Airbnb Management Fee: What It Covers & How to Judge Value

Understanding your airbnb management fee is one of the biggest factors in knowing whether short-term rental management is truly worth it. Many owners focus on headline revenue, but what really matters is how much you keep after commission, cleaning, and running costs. This guide breaks down typical fee structures, what’s included, and how a professional partner like Keey can turn that cost into a clear return on investment.

What is an airbnb management fee?

An airbnb management fee is the amount you pay a specialist company to handle the day-to-day work of running your listing. Instead of dealing with guest messages at midnight, arranging cleaners, managing prices, and checking the calendar yourself, you outsource these tasks to a professional team.

In most cases, this fee is charged as a percentage of your booking revenue. Some providers also add fixed charges per stay or monthly retainers, especially if they are covering more intensive services like on-the-ground maintenance or 24/7 support.

What you’re really buying with this type of Airbnb management service is time, expertise, and consistency – so it’s important to understand exactly what you’re paying for and what you’re getting back.

Airbnb management fees explained

When people search for “airbnb management fees explained”, they’re usually trying to work out whether the commission percentage they’ve been quoted is fair. While every company is slightly different, a typical airbnb management fee will usually cover core operational tasks such as:

• Pricing strategy and revenue optimisation
• Listing creation and optimisation (copy, photos, and updates)
• Calendar and availability management
• Guest communication before, during, and after stays
• Check-in and check-out coordination
• Organising cleaning and linen between bookings
• Basic restocking of toiletries and household essentials
• Review management and reputation monitoring

Some providers offer this as a full “hands-off” package. Others charge a lower management commission but expect you to handle parts of the operation yourself (for example, cleaning or in-person check-ins).

If you want to see how a full-service model is structured in practice, you can look at Keey’s own Pricing page, where different packages are set out clearly with what’s included.

Typical airbnb management fee in the UK

Industry research suggests that in the UK, a typical airbnb management fee for full-service management often falls somewhere between 15–25% of booking revenue, while more limited “online only” or co-host services can be closer to 10–15%.

On Keey’s Pricing page, for example, Online Management is listed “from 10%” and Full Management “from 15%”, alongside a fixed-income option where you receive a guaranteed monthly amount instead of a percentage of bookings.

This range makes it easier to compare offers:

• If a company is charging a very low commission, check whether you’ll still be responsible for cleaning, maintenance, or guest support.
• If a company is charging at the higher end, ask for clear evidence that their pricing tools, marketing, and operations will justify that extra cost in the form of higher occupancy and nightly rates.

The headline percentage matters, but it’s only one part of the equation.

Is your airbnb management fee good value?

Instead of asking whether the percentage looks high or low, focus on how it affects your net income.

Here are three quick checks:

1. Revenue before vs after management
   Compare annual revenue when you self-manage with revenue under a professional company. A slightly higher fee can still be good value if total income rises enough to leave you better off after costs.
2. Scope of service
   Check exactly what’s included in the fee (pricing, guest communication, cleaning coordination, maintenance, etc.). Keey, for example, handles the full journey from listing optimisation to operations, as outlined on the Airbnb Management London page.
3. Transparency and reporting
   Make sure you receive clear statements showing occupancy, nightly rates, and revenue. That visibility makes it easy to see whether the fee you pay is paying for itself over time; Keey highlights how this works in its FAQ section.

Fixed fee vs. percentage-based airbnb management fee

Most Airbnb management companies charge a percentage-based airbnb management fee, but you’ll also see fixed-fee and hybrid models:

• Percentage-based – You pay a share of booking revenue. This aligns the manager’s incentives with your earnings and is the most common model.
• Fixed per-booking or monthly fee – You pay the same amount regardless of revenue. This can work if your prices and occupancy are already stable and high.
• Hybrid – A smaller percentage plus fixed fees for certain services.

Keey combines percentage-based packages with a fixed-income option, which can be attractive if you’d rather trade some upside for predictable income. This structure is laid out in more detail on the Pricing and Property Management Rentals pages.

When comparing offers, calculate what you would pay under each model for a realistic month of bookings, including any add-ons. That way, you’re comparing like with like rather than just focusing on one advertised airbnb management fee.

Questions to ask before you sign

Before committing to any contract, it’s worth going beyond the headline airbnb management fee and asking:

• How do you set and update prices throughout the year?
• What happens if there’s guest damage or a last-minute cancellation?
• Do you handle all guest communication, or only some of it?
• How long is the contract term, and what are the notice periods?
• How often will I receive statements or reports?

You can use resources like Keey’s Why Keey? page and the main Airbnb Management Blog to help shape these questions and understand how a professional provider operates.

If you’d like a more structured way to learn about hosting, Keey also offers a free Short-Term Rental Course that walks through the basics of setting up and scaling a short-term rental business.

Making your airbnb management fee work for you

An airbnb management fee is not just a cost line in your spreadsheet – it’s an investment in professional operations, better pricing, and a smoother hosting experience. By understanding how fees are structured, what they include, and how they impact your net income, you can choose a partner who genuinely grows your returns instead of simply taking a cut.

If you’re exploring your options, it can help to compare different service levels side by side and think about your own goals: maximum income, maximum freedom, or a balance of both. That way, whatever airbnb management fee you agree to will feel less like a mystery percentage – and more like a deliberate step towards a more profitable, hands-off Airbnb business.