CalmHost Insights
Airbnb Co-hosting UK - What to Charge and How to Report to Your Client
*Published by CalmHost*
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Co-hosting is one of the fastest-growing niches in the short-term rental industry. Property owners who want the income from Airbnb but not the operational burden are increasingly turning to professional co-hosts to manage their listings. If you are considering offering co-hosting services - or you already do and want to professionalise your approach - this guide covers the two questions that matter most: what to charge, and how to keep your client properly informed.
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What Is a Co-host?
A co-host is someone who manages an Airbnb listing on behalf of the property owner. The arrangement can cover everything from guest communication and key handover to pricing strategy, cleaning coordination, and financial reporting. In return, the co-host receives a percentage of the booking revenue.
Airbnb has a formal co-host feature that allows a secondary account to be added to a listing with specific permissions. However, many professional co-hosts operate more informally, with the property owner retaining the Airbnb account and the co-host handling operations on their behalf.
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What Do Co-hosts Charge in the UK?
Co-hosting fees in the UK typically fall in the range of 15% to 25% of gross booking revenue, with the most common rate sitting around 20%. The exact figure depends on the scope of services provided, the location of the property, and the volume of bookings.
| Service scope | Typical fee range |
|---|---|
| Guest communication only | 8% - 12% |
| Guest comms + key handover | 12% - 18% |
| Full management (comms, cleaning coordination, pricing, reporting) | 18% - 25% |
| Full management in high-demand urban areas (London, Edinburgh) | 20% - 30% |
These are percentage-of-revenue figures. Some co-hosts charge a flat monthly retainer instead, or a combination of a small retainer plus a lower percentage. The retainer model provides more predictable income for the co-host; the percentage model aligns incentives more closely with the owner's interests.
What the fee covers matters more than the number itself. A 20% fee that includes cleaning coordination, pricing optimisation, and monthly financial reporting is better value than a 15% fee that covers only guest messages. Be explicit with your client about exactly what is included.
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How to Structure Your Agreement
A written agreement protects both parties and sets clear expectations. The key terms to cover are:
Revenue basis. Is your percentage calculated on the gross payout from Airbnb (what Airbnb pays to the host account), or on net revenue after turnaround costs? Most co-hosts charge on gross revenue because it is simpler and avoids disputes about what counts as a legitimate cost. Make this explicit.
Turnaround costs. Who pays for cleaning, laundry, and consumables? In most arrangements, the property owner pays for turnaround costs either directly (by paying the cleaner themselves) or by reimbursing the co-host. If the co-host is coordinating and paying for cleaning, this should be treated as a pass-through cost, not included in the revenue base for fee calculation.
Pricing authority. Does the co-host have authority to adjust nightly rates, minimum stays, and availability? Most professional co-hosts need this authority to do their job well. If the owner wants approval rights over pricing changes, that should be agreed upfront.
Reporting frequency. Monthly reporting is standard. Quarterly is acceptable for lower-volume properties. Ad hoc reporting on request is a minimum baseline.
Notice period. A 30-day notice period on either side is reasonable for most arrangements.
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How to Report to Your Client
This is where many co-hosts fall short. A property owner who cannot see clearly what their property is earning - and what is being spent - will quickly lose confidence in the arrangement, regardless of how well the property is actually performing.
A good monthly report answers three questions: What did the property earn? What did it cost to operate? What is the net figure?
What to include in a monthly owner statement:
The statement should cover a defined period (typically a calendar month) and show:
• Each booking individually: check-in date, check-out date, number of nights, and gross revenue received from Airbnb
• Total gross revenue for the period
• Turnaround costs: the number of changeovers and the total cost
• Any adjustments: resolution payouts received, resolution adjustments deducted, or other one-off items
• Net revenue: gross revenue minus turnaround costs, adjusted for any resolutions
• Your management fee, calculated on the agreed basis
• The amount payable to the owner
The statement should be clear enough that the owner can verify it against their own Airbnb account. If they log into Airbnb and see a booking for £420, that £420 should appear in your statement. There should be no ambiguity.
What not to include. Avoid including speculative figures, forecasts, or comparisons to other properties unless the owner has specifically asked for them. The statement is a factual record of what happened, not a performance review. Keep it clean and simple.
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A Practical Example
Here is how a monthly statement might look for a property that had three bookings in July, one resolution payout, and a turnaround cost of £85 per changeover.
Property: The Beach Lodge
Period: 1 July 2025 - 31 July 2025
| Booking | Check-in | Check-out | Nights | Gross revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMCRC5CJ24 | 28 Jun | 05 Jul | 7 | £420.00 |
| ABCD1234 | 12 Jul | 17 Jul | 5 | £630.00 |
| XYZ9876 | 28 Jul | 02 Aug | 5 | £350.00 |
| Total | | | 17 | £1,400.00 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross revenue | £1,400.00 |
| Turnaround costs (3 changeovers × £85) | -£255.00 |
| Resolution payout (AirCover claim) | +£110.00 |
| Net revenue | £1,255.00 |
| Management fee (20% of gross) | -£280.00 |
| Amount payable to owner | £975.00 |
This format is easy to read, easy to verify, and leaves no room for misunderstanding. The owner can see exactly where every number comes from.
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Tools That Help
Producing this kind of statement manually every month is time-consuming. You need to cross-reference the Airbnb CSV, track turnaround costs, account for resolutions, and then format everything clearly. For the source data behind that statement, see how to read your Airbnb CSV export. For a single property this is manageable; for three or more properties it becomes a significant administrative burden.
CalmHost's Owner Statement report (available on the Portfolio plan) generates this statement automatically from your imported CSV data. Select the property, choose the period, and the statement is ready to share - showing gross revenue, turnaround costs, adjustments, and net revenue, with individual booking rows for full transparency.
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Common Mistakes to Avoid
Charging on net instead of gross without agreeing it first. If you deduct turnaround costs before calculating your fee, your effective rate is lower than the headline percentage. This is not necessarily wrong, but it needs to be agreed explicitly. Many owners will assume your percentage is on the gross payout.
Sending statements late or inconsistently. Monthly statements sent within five working days of month-end are a professional standard. Irregular or delayed reporting erodes trust faster than almost anything else.
Mixing your management fee into the statement. Your fee is a separate invoice. The owner statement is a record of what the property earned; your invoice is a separate document for what you are owed. Keeping them separate makes accounting cleaner for both parties.
Not accounting for resolutions. Resolution payouts and adjustments can be significant - a single AirCover claim can add or subtract hundreds of pounds from a month's income. If these do not appear in your statement, the owner will notice the discrepancy when they check their Airbnb account.
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Getting Started
If you are new to co-hosting, the best way to build confidence - and client confidence - is to start with a clear written agreement and a commitment to monthly reporting from day one. The financial side of co-hosting is straightforward once you have a consistent process. The owners who stay with co-hosts long-term are the ones who feel informed and in control of their asset.
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*CalmHost is a financial analytics tool for Airbnb hosts and co-hosts. The Portfolio plan includes the Owner Statement report - a clean, shareable monthly statement for each property you manage.*