Managing an Airbnb listing can be supremely stressful, and honestly, not everyone is cut out for it. Maybe you need an Airbnb co-host! You might have business savvy, but a close friend or business associate of yours might have a fantastic eye for detail. Imagine you’d like to bring them on board as a partner in your Airbnb listing — does Airbnb offer co-hosting capabilities?
Well, yes, they do. In fact, co-hosting on Airbnb is so popular that it’s practically a separate industry all on its own! There are numerous professional co-hosting businesses across the globe, and some are recording very impressive business figures. This arrangement allows listing owners to share hosting responsibilities, making it easier to manage their Airbnb account and support hosts effectively.
Airbnb defines a co-host as “someone the listing owner already knows. Co-hosts are usually family members, neighbors, trusted friends, or someone the host has hired to help with the listing. Hosts and co-hosts agree on who’s responsible for what, how much of the reservation income will go to the co-host, and how the co-host will be reimbursed for expenses.” This arrangement allows listing owners to share hosting responsibilities, making it easier to manage their Airbnb account and support hosts effectively.
What Does an Airbnb Co-Host Do?
Co-hosting on Airbnb involves a partnership where the primary host shares certain hosting responsibilities with a trusted friend, family member, or an experienced co-host. This arrangement is particularly beneficial for property owners who live far from their rental properties and need someone closer to manage the day-to-day operations.
An Airbnb co-host can perform a variety of tasks to ensure smooth property management. These tasks include responding to guest inquiries, managing the Airbnb calendar, updating availability, and handling check-ins and check-outs. Co-hosts may also be responsible for maintenance issues, cleaning the property, and ensuring that the listing is ready for new guests.
Co-hosts have the ability to upload photos to the listing, update house rules, and sometimes, with full access granted by the Airbnb host, they can even adjust pricing and manage bookings. This level of access, however, comes with a few restrictions to safeguard the host’s interests and the integrity of the Airbnb account.
Clear communication and a well-defined co-hosting agreement are crucial in these partnerships. Without these, responsibilities can become unclear, leading to potential guest dissatisfaction — a significant concern on a co host services platform like Airbnb, where reviews critically impact visibility and bookings.
How Does the Airbnb Co-Hosting System Work?
In today’s busy world, primary hosts on Airbnb can streamline their responsibilities by adding a co-host. This process is integrated directly into the Airbnb interface. Hosts simply go to their Listings, select the desired property, and navigate to the ‘Co-Hosts’ section where they can ‘Invite a Friend’.
Up to three co-hosts can be added per listing, but it’s essential that all parties agree to the co-host Terms of Service for seamless collaboration.
What Does the Airbnb Co-Host Terms of Service Say?
The Airbnb Co-Hosting Terms of Service establish a formal framework for the co-hosting arrangement, protecting the interests of both Airbnb and its users. If a listing owner wishes to engage a professional as an Airbnb co-host, they must obtain express permission from Airbnb.
This is a viable option, and several experienced co-host services platforms have achieved significant success recently. The co-hosting model on Airbnb allows property owners to enlist family, friends, or experienced co hosts to help manage their properties.
Co-hosts can handle a variety of tasks such as managing the Airbnb calendar, having inbox access to answer questions from guests, and adjusting the nightly rate. This collaboration enables hosts to maintain multiple properties more efficiently. It also ensures that all guest interactions, from check-in to check-out, are handled promptly.
Unlike traditional property management, this setup allows other hosts within the Airbnb community to provide personalized support, bolstering the Airbnb host’s ability to offer superior guest experiences.
How Can Having an Airbnb Co-Host Help Me?
Generally speaking, if you live within commuting distance from your listing, then having an Airbnb co-host might not make sense for you. Unless of course you work full-time and cannot dedicate the amount of time necessary to manage your property listings accordingly.
If you find yourself in a restrictive position like the above, co-hosting is a way to bring someone you know and trust on board to help and pay them a pre-agreed percentage of your income, calculated per booking. The same goes for hiring a professional co-host.
Airbnb’s terms of service for co-hosting stipulate a few of the possible duties for co-hosts. They include: adjusting calendars and prices, handling guest check-in and check-out, managing guest communications, interacting with Airbnb for claims, and troubleshooting, and more. You can read the Terms of Service here.
What Are Some of the Best Practices for Airbnb Co-Hosts?
Communication is undeniably the most important attribute that any co-host relationship must prioritize. Without communication, no business relationship can flourish and succeed. Be sure to actively communicate and make very clear which duties are the responsibility of which party.
Discuss any limitations that you have identified and look for ways to address them. A co-host is a fresh pair of eyes on the property. Perhaps they will identify issues of which you as the primary host may not have been aware. Reliability and dependability are important factors in any successful co-hosting relationship.
Where Does Dynamic Pricing Come In?
Co-hosting makes the Airbnb hosting process easier than ever. And more efficient, of course. Co-hosts are paid a percentage of the bookings that they manage. Dynamic pricing gets you more money for every booking and that benefits both you and your co-host.
We designed our dynamic pricing tool to find the best possible price for your listing in every market environment. It reads market fluctuations, changes in demand, changes in supply, global travel trends, exchange rates, and more before it creates the optimal price. It then automatically updates your prices every single day.
Business in 2021 is all about optimization. Technology has given us all amazing opportunities to increase the profitability of our businesses and DPGO is no different. Start pricing more intelligently and sign up for your free 30-day DPGO trial now! Register here!
The best STR hosts know the importance of insurance and the terrible consequences if you don’t have it. Check out our vacation rental insurance guide! If you’re looking at investing in a new Airbnb property, try Markets by DPGO! We whipped up a quick guide on how you can use Markets to find your next STR location.
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