There are many owners who do not want to fully host their place. They have a great place but are leery of hosting due to:
- Fear of the technical difficulties
- Worried about how to screen guests to protect house
- Lack of time to handle guests/cleaning/maintenance
- Lack of time to handle platform(s) Platforms = Airbnb and VRBO, more if necessary.
For these reasons co-hosting is available. Co-hosts are listed on the account and they take care of:
- Setting up or optimizing listing.
- Setting up or optimizing images.
- Setting up dynamic pricing for best revenue.
- Setting up on multiple platforms to increase revenue.
- Handling calendars to prevent double bookings
- Working with guests to ensure a great stay.
- Working with the platform to stay in compliance.
- Coordinating with cleaners.
- Coordinating with maintenance and repairs.
A co-host gets paid in most cases a percentage of the listing fee and add-ons, and usually maintains the cleaning fee, as they handle cleanings. A co-host will most likely charge an hourly rate (agreed upon in advance) for work to set up location. They will also have a percentage to handle maintenance and other issues.
A co-host basically does all the work, and the owner retains the majority of the revenue. A good co-host will be able to advise the co-host on items to greatly increase revenue. Items such as pricing, add-ons, special perks. A good co-host will communicate in a timely manner and will ensure Superhost and Premiere Host status.
A cohost keeps up to date by reading forums, books, and staying active in groups. A co-host will read all the small print on the platforms to ensure compliance.
Ideally a co-host will not only take the work load off of the owner, but will increase the revenue.