As vacation rental management has become more professional, the range of companies offering it has grown, from local one-person operations to large multi-city firms. They differ widely in what they do, how they charge and how transparent they are. This article does not compare or recommend any of them; it sets out the questions an owner can put to any of them.
What exactly is included?
"Full management" means different things to different companies. Ask for a written list covering, at least: creating and maintaining listings, photography, pricing, guest communication, check-in, cleaning and laundry, supplies, small repairs, inspections, and owner reporting. For each item, ask whether it is included in the main fee, charged separately, or left to the owner.
How is the fee calculated?
Most managers charge a percentage, but the base matters as much as the rate. Is it calculated on the nightly revenue only, or on the total including cleaning fees? Before or after platform commissions? Are cleaning, linen and consumables passed on at cost or with a margin? Two offers with the same headline percentage can lead to very different results; asking the manager to work through a sample month in writing makes the comparison concrete.
What will you see, and when?
Good reporting is the clearest sign of a well-run operation. An owner should expect, on a fixed schedule, a statement showing each booking, its dates and revenue, the deductions applied and the amount paid out, together with any incidents or repairs. Access to the booking calendar in real time is increasingly standard.
Who makes which decisions?
Agree in advance who decides on prices and minimum stays, on blocking dates for personal use, on repairs above a given amount, and on accepting or refusing particular bookings. Misunderstandings between owners and managers usually come from decisions nobody thought to allocate.
What happens when something goes wrong?
Ask how the manager handles a guest who damages the home, a cleaner who does not turn up, a heating failure on a winter night. Ask what insurance is in place and what it covers, and what the owner is expected to hold themselves. A manager who has clear, practised answers has usually faced these situations before.
How do you leave?
Finally, read the exit terms: the notice period, what happens to future bookings already confirmed, and who keeps the listings and their reviews. A fair agreement makes it possible to part ways cleanly; an owner should be comfortable with those terms before starting, not when the relationship ends.