STR Select evaluated 28 short term rental management companies in California, across 3 markets (Joshua Tree, Big Bear Lake and Palm Springs), and ranked 14 of them on a printed formula. 5 of the 28 publish a management fee on their own site. Checked October 24, 2026.
One row per market STR Select covers in California. Every count below comes from the 28 California roster records and the fee records that drive the market pages.
| Market | Evaluated | Ranked | Publish a fee | Town guides | Typical full service fee | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua Tree Joshua Tree fee index | 10 | 4 | 4 of 10 | 0 | 15 to 30% of revenue or earnings | October 21, 2026 |
| Big Bear Lake Big Bear Lake fee index | 9 | 5 | 1 of 9 | 0 | One local manager prints 27%; the rest do not publish | October 24, 2026 |
| Palm Springs Palm Springs fee index | 9 | 5 | 0 of 9 | 0 | Not published by the local managers | October 24, 2026 |
A company counts as publishing a fee when its own site prints a rate. A rate reported only by a third party does not count.
California has 3 market pages on STR Select, and Joshua Tree is the largest with 10 evaluated and 4 ranked. Among the 14 ranked California companies, 13 full service and 1 co-hosting and full service. 5 of 28 companies print a fee on their own sites (DesertHosts, Open Air Homes, Savvy VRM, BeenStay and Destination Big Bear), and the fee index holds 23 records marked quote only or not published. 14 companies were evaluated and left unranked: Homestead Modern, Stay Cocoon, Serenities, AvantStay, BeenStay, Hi-Desert Dwellings, DoorMat Vacation Rentals, Bearadise, SoCal Vacations, Big Bear Cool Cabins, Altamira Vacation Rentals, Oasis Rentals, Featherstays and Desert Luxury Estates. The typical full service fee recorded per market is 15 to 30% of revenue or earnings in Joshua Tree and One local manager prints 27%; the rest do not publish in Big Bear Lake. Market by market, Joshua Tree ranks 4 and evaluates 10, with 4 printed fees, Big Bear Lake ranks 5 and evaluates 9, with one printed fee and Palm Springs ranks 5 and evaluates 9, with 0 printed fees. Across the 3 markets in California, the ranked share is 50 percent, with 14 ranked rows against 14 evaluated without a rank. 0 of the 14 ranked companies in California are marked as a featured placement, because rank here follows the printed formula and nothing else. The ranked California records cite 24 distinct source pages across 15 domains for their service areas and fees. On the printed formula, the first ranked row in Joshua Tree is DesertHosts, Big Bear Lake is Big Bear Lakefront Cabins and Palm Springs is Oranj Palm Vacation Homes. Among the 14 ranked companies, 0 state a rating and 14 state a portfolio size on their own sites; the rest leave both out. The ranked companies’ fee fields were checked in October 2026. The California market pages carry 2 different updated dates, from October 21, 2026 to October 24, 2026. The 14 ranked companies are based in 6 places: Twentynine Palms, California, California, Yucca Valley, California, Big Bear Lake, California, Big Bear City, California and Palm Springs, California. No company prints a fee on its own site in Palm Springs. A fee printed on a company’s own site appears in Joshua Tree and Big Bear Lake. The ranked companies that state a portfolio size are DesertHosts, Open Air Homes, Savvy VRM, The Cohost Company, Big Bear Lakefront Cabins, Destination Big Bear, Wander Vacation Rentals, Big Bear Vacations, Grizzly Vacation Rentals, Oranj Palm Vacation Homes, Poppy (McLean Company), Acme House Company, Poolside Vacation Rentals and Luxsy Palm Springs. Ranks in this state run from #1 to #5, and each rank is local to its market table, not a statewide order.
14 companies were evaluated in California and left outside the ranked tier.
Of the 28 California companies in our roster, 14 are ranked and 14 are evaluated and not ranked. Joshua Tree ranks 4 and lists 6 more; Big Bear Lake ranks 5 and lists 4 more; Palm Springs ranks 5 and lists 4 more. In California, not ranked means a company sits outside the printed top tier of its own market table. It is not a judgment on the company, and each of the 14 keeps its own profile page.
Listed alphabetically, with the market it was evaluated in. Each name opens its profile.
| Company | Market | Status | Fee on its own site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acme House Company | Palm Springs | Ranked | Not published |
| Altamira Vacation Rentals | Palm Springs | Evaluated, not ranked | Not published |
| AvantStay | Joshua Tree | Evaluated, not ranked | Not published |
| Bearadise | Big Bear Lake | Evaluated, not ranked | Not published |
| BeenStay | Joshua Tree | Evaluated, not ranked | 5 to 8% of revenue across its Standard and Premium tiers for Joshua Tree, with its full service tier stated for other cities only |
| Big Bear Cool Cabins | Big Bear Lake | Evaluated, not ranked | Not published |
| Big Bear Lakefront Cabins | Big Bear Lake | Ranked | Not published |
| Big Bear Vacations | Big Bear Lake | Ranked | Not published |
| Desert Luxury Estates | Palm Springs | Evaluated, not ranked | Not published |
| DesertHosts | Joshua Tree | Ranked | 15 to 25% management fee; optional permit application service at $400 |
| Destination Big Bear | Big Bear Lake | Ranked | 27% management fee; the owner FAQ answers “What is your management fee?” with “27%” |
| DoorMat Vacation Rentals | Big Bear Lake | Evaluated, not ranked | Not published |
| Featherstays | Palm Springs | Evaluated, not ranked | Not published |
| Grizzly Vacation Rentals | Big Bear Lake | Ranked | Not published |
| Hi-Desert Dwellings | Joshua Tree | Evaluated, not ranked | Not published |
| Homestead Modern | Joshua Tree | Evaluated, not ranked | Not published |
| Luxsy Palm Springs | Palm Springs | Ranked | Not published |
| Oasis Rentals | Palm Springs | Evaluated, not ranked | Not published |
| Open Air Homes | Joshua Tree | Ranked | 20% commission on the accommodation fare plus a $125 monthly platform fee; no setup fees and no binding multi-year contracts, per its Joshua Tree management page |
| Oranj Palm Vacation Homes | Palm Springs | Ranked | Not published |
| Poolside Vacation Rentals | Palm Springs | Ranked | Not published |
| Poppy (McLean Company) | Palm Springs | Ranked | Not published |
| Savvy VRM | Joshua Tree | Ranked | 20 to 30% of the earnings; no hidden fees or long term contracts, and it limits the number of contracts it takes on, per its Joshua Tree page |
| Serenities | Joshua Tree | Evaluated, not ranked | Not published |
| SoCal Vacations | Big Bear Lake | Evaluated, not ranked | Not published |
| Stay Cocoon | Joshua Tree | Evaluated, not ranked | Not published |
| The Cohost Company | Joshua Tree | Ranked | Not published |
| Wander Vacation Rentals | Big Bear Lake | Ranked | Not published |
5 rates from 5 companies, each read on the company's own site and dated.
| Company | Market | Model | Published rate | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DesertHosts | Joshua Tree | Full service | 15 to 25% management fee; optional permit application service at $400 | Oct 19 2026 | deserthosts.com |
| Open Air Homes | Joshua Tree | Full service | 20% commission on the accommodation fare plus a $125 monthly platform fee; no setup fees and no binding multi-year contracts, per its Joshua Tree management page | Oct 19 2026 | openairhomes.com |
| Savvy VRM | Joshua Tree | Full service | 20 to 30% of the earnings; no hidden fees or long term contracts, and it limits the number of contracts it takes on, per its Joshua Tree page | Oct 19 2026 | savvyvrm.com |
| BeenStay | Joshua Tree | Hybrid | 5 to 8% of revenue across its Standard and Premium tiers for Joshua Tree, with its full service tier stated for other cities only | Oct 19 2026 | beenstay.com |
| Destination Big Bear | Big Bear Lake | Full service | 27% management fee; the owner FAQ answers “What is your management fee?” with “27%” | Oct 24 2026 | destinationbigbear.com |
Read straight from the ranked tier of each market, with no company singled out.
Joshua Tree has 10 evaluated companies in the California roster. The 4 ranked ones split into 3 full service and 1 co-hosting and full service. 4 of the 10 print a rate on their own site (DesertHosts, Open Air Homes, Savvy VRM and BeenStay). The ranked companies work from 3 bases: Twentynine Palms, California, California and Yucca Valley, California.
Joshua Tree has no separate town guides yet, so every California owner question for this market is answered on the market page. 2 national brands with a dedicated Joshua Tree page on their own site are noted but not ranked against the local companies: Awning and Vacasa.
Big Bear Lake has 9 evaluated companies in the California roster. The 5 ranked ones split into 5 full service. 1 of the 9 print a rate on their own site (Destination Big Bear). The ranked companies work from 2 bases: Big Bear Lake, California and Big Bear City, California.
Big Bear Lake has no separate town guides yet, so every California owner question for this market is answered on the market page. 3 national brands with a dedicated Big Bear Lake page on their own site are noted but not ranked against the local companies: AvantStay, Awning and Vacasa.
Palm Springs has 9 evaluated companies in the California roster. The 5 ranked ones split into 5 full service. None of the 9 evaluated in Palm Springs prints a rate on its own site, so the not published by the local managers note on the Palm Springs market page is the best record we hold. The ranked companies work from one base: Palm Springs, California.
Palm Springs has no separate town guides yet, so every California owner question for this market is answered on the market page. 5 national brands with a dedicated Palm Springs page on their own site are noted but not ranked against the local companies: iTrip Palm Springs, AvantStay, Natural Retreats, Casago and Checkmate Rentals.
Answered from the same sourced research behind the rankings.
28 companies across 3 markets: 10 in Joshua Tree, 9 in Big Bear Lake, 9 in Palm Springs. 14 are ranked and 14 are evaluated and not ranked.
5 of 28: DesertHosts, Open Air Homes, Savvy VRM, BeenStay and Destination Big Bear. The other 23 quote privately or print no rate on the pages we read. Each rate carries its source and checked date in the fee table on this page.
Joshua Tree (4 companies ranked of 10 evaluated), Big Bear Lake (5 companies ranked of 9 evaluated) and Palm Springs (5 companies ranked of 9 evaluated). There is no town guide in this state yet.
Joshua Tree: 15 to 30% of revenue or earnings; Big Bear Lake: One local manager prints 27%; the rest do not publish; Palm Springs: Not published by the local managers. These are the ranges recorded on the California market pages, not a quote from any single California company.
By one printed formula that scores each market table on its own. California has 14 ranked companies across 3 markets, and fee transparency is the heaviest input at 30% of a score. Nobody pays for a rank in California or anywhere else. The full method is printed on the methodology page.
The newest California market page was updated October 24, 2026. Each of the 3 market pages in California prints its own updated date, and every fee carries the date we read it.
Every outbound link below is already used on the California market pages: 28 company sites, 28 fee index records and the national brand evidence pages.
Transparency: STR Select has no paid placements. Corrections: companies can claim their listing to correct anything on their profile.