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Choose a short-term rental manager by asking what the fee covers and what sits on top, how long the minimum term is, where your property will be listed, how pricing is set, and what occupancy they achieve against the market for the same month. A good manager answers each with specifics, in writing, before you sign.
Guests book summer stays in the weeks beforehand, so a listing that goes live in November has more time to collect bookings and reviews than one that goes live in mid-December. Setting a property up takes work: photos, the listing build, pricing and house guides. Starting early means the property is ready when guests start searching, not after. You also get to ask questions calmly. Choosing a manager in the middle of the peak means choosing in a hurry.
Ten questions cover most of what owners later wish they had asked. The table shows the answer to expect and the answer that should make you pause.
| # | Ask | A good answer sounds like | Pause if |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What does the management fee cover? | A written list: guest communication, listing and channel management, pricing, reporting, coordination of cleaning and maintenance | The answer is “everything” with nothing in writing |
| 2 | What is charged on top of the fee? | A clear list of one-off and per-stay costs (setup, cleaning, maintenance, any furnishing margin), with who pays each | Costs appear after you sign |
| 3 | How is the fee worked out? | A percentage of booking revenue, so the manager earns when you earn, with the percentage stated for your property | A flat monthly fee whether or not the property is booked, or a percentage that is “to be confirmed” |
| 4 | What is the minimum term, and how do I leave? | A stated minimum term and the exit steps, in the agreement | Long lock-ins, or exit costs you only find in the fine print |
| 5 | Where will my property be listed? | The channels by name, how the calendar is kept in sync, and who handles a double booking if one happens | One platform only, or no clear answer on calendar sync |
| 6 | How is my nightly price set? | Dynamic pricing, reviewed against demand, events and school holidays, with you able to see the reasoning | A fixed seasonal rate card set once and left |
| 7 | What occupancy do you achieve, compared with the market? | A dated figure, for a named month, next to a named market source for the same month and place | A headline number with no date, no source or no comparison |
| 8 | Who cleans, and who pays? | A named process: who books the clean, who checks it, who launders the linen, and whether the guest or the owner is charged | “Cleaners are sorted” and nothing more |
| 9 | How will I know what is happening at my property? | Regular reporting and a portal you can open any time | A monthly statement and nothing in between |
| 10 | Do you operate where my property is? | A yes backed by properties already managed there | A willingness to take any address |
Cleaning is the question owners most often leave until last. Our guide to why linen and laundry services matter for Airbnb hosts shows what a named process looks like.
Specific and written down. In the fee conversation, the useful question is not “how much?” but “for what?” A percentage fee should cover the ongoing work of running the listing. One-off costs and per-stay costs should be named separately. If a quote gives one headline number and nothing underneath, ask for the breakdown. For reference, at Stayhub the management fee is around 20% of booking revenue, agreed per property. It covers guest management, listing and channel management, dynamic pricing, owner reporting, and the coordination and supply of cleaning and linen. The guest’s checkout clean is charged to the guest. Maintenance and any one-off setup costs are charged separately, and agreed before you sign. Our full breakdown is in Airbnb management fees NZ: the transparent breakdown.
Ask every manager for the same thing: occupancy for one named month, beside the market average for that month and place, from a named source. That keeps the comparison like for like. Ask for a quiet month as well as a busy one. Summer fills most properties. A quiet month shows what the pricing and the channel spread are actually doing. As an example of the format: in July 2026 the Stayhub Auckland portfolio ran at 70.7% occupancy, against an Auckland short-term rental market average of 54.8% (AirDNA, July 2026). The market average includes every kind of host, managed and self-managed. One month is one month, so ask for the figure for your own property over a full year. To see what your own property could earn, start with What could your Auckland property earn on Airbnb?.
It varies by manager, so ask. Stayhub’s management agreement has a six-month minimum term. Whatever a manager’s term is, it should be in the agreement you are given before you commit, not described to you later.
On more than one platform. Different guests search in different places, and a calendar that is synced across channels avoids double bookings. Stayhub lists properties across 140+ booking channels. Ask any manager to name the channels they use and how the calendar stays in sync. More on how this works in our guide to Airbnb channel management.
You can see bookings, income and what is happening at the property without having to ask. At Stayhub, owners have a portal. Ask any manager to show you a sample of what you would see, not a description of it.
Short-term rentals need someone who can get to the property quickly: for a late check-in problem, a cleaning issue or a repair. Ask where the team is based and which areas they manage. Stayhub manages properties in Auckland, Rotorua, Taupō and Tauranga.
Sometimes it is not. If you live next door, have one property, enjoy hosting and are happy to give it the time, self-managing can work well. Our side-by-side comparison sets out when each makes sense: Self-managing your Airbnb vs a property manager.
We will show you what your property could earn under management, and you can ask us these ten questions about your own numbers. Stay with Stayhub’s owner team: get a free appraisal.
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