Ready to manage more than just your own Airbnb? Co-hosting lets you help other property owners run their rentals — and get paid for it. Many owners don’t want to handle day-to-day management themselves, so there’s strong demand for experienced hosts who can step in.
This article will talk you through how to manage Airbnb properties for others — and where to start. Learn what a co-host does, how co-hosting differs from full-service property management, and the steps to run third-party rentals. We also share tips on optimizing Airbnb management and reducing related risks.
What is co-hosting?
Co-hosting means you help another host manage their property and get paid a percentage of each booking. You can choose which services to offer — anything from answering guest questions to handling the entire rental process. Airbnb’s Co-Host Network connects experienced hosts with property owners who need help.
Who can become a co-host?
Becoming an Airbnb co-host requires meeting specific criteria. To become a co-host, you’ll need to verify your identity and maintain high ratings — over 4.8 average across all your listings. If you drop below 4.7, Airbnb hides your profile from hosts until you improve. Drop below 4.5 and they can terminate your co-host status. You also need a 90%+ response rate and under 3% cancellation rate.
Airbnb co-host requirements:
- A verified Airbnb account
- An active listing as a host, full-access co-host, or calendar and messaging access co-host
- Host 10+ stays or 3+ stays accumulating to 100+ nights as a host or co-host (in the past 12 months)
- Maintain an average guest rating of 4.8+ across all accounts and listings (in the past 12 months)
- A cancellation rate lower than 3%
- A high-resolution profile photo up to 100 MB that clearly shows your face
- Recommended: Maintain a response rate above 90%
If you’re already a solid host, these requirements shouldn’t be hard to maintain.
Co-host’s responsibilities
Co-hosting is flexible — you can handle just one task or manage everything. Some co-hosts just handle guest questions, while others manage the entire operation like a full-service property manager. Common co-host services include:
- Listing setup
- Managing prices and availability
- Booking request management
- Guest communications
- On-site guest support
- Cleaning and maintenance
- Listing photography
- Interior design and styling
- Assistance with licensing and hosting permits
Hosts might want other services too — just discuss what they need and your rates. Co-hosting can range from a side gig to full-time work.
Co-hosting vs. property management
Co-hosting isn’t your only option for managing other people’s properties. You could also become an independent property manager or start your own property management company. Airbnb arbitrage is another option for scaling short-term rentals.
Let’s clarify the difference between Airbnb co-hosting and property management to help you decide which option suits you.
Co-hosting is Airbnb’s official program where you support owners who stay involved in their rentals. You typically earn 10-20% of booking revenue. Although you can handle many tasks as a co-host, this is primarily a support role where the owner stays involved in the process.
Professional property management is a different story. Property managers handle everything independently — pricing, marketing across platforms, legal compliance — and typically charge 20-40% of revenue.
Co-hosting vs. property management
| Co-hosting | Property Management | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Role | Support role | Full-service | |
| Owners role | Owner stays involved | Owner is hands-off | |
| Services | Basic property management services | All co-host services plus advanced price management, marketing, maintenance, compliance | |
| Format | Informal or freelance | Formal contract | |
| Revenue | 10–20% of booking revenue | 20–40% of booking revenue | |
| Channel | Airbnb Co-Host Network | Airbnb Co-Host Network, social media, direct booking websites |
Steps to manage Airbnb properties for others
Becoming an Airbnb co-host for others usually means managing your own property first. Once you’ve got the hang of hosting, you can help others who are new to it or too busy to manage everything themselves.
Ready to get started? Here’s how:
How to manage Airbnb properties for others:
- Determine what services you’ll offer
- Learn local regulations and licensing rules
- Join the Co-Host Network or use other channels
- Consider tools for property management automation
- Gather a support team for yourself
- Analyze the efficiency of your efforts
1. Determine what you are willing and can do
Figure out what services you want to offer and research how much Airbnb property managers charge for them.
Don’t want to meet guests in person? That’s fine — just be upfront about what you will and won’t do. It’ll save you from bad reviews and ruined relationships with the hosts whose properties you manage.
You also need to check if Airbnb’s Co-Host Network operates in your area because this feature isn’t available in every region. It’s currently available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, the UK, and the US, with a 60-mile (100-kilometer) service radius. If it’s not available, you’ll need to work as an independent property manager instead.
2. Learn the legal foundations
Research local short-term rental laws before you start, as Airbnb regulations vary from city to city. While co-hosting usually just requires ID verification, running your own property management business might have stricter requirements. You need to look into relevant local tax and licensing requirements before managing rentals to avoid penalties and fines.
Knowing local regulations is also necessary to assist property owners with licensing and hosting permits as a co-host. In some locations, hosts are required to get an STR licence and include its number in their listings.
You should also prepare a draft of the contract if you plan to provide property management as an independent contractor. Be sure to clarify the terms of cooperation, scope of services, agreement termination procedure, fees, payment terms, and other relevant clauses.
3. Join the Co-Host Network or use other channels
Once you know what services you’ll offer, sign up for the Co-Host Network and complete verification.
Your profile will become available to hosts in your location, with your experience, past reviews, pricing, listings, and other details. A detailed profile helps you attract more hosts. Take some time to fill it in to show why you are an attractive option for co-hosting — and make sure to add a high-quality picture.
Property managers may go beyond Airbnb and use alternative platforms to attract guests. Vrbo, Booking.com, Tripadvisor Rentals, Agoda, Homestay.com, and many other options can generate additional bookings. You can even launch customized direct booking websites for the properties you serve.
4. Consider tools for property management automation
By using property management automation tools, you can run more rentals without disruptions. PMS software automates real-time calendar and availability updates, guest communications (check-in/out instructions and welcome messages), dynamic pricing, payment processing, and many other repetitive property management tasks.
Property management tools also support advanced accounting functionality, which may be helpful for property managers who handle payments, order property supplies, and manage other expenses that require reporting to hosts. For one or two properties, you might manage everything manually. But if you want to scale up, you’ll need software.
Most property management systems integrate directly with Airbnb, making setup straightforward. The pricing starts at around $20-40 per month.
5. Gather a support team for yourself
If you’re managing multiple properties, you’ll probably need help with cleaning, maintenance, guest meetings, photography, and other tasks. That’s why you should find reliable assistants at the onset of your co-hosting career.
You might not need their help very often to begin with, but having a list of contacts will prove essential as you scale your services.
6. Analyze the efficiency of your efforts
You’ll run into challenges like unclear agreements, wrong pricing, poor financial tracking, or communication issues with hosts. This is normal — not a sign of failure. You just need to review your approach periodically and learn from your mistakes.
Tips on how to manage Airbnb properties for others
There are many things to keep in mind when you become a co-host. Like, how would you stand out among other local co-hosts? Or what to do if guests ruin someone’s property and you are the one to blame for accepting that booking. That’s why we share the tips below to make rentals easier.
Take measures to protect property
Two things can minimize short-term rental risks: guest identity verification and damage protection services. ID verification enables you to detect suspicious accounts and decline such bookings right away. This way, bad guests won’t even enter the properties you manage. If an accident still happens, the damage protection provider will cover expenses to repair everything.
Airbnb’s background checks and Host damage protection have limited coverage. With millions of users, they can’t screen everyone thoroughly. That’s where third-party services like Truvi come in.
Truvi’s damage protection for vacation rentals has an integrated guest screening, offering a perfect 2-in-1 platform. You can also use it to set up damage deposits and waivers.
Make yourself more noticeable
Good reviews from your own properties help, but since all co-hosts need high ratings, you need other ways to stand out.
Make sure your profile includes all the necessary information, such as covered services, previous experience, your personal approach, unique skills, and anything else that can make you stand out. Be clear, honest, and concise. Use numbers and specific achievements (like increased occupancy, higher revenue, and review trends).
If you view property management as your full-time job, you’ll want to offer your services outside of Airbnb too. Launch an Instagram account featuring short-term rentals, leave comments in Facebook groups, respond to questions on forums, and be active across other online platforms where hosts spend time.
Track your earnings
Figure out if co-hosting is actually profitable by tracking what you earn versus the time you put in.
Start by logging your hours for a few weeks — include everything from responding to messages and coordinating cleaners to handling check-ins and dealing with issues. Then, calculate your effective hourly rate by dividing your co-hosting income by total hours worked.
Next, subtract your expenses: software subscriptions, gas for property visits, phone bills, any supplies you buy, and taxes. What’s left is your actual profit per hour.
If you’re earning less than you’d make at another job, either raise your rates or find ways to work more efficiently. Many co-hosts discover they’re working for well below minimum wage once they factor in all the hidden time and costs.
You can also use some tips from our article on how to start a short-term rental business. They’re particularly helpful for managers launching short-term rentals on behalf of others.
Building a successful co-hosting business
Co-hosting can be a rewarding way to scale your short-term rental income, but success depends on more than just good reviews and quick responses. The most successful co-hosts understand that protecting the properties they manage is just as important as filling them with guests.
When you’re managing someone else’s property, you’re not just responsible for bookings and guest communication — you’re also accountable for what happens during each stay. A single incident with an unscreened guest or unexpected damage can hurt your reputation and cost you future opportunities. That’s why smart co-hosts invest in guest screening and damage protection from day one.
The co-hosts who build lasting businesses are those who can show property owners consistent results: higher occupancy, better reviews, and most importantly, peace of mind that their investment is protected.
Ready to start co-hosting with confidence? Protect the properties you manage with Truvi’s Guest Screening and Damage Protection. Screen guests before they book and get up to $1M coverage for any damage that occurs.
