In this guide
- Our fee is 15% plus VAT, taken only from bookings. No booking, no fee, and no monthly charge.
- The booking platform takes its commission first. Our fee is worked out on what is left, so you never pay us on money you did not receive.
- Setup and photography are one-off costs agreed before you sign. Guests pay for cleaning; you pay the bills, supplies and upkeep.
Our fee, and what it covers
We charge 15% plus VAT on each booking. That is the whole of our ongoing fee. There is no monthly retainer, nothing to pay on empty nights, and nothing at all in a month when the home is not booked. If we do not fill the calendar, we do not get paid, which keeps everyone pulling in the same direction.
For that fee we run the let from end to end. You do not need to answer a guest message, find a cleaner or chase a payment.
- Listings on many booking platforms
- Pricing, set every night
- Guest messages and ID checks
- Cleaning and linen, managed
- Repairs arranged
- Itemised monthly statements
A management fee is a normal running cost of a let. HMRC lists letting agent and management fees among the expenses you can deduct from rental income before tax, so the fee also reduces the income you are taxed on. Our guide to tax on short-let income explains how that works.
What the booking platforms take
Every booking site charges the host a commission. Airbnb takes its fee out of the payout; Booking.com either deducts its commission from the payout or invoices it at the end of the month. Either way, it is paid before our fee is worked out. The rate depends on where the guest books, and the platforms set and change their own rates.
Airbnb now charges most professionally managed homes a single host-only fee, rather than splitting its fee between host and guest. Booking.com’s rate is set in each host’s contract and varies by country and type of property. Direct bookings through our own website carry no booking-site commission; a 5% plus VAT platform fee applies instead, on top of our usual fee.
How a booking is split
It helps to follow the money in order. The guest pays the platform. The platform takes its commission, either from the payout or on a monthly invoice, and pays out the rest. Our 15% plus VAT is worked out on that payout, not on the price the guest paid, and what is left is yours.
Cleaning sits outside this split. Guests pay a cleaning fee on top of the nightly price, and that fee pays for the clean and for washing the linen, so it does not come out of your share.
One-off costs before you go live
There are two one-off costs, and we agree both with you before you sign anything. The setup fee covers getting the home ready to list. Photography is priced separately, because the photos are the first thing a guest judges your home on.
- FirstAgree the costsSetup and photography, agreed before anything is signed.
- ThenSignYou commit only once the costs are agreed.
- NextPhotos and listingsWe photograph the home and write and price the listings.
- Usually within three daysGo liveThe home goes live on many booking platforms and bookings begin.
Your home also needs to be ready for guests. It should be furnished, with linen, keys, two lock boxes in case of lockouts and the kitchen basics guests expect, such as pans and utensils. Our guide to getting your home guest-ready has the full list.
Running costs, and who pays them
Once the home is live, every cost has a clear owner. Most of them are the same costs you would have as the owner of any home.
We ask before we spend. We usually check with you before anything over £100, and wherever we can we let you know about smaller costs too.
Two other costs are worth budgeting for, whoever manages your home. One is specialist short-let insurance, because a standard landlord or home policy often does not cover paying guests. The other is council tax or business rates, depending on how often the home is let. Our guides to insurance and council tax or business rates explain both.
How and when you get paid
- Guests book and stayBookings come in from many booking platforms and our own website.
- Your statement arrivesAround the 7th of each month, with every booking and every cost on its own line.
- You are paidOn the 10th of each month.
Your owner portal shows your calendar, earnings and statements whenever you want to look, so you never have to ask what is booked or what has been spent. Our guide to the monthly statement walks through one line by line.
How to compare managers fairly
Headline percentages are hard to compare, because managers work them out on different amounts and add different extras. Four questions get to the real cost.
If you want to leave
There is no long lock-in. Your home stays yours throughout, and you can block dates to stay there yourself whenever you like.
The longer notice later on protects guests who have already booked, often months ahead, and gives time to hand the calendar back cleanly.
Questions owners ask
Do I pay anything if my home is not booked?
No. Our fee only ever comes out of bookings. There is no monthly charge and nothing to pay for empty nights.
Is the 15% worked out before or after the platform’s commission?
After. The platform takes its commission first, and our 15% plus VAT is worked out on what it pays out.
Who pays for cleaning?
Guests, through a cleaning fee added to their booking. It covers the clean and washing the linen, and we manage the cleaners.
Can I claim the management fee against tax?
Management and letting agent fees are on HMRC’s list of allowable expenses for rental income. Your accountant can confirm how they apply to you.
What does the setup fee cover?
Getting the home ready to list. Photography is priced separately, and both are agreed with you before you sign.
