Airbnb and Vrbo management companies

Whether you’re a seasoned investor with several Airbnb properties in your portfolio or a new vacation homeowner who’d like to earn extra income, the truth remains—managing a vacation rental is a lot. A lot of time, a lot of responsibilities, a whole lot to handle.

That’s why homeowners turn to vacation rental management companies. Though, they’re not all created equal. Let’s dissect what to look for when choosing the right management company, the questions to ask, and how to compare your top choices.

Why hire a property management company

Managing an Airbnb or Vrbo rental can be both overwhelming and time-consuming. In fact, many vacation homeowners compare it to a 24/7 job. Between marketing, juggling reservations, taking care of guests, cleaning after every stay, and regular maintenance—the to-do list never ends.

This is where vacation rental management companies come in. They’ll handle it all for you so that you don’t have to.

Airbnb and Vrbo management companies deliver a ton of benefits to homeowners and hosts, including:

More free time

Hiring a vacation rental manager means you can take your life back. Those late-night phone calls from guests? They’re on it. Cleaning your home after every stay? Always. Continuously marketing your home via email, social media, SEO, and more? Yup, managers do that, too. Meanwhile, you can sit back and monitor your bookings and bottom line.

More 5-star reviews

Never let a guest request interrupt you at dinner time. Some Airbnb and Vrbo management companies offer 24/7 guest service (such as Vacasa). They’ll fulfill guest requests, answer questions, and offer help when needed. Essentially, making sure your guests are happy at every point of their stay (thus increasing the chance of a 5-star review).

More bookings, more earnings

From marketing to potential guests, to creating an enticing listing, to setting the ideal rates to maximize your profit—they’ll work every angle to boost your exposure, bookings, and rental income.

More money saved

Not only can vacation rental management companies help you earn more rental income, they can also keep costs down. They’ll assist in maintaining your property, which will help you save money on costly repairs in the long run. Plus, they have trusted service providers at the ready to help with any major repairs, likely getting competitive pricing.

What to look for in a vacation rental management company

This is your home and your money, so keep your standards high. Here are criteria that can help you separate the good partners from the bad. Let’s break it all down.

Local expertise

We’re listing this first for a reason—having a robust local team is critical. Your Airbnb or Vrbo manager should be savvy on the local short-term rental market and know how to position your home amongst the competition in the area. This means they should be local themselves and be trusted for first-hand knowledge on:

• Local rules and regulations around short-term rentals
• Booking behavior in your area
• Major events that impact your occupancy rate
• How to maximize high, low, and shoulder seasons
• Competing short-term rentals
• Local impact of vacation rental industry trends

Technology and tools

Technology streamlines and optimizes every aspect of managing rentals and can help you save valuable time and money. Today, your vacation rental manager should be using a number of technologies and tools to boost your success. When interviewing Airbnb managers, ask what technologies they use for:

• Setting nightly rates for maximum revenue: Vacasa’s pricing software works to deliver the best possible rate in real time.
• Tracking your home’s performance, occupancy, and revenue: Vacasa’s easy homeowner dashboard and homeowner app give you access to all of these details and allow you to download statements and reports.
• Coordinating housekeeping and maintenance and repair requests: you can make your own maintenance requests easily through the Vacasa homeowner dashboard and app.
• Channel management (managing your listing across Airbnb, Vrbo, Vacasa.com, and more): Vacasa’s channel management technology syncs all your channels and calendars seamlessly.
• Giving guests easy access to search for and book vacation homes: The Vacasa mobile app goes further and gives guests quick access to digital lock codes, instant WiFi connection, trip details, and more.

Experience and reputation

As Airbnb’s and Vrbo’s popularity rises, so do the number of new property managers wanting to get in on the action. Important questions to ask to narrow the field:

• How much experience does the company have in managing vacation rentals?
• Are they new to the market or have they spent more than a decade working with hundreds of satisfied homeowners?
• Are there homeowner reviews and case studies you can read through?

Working with a company that has efficient operations and expertise in vacation rentals—not to mention the customer testimonials to prove it—will give you a competitive advantage, help you avoid costly mistakes, and help you make the most out of your vacation rental investment.

Fees

What are their management fees and what’s included? Fees can vary significantly from one management company to another. Managers typically charge anywhere from 10% to 50% of your revenue. Though, not all vacation rental managers have the same services or charge in the same way. Some will even charge extras for initial setup, cleaning, or even vacancies. Before you sign on the dotted line, calculate costs and upfront fees.

Vascasa’s pricing is straightforward—you pay one comprehensive fee for our management services, which includes:

• Marketing
• Housekeeping
• Maintenance
• 24/7 guest service
• 24/7 owner support
• Channel management
• Rate setting
• And so much more

Your fee is tailored to your home specifically, depending on number of bedrooms, location, and guest amenities.

Services

There are full-service management companies, those that offer half-service, and some that just handle à la carte services.

Here are the areas homeowners must focus on to maintain a full calendar and a healthy bottom line. Consider how much time you’re willing to spend handling these items on your own, then find a manager to handle the rest.

Explore Vacasa’s services >

Housekeeping

Guests expect your home to be pristine right on arrival. Full-service vacation rental management companies—like Vacasa—make that happen with professional housekeepers who thoroughly clean after every guest check out.

At Vacasa, our housekeepers do more than clean every room. We also keep your home stocked with vacation rental essentials, check WiFi speeds, and verify that all appliances are working.

Meanwhile, half-service managers offer referrals to local cleaners, but it’s still up to you to coordinate cleaning dates and times and pay their cleaning fees.

Marketing

Boosting visibility for your vacation home should be tailored and never ending. The best Airbnb and Vrbo managers market your rental not just in one or two places online, but everywhere, all the time. That means they’ll:

• Manage your calendars and listings on Airbnb and Vrbo (plus other booking sites)
• Regularly email past and potential guests
• Consistently post new social media content
• Use SEO to boost visibility in search engine results
• And more

Vacasa does all this and more. We create eye-catching listings with the help of 3D virtual home tours and expert vacation rental copywriters and photographers (all included in your management fee).

Channel management

Competition for bookings is fierce, especially when there are dozens of similar Airbnbs and Vrbos in your area.

Channel management refers to creating and overseeing your vacation home listing on multiple booking channels like Airbnb, Vrbo, or Booking.com. Your vacation rental manager should know how booking channels work and how to optimize your listings so they stand above the crowd.

Here’s how Vacasa does it, at no extra cost:

• Optimize your listing
  • Vacasa does a professional photoshoot and a Matterport® virtual tour of every home—even before you get your first booking. Then our professional copywriters write a compelling description with keywords and catchy headlines.
• Manage your listing
  • Post it in several places online to get the most possible views and bookings, including Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, and our own platform, Vacasa.com. Then, fill in the gaps with niche vacation rental sites like American Snowbird and Cottages.com.
  • Sync all of your channels and calendars (goodbye, double bookings)
  • Nurture tight-knit partnerships with top channels (like Airbnb and Vrbo), resulting in our homes often being listed at the top of search results and receiving guaranteed dedicated support

Guest service

Even with the best precautions, things can happen during a stay. Lightbulbs go out, guests run out of towels, coffee machine breaks down. Look for a management company that prioritizes guest satisfaction. They’re the ones who will pick up every call and answer every text from guests, 24/7.

With Vacasa, we have local team members in every market ready to assist guests when needed, plus a remote guest service team working round the clock.

Property maintenance

Some questions to ask: Does the property manager handle maintenance and minor repairs of your Airbnb? Do they work with local providers or provide in-house help? How often do they inspect your rental to help avoid costly repairs in the future?

Here’s how Vacasa keeps your Airbnb and Vrbo in prime condition, inside and out:

• Regular visual home inspections
• Minor maintenance, such as reinstalling window screens, or fixing coffee makers or broken door handles
• Replace standard supplies (batteries, lightbulbs, cleaning supplies)
• Prepare home for seasonal conditions (certain markets)
• House visits during guest stays (flip breakers, troubleshoot WiFi issues, unclog drains)
• For larger repairs, we’ll coordinate directly with a trusted vendor, handle any paperwork and follow-up.

Rate setting

Setting the right rate can feel like a mystery. But it shouldn’t be to your Airbnb manager. Find out how they set rates. The right rate should change daily to maximize your revenue. At Vacasa, our local market analysts—along with our rate-setting tool—takes into account factors like your location, competition, demand, events, weather, seasonality, and more.

Finding the right company to manage your Airbnb or Vrbo can make a world of difference to your home, your guests, and your ROI. They take a lot off your plate, while also offering expert knowledge and guidance on running a successful vacation rental. While there’s a cost, the potential boost in bookings, revenue, and freed-up hours can make it well worth the expense. Ultimately, it’s best to choose a company that best matches your specific needs and priorities as a vacation rental owner.