Owner guides
What Airbnb management actually costs
Written by Michael Kimble, CPA, founder of Filos Stays. Published June 2026.
Full-service short-term rental management fees vary widely across the market, but whatever headline rate you are quoted, what you pay is usually more, because the costs that matter sit below the headline. This guide walks the real math the way an accountant would.
What do Airbnb property managers charge?
There is no single going rate. Fees vary by market, property type, service scope, and how a manager bundles (or unbundles) their offer. The table below shows common service tiers and the ranges owners typically encounter, but a quote for your property may land anywhere within or outside these bands.
| Service tier | Typical rate | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Half-service | Often 10 to 15% | Listing, pricing, and messaging. You handle cleaning, maintenance, and restocking. |
| Full-service | Often 15 to 30% | Everything above, plus turnovers, maintenance coordination, supplies, and compliance. |
| “From 10%” national offers | From 10% | The base rate excludes services most owners assume are included. Read the add-on schedule. |
The costs that do not appear in the headline rate
Four categories widen the gap between the rate you were quoted and the money that reaches your account: cleaning margin, maintenance markup, supply charges markup, and flat fees.
- Cleaning margin How guest fees like cleaning are handled: who collects the cleaning fee, who pays the cleaner, and whether any of the difference lands on your statement.
- Maintenance markup Maintenance coordinated at a markup, commonly in the 10 to 20 percent range, though this varies.
- Supply charges markup Consumables billed with margin.
- Flat fees Monthly tech or software fees, which run anywhere from about $50 to $300 a month depending on what is bundled in, plus one-time onboarding or setup fees.
None of these are illegitimate by themselves. The problem is when they are not disclosed up front, because many owners budget on the headline rate.
Why the lower headline rate can be the bigger bill
The manager with the lower headline rate can hand you the bigger bill. A flat monthly fee and a one-time onboarding fee are completely normal. The cost sneaks in somewhere else: a margin added to cleaning, a markup on maintenance, the kind of line that never makes the quote and only surfaces when you are reconciling a statement.
To make it concrete: say a Louisville property grosses $80,000 a year with 120 turnovers. One manager quotes a low headline rate and quietly marks up the work underneath it. The other quotes a higher headline, discloses every line, and marks up nothing. These are illustrative figures, not actual quotes.
Illustrative, year one
Year-one cost, same property
$27,200 Manager A, 20% headline
$25,800 Manager B, 25% headline
The manager who quoted 20% is the more expensive choice, by about $1,400. The lower headline rate is the bigger bill.
Where the difference hides, line by line
| Cost line | Manager A 20% headline | Manager B 25% headline |
|---|---|---|
| Commission Headline rate on $80,000 gross | $16,000 | $20,000 |
| Flat fee $275 a month | $3,300 | $3,300 |
| Onboarding One time | $2,500 | $2,500 |
| Cleaning margin $40 over 120 turnovers | $4,800 Not disclosed | $0 At cost |
| Maintenance markup 10 percent on $6,000 of work | $600 Not disclosed | $0 At cost |
| Year-one total | $27,200 | $25,800 |
The manager who quoted 25 percent is the cheaper bill, by about $1,400, and you knew that number before you signed. The manager who quoted 20 percent buried the difference in a cleaning margin and a maintenance markup that never made the quote. The headline tells you almost nothing. Add up the full cost, every commission, fee, margin, and markup, and work with the manager willing to put all of it in writing.
Methodology note: figures are illustrative examples only, drawn from published fee schedules and industry fee guides, not from any one company’s pricing. They are not a quote or a market benchmark. Actual fees vary widely depending on the property, the market, and how each manager structures their offer. Onboarding fees in particular can range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, based on what is included (photography, listing setup, smart locks, initial supplies).
Six questions to ask every STR manager
Ask each manager the same six questions. Their answers, side by side, show the full cost of working with them, not just the headline rate.
- What is the commission, and what does it include?
- Is there a monthly technology, software, or admin fee?
- Is there an onboarding or setup fee? If so, what is included in that fee?
- What does a turnover cost me, and what is the cleaner paid?
- Is maintenance billed at cost or marked up?
- Who keeps the fees charged to guests like cleaning fees, pet fees, and early check-in?
Where Filos comes in
Filos Stays puts every commission, fee, margin, and markup in writing, where you can see it.
A guide can't tell you which of these costs apply to your property, or what you'd actually keep. Your gross, your turnover count, and how it's run all change the answer. Book a call and we'll work through your numbers together.
Michael Kimble, CPA · Founder, Filos Stays
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