How To Make Money as an Airbnb Rental Manager (a.k.a. Airbnb Co-Hosting)

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As Airbnb becomes increasingly popular, many hosts are overwhelmed by the work and properties they manage. Frequent turnovers usually mean a busy, booked business. But it’s also more work with so many turnovers. My Airbnb had a high turnover rate: about 75% of the time I had single stay days. I personally liked having very short-term contracts of hosting no-fuss, easy come, easy go overnight guests. There’s a minimal mess when most of what they will do is sleep. Although the laundry, inspection, vacuuming, and making the beds almost every day did become tedious. When I started on Airbnb, co-hosting was not a feature. About 2 years in, when Airbnb became popular, they introduced the cohost program.

So, if you have an Airbnb property, but you do not have enough time to manage it, or you have extra time to work on, and you want extra money, this Airbnb cohost program might be a good choice for you to make extra money.

Every co-host approach is different; some hosts may only need a little help greeting and managing guests, while others may want you to manage the entire listing for them. So, it is totally up to you and the host to negotiate who performs what and how much you will be compensated for your efforts.

⭐ “That’s Interesting!“

What is an Airbnb Co-Host?

Before discussing what is an Airbnb Co-host, let us first understand what is a property manager. Property managers are people who specialize in ensuring that a property is run according to the owner’s instructions, whether those instructions are financial, focused on providing acceptable living conditions, or both.

The manager ensures that the property is occupied by responsible renters, that payments are collected on time, that budgets are followed, and that the rental is adequately maintained. And there can be long-term and short-term property managers.

⭐ Got Some Space? – Rent out a spare room on Airbnb! This was my claim to fame. I made $71,000 on Airbnb last year while putting in just 12 hours a week. I’m not even joking when I say there are tons of hosts even more successful than I am.

Short-term rental managers

They have a lot of weight on their shoulders. While their business cards and email signatures may only indicate a single job title, they actually wear many hats and perform multiple roles throughout the day.

The complexity of competing roles, activities, and expectations adds to the difficulty of being a successful and efficient property manager.

Long-term rental managers

They have usually licensed property managers whose primary goal is to keep you and your renters satisfied. Your property manager will form a close bond with you and determine what you and your property requirements in order to attract and retain excellent tenants.

Some states require property managers to be licensed real estate brokers for these reasons. In this instance, a property owner will need to hire a broker to ensure that their property is properly handled. While on the other hand, co-hosts usually assist listing owners in managing properties like vacation homes or villas and visitors.

Airbnb Co-host

A co-host is someone who is already acquainted with the listing owner. They are typically a family member, a neighbor, a friend, a trusted acquaintance, or someone paid by the host to assist with the listing. Both the host and the co-host should agree on the roles of each before proceeding to co-host.

If you are interested in becoming an Airbnb co-host and you know someone who already hosts on Airbnb, you can propose to them to add you as a co-host, especially if you already have a background in this matter. You can also assist those who are not already hosting but are interested in doing so by assisting them with listing their space and adding you as a co-host.

Where To Find Airbnb Co Hosting Jobs?

From a family or a friend

If a family or a friend has a listing on Airbnb but does not have enough time to manage it, you can be their co-host.

Someone from Airbnb’s host marketplace

If friends and relatives are not available, you can find a local co-host via the Airbnb website. Local co-hosts can assist with your listing by utilizing their account, and they will have an advantage because they are already familiar with the system.

A professional management company

There are a few companies that offer co-hosting services for your Airbnb. If you do not have a reliable family member or friend to assist you, this may be the greatest option for ensuring that your rental is profitable. Having a professional co-host makes owning a rental home a lot easier.

Freelancers

Some freelancers specialize in almost any professional discipline. Those who want to hire a freelance co-host should realize that it is rather simple to do so. On several online freelance sites, you may find freelancers who specialize in Airbnb hosting. People may choose to hire freelancers for a variety of reasons, one of which involves cost. That, and the fact that there are so many to pick from. Freelancers can be full-time employees, but they can also freelance on the side while working a second job, going to school, and so on. If you want the greatest freelancer to take care of your property, make sure they have got more competence.

⭐ Related:

What does an Airbnb Co-Host do?

A listing owner’s co-host can assist them with their vacation homes, their guests, or both. Co-hosts can also set how much work he is willing to do but can be negotiable upon meeting with the host.

So, how does it work? Below is the list of what can an AirBnB Co-host do:

Create an Airbnb listing

Co-hosts can list a space on Airbnb for the host. They can also help establish the promotion by writing titles and descriptions, coming up with appealing deals, taking, and uploading images. A co-host can also help in determining a vacation home’s price.

Manage reservations

If granted by the host, co-hosts can have access to the host’s reservation settings and can accept or deny requests in a real-time manner.

Can message visitors

Using the host’s Airbnb account, a co-host can message guests on behalf of the listing owner. They can get to know their visitors, answer their inquiries, respond to their concerns and suggestions with the room that they are going to rent, and help them plan their arrival and departure.

Prepare the space for visitors

If a vacation home or villa has never been posted on Airbnb, a co-host can assist in getting it ready for the guests. They can suggest repairs, purchase basic supplies such as linens and toiletries, set a lockbox, and write a house guidebook for the guests to remember and follow.

In-person greetings

Co-hosts can meet and welcome guests, give them a walkthrough of the facility, and respond to questions about the vacation house and the surrounding. They can also address sudden concerns personally while making the visitors at home.

Assist visitors during their stay

If guests have a problem during their stay, co-hosts can communicate with them and help them resolve the issue. For example, if a guest does not know how to use the cooker available, their aircon breaks down, they want to buy foods but does not know where, or their internet is not working, they can contact a co-host to help fix the problem.

Cleaning and maintenance

Co-hosts can be the ones cleaning the space, work with a professional or on-call cleaning service, or both! For example, a co-host may dust windows and cabinets, while a cleaning service takes care of the rooms, kitchen, and bathrooms. Co-hosts can also handle general housekeeping and make sure anything that needs to be fixed will be repaired before the guests arrive.

Get help from Airbnb

If the listing owner needs to contact Airbnb for assistance with a reservation or addressing a guest issue, a co-host can manage the communication and help them find a solution. Co-hosts, on the other hand, are unable to open or handle Resolution Center requests.

Update pricing and calendar

Co-hosts can maintain a listing’s availability up to date and regulate the listing’s price settings by updating the calendar and pricing. Seasonal pricing, promotions, and weekly discounts might also be included. Your co-host can help you decide whether to set prices manually or use Airbnb’s Smart Pricing tools.

Can write reviews

Co-hosts can use their own Airbnb account to write guest reviews on behalf of the listing owner. The listing, as well as the co-host, will be available for guests to review. Co-hosts can see reviews left by guests who stayed at the listing before they were added, but they cannot comment to them.

Things that Co-hosts cannot do:

Access the listing owner’s payout or taxpayer information.
Review the listing owner’s activity traveling on Airbnb as a guest.

How much does an Airbnb Co-Host Earn?

The price that co-hosts, like you, can charge varies greatly depending on their responsibilities, the size of the property, and their location. In general, co-hosts should anticipate payments between 10% to 30% of the nightly listing price. There is no ‘set amount’, but the consensus shows this range is fair. It is unlikely that they will charge 30% of the listing price for simple message responses, aiding visitors and the occasional listing update. Unless you perform the same responsibilities as the host, you can charge a considerably greater fee for doing more work. At times, it is also based on the co-host qualifications.

If you are thinking about co-hosting, make sure you value your time appropriately. Remember, if it were simple, they had done it themselves! Consider how much time and effort goes into dealing with different types of visitors, maintaining villas or vacation homes, stocking and restocking supplies for the space such as linens, blankets, emergency tools, checking people in and out, and even writing and checking reviews to name the basics.

Keep these points in mind if you are a host considering recruiting someone to co-host with you. You are probably looking for a co-host because you realize how much time and work it takes to maintain an Airbnb, so keep in mind that you value your time enough to delegate these responsibilities to someone else. A good business partner is worth their weight in gold, so compensate them decently and you will be certain of your way to success.

Airbnb co-hosts, like Airbnb hosts, have the benefit of working for themselves. They are capable of determining their own rates and schedules as a result of this. It is a good side hustle for someone trying to increase their income or just want to do other things aside from their regular job. And it can even be a full-time profession for the right person, with the right manners.

How do I become an Airbnb Co-Host?

There is no sure way you’ll find a good host on your first try at co-hosting. It takes patience and a lot of talking. Being a newbie requires a lot of research, so if you are cynical, you can start with your families and friends. Gain some experience first. This will be your starting point. But, if you do not have families or friends who have a listing in Airbnb, being a freelancer would be your choice. So you need to be vigilant with the owners. Make sure that all the terms and conditions are clearly stated.

Then what to do next?

The team’s account owner will have to email you an invitation to join. An email with a link to join the team will be sent to you. If you have not received an invitation, contact the account owner and request to request to resend the invitation to you.

As long as you are not actively hosting, you can join a team with your existing Airbnb account. If you have already hosted, you will want to verify that your listing is disabled. Otherwise, you will have to start over with a new Airbnb account and a new email address.

To add a co-host:

Login to Airbnb
In Hosting mode, select Listings from the top navigation bar
Click on your listing
Click on Co-hosts from the menu at the top
Click the Invite a friend button under Host with a friend

Can I become the primary host even though I am a Co-host?

Yes! If the owner wanted to take some time off and decided to let you do most of the work, he or she can actually make you the primary host. This means you will be the primary point of contact for visitors before and during their stay.

When guests look at the listing online, they will see the principal host, and they will anticipate communicating with him or her the majority of the time throughout their stay.

What is a primary host?

The primary host is the individual whose name appears on a reservation as the host. The listing owner or a co-host can be the primary host, but visitor reviews will only display on the listing owner’s profile.

With co-hosts, the listing owner chooses whether the listing owner or a co-host will be the primary host of a reservation.

The listing owner will be the primary host if the listing is managed by a hosting team. All reservation alerts will be sent to both the listing owner and the hosting team, but ratings and reviews will only show on the listing owner’s page.

Airbnb Must-Knows:

Is There an Airbnb Co-Host Agreement?

Although Airbnb requires co-hosts to sign a contract, hosts and co-hosts may choose to draft their own agreement to ensure that all information is clearly presented, and expectations are apparent. Some co-hosts choose to modify or use a pre-made agreement (some hosts and co-hosts discuss them on hosting forums), while others employ a lawyer to draft one for them if they do not know how to do one.

This contract may contain some of the following:

Ownership Specifications.
Who’s going to handle liabilities for damages.
Indemnities for loss and/or damages of property.
What is the condition of the property.
Rent partitions.
Termination of contract.
Safety conditions.
Insurance.

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How To Make Money as an Airbnb Rental Manager (a.k.a. Airbnb Co-Hosting)