booking site’s commission.
Is the rate tied to a minimum term, and what is the notice?
Our answerThere is one rate for every owner, however many homes you have and however long you stay with us. You can leave with 30 days’ notice in your first three months, and 90 days after that.
What do you charge to set up, and is photography included?
Our answerThere is a one off setup fee, and photography is priced separately. Both are agreed before you sign, so you know them up front.
Who pays for cleaning, linen and repairs?
Our answerGuests pay a cleaning fee, which covers cleaning and washing the linen. You pay the bills, upkeep and supplies, and every cost shows on its own line in your monthly statement.
Will you ask before spending money on my home?
Our answerUsually, yes. We ask you before anything over £100, and wherever we can we let you know about smaller costs too.
When and how am I paid?
Our answerYour statement arrives around the 7th of each month and your payment follows on the 10th. Your owner portal shows your calendar, earnings and statements whenever you want to look.
Whose account are the listings on, and what happens to bookings if I leave?
Our answerThe listings are on our accounts. Bookings already taken when you leave still go ahead, so they stay in the calendar and are not cancelled. If you are selling, tell us when to close the calendar, such as your expected completion date, and we will not take bookings past it.
Our guide to what Airbnb management costs goes through each charge in more detail, and our fees page lists every charge.
Questions owners ask
How much do Airbnb management companies in Kent charge?
Of the companies here that publish a fee for full management, headline rates run from 12% to 22%. Some add VAT on top, some include it and some do not say, and several only reach their lowest rate on a 12 month term. The amount each percentage is taken from also differs, so compare the base and the VAT as well as the number.
What does Perfect Booking charge?
Our fee is 15% plus VAT, which is 18% including VAT, of what the booking site pays out, and only from bookings. On direct bookings through our website, our 15% plus VAT and a 5% plus VAT platform fee are both worked out on what the guest pays. There is a one off setup fee, and photography is priced separately, both agreed before you sign.
Why do managers charge on different amounts?
Some take their percentage from everything the guest pays, some from what the booking site pays out after its commission, and some from the nightly rate alone. The same percentage costs you less when it is taken from a smaller amount, so a lower headline rate is not always the cheaper deal.
Is this comparison independent?
No. Perfect Booking wrote it, and we list ourselves first. Every other company follows in alphabetical order, with its fee as it publishes it on its own website and a link so you can check it. If a figure has changed, tell us and we will update it.
Which Kent managers do not publish their fees?
Bloom Stays, Coaste and Perchd do not publish a management fee on the pages we checked, so ask each of them for a written quote that shows the base and the VAT.
Sources (13)
- Pass the Keys: pricing
- Houst: property management in Kent
- Ovitzia: packages
- AV Property: fees
- AV Property: Sittingbourne
- Rockman Residences: fees
- UnityStays: Maidstone
- Bloom Stays: let with us
- Perchd: owner FAQ
- Coaste: holiday let management
- Lets Host For You: management
- ADLIV Host: property owners
- Coastal Host
