Full-service short-let management coordinates the work needed to market, prepare and operate a furnished property between bookings. For a London owner, the useful question is which tasks the manager handles, which costs remain yours and how you can see what is happening.
This guide explains the operating scope. For a property-specific proposal, visit our short-term let management service or request an assessment.
Before marketing: agree the property and owner requirements
Start with the property's location, condition, availability and intended use. Tell the manager when you need access to the home and what level of involvement you want. Establish what permissions, documents and checks must be resolved before accepting bookings.
A revenue estimate should reflect those constraints. Compare assumptions about available nights, expected booked nights and nightly rates rather than relying on a single annual headline.
Listing preparation and distribution
Ask who arranges photography, writes the listing, records amenities and manages the booking channels. Accurate descriptions help guests understand the home before they book. Clarify who controls the listings, images and accounts if the management arrangement ends.
Pricing and booking management
Managing rates involves reviewing demand, booking pace, minimum stays and gaps between reservations. Ask how often a person reviews the strategy, which decisions are automated and how discounts affect the amount left after costs.
Read about dynamic pricing and ask the manager to explain the approach for your property.
Guest communication and access
The operating plan should cover enquiries, arrival instructions, access, support during the stay and departure. Establish who handles urgent problems and how the owner is contacted when a decision is required. Guest screening can help identify concerns, but no process removes all risk.
Cleaning, linen and property checks
Agree how turnovers are scheduled, what the cleaning checklist covers and how damage or missing items are reported. Ask which costs are charged to guests and what happens if those charges do not cover the work. Confirm the arrangements for deep cleaning and replacement linen separately.
Maintenance and owner approvals
Clarify which tasks the manager can authorise, what needs your approval and how urgent repairs are handled. Ask for the process for obtaining quotes, documenting work and showing costs on your statement. Management commission does not automatically cover contractor bills.
Reporting that explains the result
An owner should be able to follow booking revenue through to the payout. Ask for an anonymised statement showing platform deductions, management fees, cleaning and other charges. Check the reporting period, payment timing and how refunds or later adjustments appear.
Revenue, occupancy and payout describe different things. A fuller calendar is not necessarily a better result if low rates and operating costs reduce the amount retained.
What does full-service management cost?
Compare the calculation basis as well as the percentage: what revenue the fee applies to, whether VAT is additional and which tasks carry separate charges. Use the same illustrative booking revenue for each quote.
See Stay In London's management plans and our management fees guide. Keep the manager's fee separate from booking-platform fees, utilities, insurance and property-specific costs.
Before you appoint a manager
- Confirm property fit, availability and responsibilities in writing.
- Review a cost breakdown and a sample owner statement.
- Agree repair approvals and escalation contacts.
- Check personal-use arrangements and existing booking commitments.
- Read the notice and handover terms before signing.
Use our questions to ask an Airbnb manager as an interview checklist. To discuss your home, explore our London management service and request a property assessment.
