What short-term rental management actually costs
Management fees are the question owners search for most, and the hardest one to get a straight answer on. Here is the honest version: the market ranges, what sits inside a fee and what does not, and the arithmetic that decides whether a cheaper fee actually leaves you with more.
Roughly 20–35% for full service. Roughly 8–15% for listing-only.
Those two bands describe two different products, and most of the confusion in this market comes from comparing them as though they were the same thing.
| Model | Typical fee | What the owner still handles |
|---|---|---|
| Listing / remote management National platforms, remote co-hosts |
8–15% | Cleaner scheduling and quality, maintenance and vendors, supplies, after-hours problems, neighbors, local licensing |
| Full-service local management Stay Flourish sits here |
20–35% | Approving larger expenses. That is close to all of it. |
| Our three tiers — revenue-share, no setup fees: Basic 18% · essential management | Pro 25% · full service | Hands-Off 30% · deepest operational coverage | ||
Which tier fits depends on the property and how much you want off your plate. There are no setup fees and no hidden charges, and we walk through the tiers on the call.
A lower percentage of a smaller number is not a saving.
The management fee is a share of a total that the manager influences. The comparison worth making is what reaches your account after the fee, using each manager's realistic booking performance rather than assuming both produce the same revenue.
Here is that comparison on a Puget Sound three-bedroom, using the booked-nights bands we publish in every property report: 50–60% of nights for an owner-managed or lightly-managed listing, and 65–75% for a professionally managed one.
| Remote / listing-only | Full-service local | |
|---|---|---|
| Nights booked | 50–60% | 65–75% |
| Gross booking revenue | $32,000 | $41,000 |
| Management fee | 12% → −$3,840 | 25% (Pro) → −$10,250 |
| Owner keeps | $28,160 | $30,750 |
| Owner's remaining workload | Cleaners, vendors, supplies, guest problems, after-hours calls | Approving larger expenses |
In this example the higher fee wins on both counts, and the gap widens as the property earns more. That will not hold for every home. It is exactly the calculation we run for your specific address in the free property report, using live market data rather than an illustration.
Why the booking totals differ
The nightly rate gets re-priced continuously against real demand rather than set once and left alone. Stays get extended instead of ending. Gaps between bookings get filled. Response times stay fast enough to hold placement in search results. Damage and cancellations get handled before they become refunds or one-star reviews.
None of that is guaranteed, and no honest manager will promise you a number. It is the reason the two bands differ, and it is what the extra points buy.
What the management fee covers, and what it does not.
The work of running the listing
Listing creation and optimization, photography direction, pricing and calendar management, guest communication, booking and channel management, coordinating every cleaning and turnover, coordinating maintenance, owner reporting, and being the local contact for guests and neighbors.
The costs of owning the property
Repairs and maintenance labor and materials, replacement furnishings and consumables, utilities, insurance, licensing and lodging taxes, platform fees, and the cleaning fee guests pay at booking. These are property expenses, and we do not mark them up.
Vendor kickbacks
We take no referral fees from cleaners, handymen or contractors. Owners get our preferred vendor pricing. Our only incentive is keeping the property earning and its costs down.
The fees nobody advertises
Onboarding and setup charges, minimum monthly fees, markups on vendor invoices, whether the percentage is charged on gross booking revenue or on net payout, and what leaving costs. Ask every manager you talk to, including us.
Straight answers about fees.
How much does short-term rental management cost?
Is a lower management fee actually cheaper?
What is included in the management fee?
Are repairs and maintenance included in the fee?
What other fees should I expect from a short-term rental manager?
Does Stay Flourish take referral fees from vendors?
Is the fee charged on gross booking revenue or net payout?
About the figures on this page. The percentage ranges describe the broader short-term-rental management market and are provided for general education. The worked example is an illustration built from the booked-nights bands we publish. It is not a projection for any particular home, and it is not a quote, an offer, or a prediction of what any property will earn. Actual revenue varies with market conditions, seasonality, property condition and presentation, regulation, competition, and factors outside any manager's control.
Nothing on this page is financial, legal, tax or investment advice. Fees, inclusions and terms for any engagement are established only in a signed management agreement.