Guide · Fees · Updated September 2026

What STR management actually costs

Most of what is written about management fees is a range with no receipts. This guide uses published rates only: what companies print on their own pricing pages, recorded in our fee index with dates.

The short answer

Full service STR management typically costs 18 to 30% of gross rental revenue. Hands on owners can pay less through online management tiers, the published example is 12% plus a $1,000 signing fee. Dedicated revenue management runs $125 to $350 per property per month on published rates. Most companies publish nothing, which is why we keep an index.

The four ways managers charge

Percent of revenue, full service

The standard model. The manager runs everything and takes a share of gross rents, typically 18 to 30%. The published Poconos example is 25% of gross rental income. Your incentive alignment is good, but the cost compounds in strong years.

Online or co-hosting tiers

Listings, pricing and guest messaging handled remotely while you cover the ground game. Published example: 12% of gross revenue plus a $1,000 one time signing fee. Cheapest percentage, most owner labor.

Flat fee services

Common for revenue management rather than full management: $125 to $350 per property per month on published rates, sometimes with onboarding fees. Predictable, and it does not scale against you as revenue grows.

Quote only

The market default. In the first market we indexed, 14 of 16 companies publish no rate at all. Quote only is not a red flag by itself, but a manager who will not put a number in writing before a walkthrough is telling you something.

Published rates we have verified

From our fee transparency index, quoting each company's own wording. This table grows as we index more markets.

CompanyMarketModelPublished rateChecked
Galvanized ManagementThe Poconos, PAFull service25% of gross rental incomeSept 2026
Pocono PadsThe Poconos, PAOnline management tier12% of gross revenue plus $1,000 one time signing feeSept 2026
RevFactorNational, revenue serviceFlat fee$350 per property per month plus $150 onboardingSept 2026
StepByStepBNBNational, revenue serviceFlat fee tiers$250 per month for one property, sliding to $125 at 25 plusSept 2026
Wheelhouse ProNational, pricing softwarePercent or flat1% of revenue or $19.99 per listing per monthSept 2026

Every row quotes the company's own published page. See the full per market index, including who does not publish, at the Poconos fee index.

Fee questions owners ask

Answered from published rates, not vibes.

What percentage do Airbnb property managers take?

Full service managers typically take 18 to 30% of gross rental revenue in US vacation markets. The published examples in our index sit inside that band: 25% for full service and 12% for a hands on online tier. Urban markets and co-hosting arrangements often run lower.

What is included in a property management fee?

Full service usually covers listing management, dynamic pricing, guest messaging, turnover coordination and maintenance dispatch. Co-hosting and online tiers cut the on the ground work and cost less. Always get the inclusion list in writing, especially for linens, consumables and maintenance markups.

Are there fees on top of the management percentage?

Often. Watch for onboarding or signing fees, the published example in our index is $1,000, plus cleaning handled outside the fee, maintenance markups and channel fees. The percentage is the headline, not the whole bill.

Is revenue management a separate fee?

It can be. Dedicated revenue services run $125 to $350 per property per month on published rates, or 1 to 1.25% of bookings on software tiers, and some owners pair them with a cheaper co-host instead of full service. Our revenue management ranking compares them.

How do I compare managers when nobody publishes prices?

Ask every candidate for the rate in writing before a walkthrough, ask what their December occupancy was against the market and use our fee index to see who publishes rates. In our first indexed market only 2 of 16 companies did.