Airbnb Co-Host: A Complete Guide

Running an Airbnb property can feel like a full-time gig, something many hosts can relate to. When your business starts booming, it might be wise to bring in some backup. Whether it’s a trusted friend, a family member, or a seasoned pro, having a co-host can really elevate the quality of your vacation rental.

Now, let’s dive into what co-hosting on Airbnb involves and how iGMS can help you facilitate it all.

What is an Airbnb Co-Host?

First and foremost, a co-host is a person who manages a listing or multiple listings on behalf of the Airbnb owner.

The co-host or hosts take responsibility and care for the Airbnb home and the guests. They act as a trusted pair of hands that can make all the difference to a successful Airbnb property.

Who Can Be a Co-Host?

Co-hosts could be anyone from family members to partners, neighbors, or trusted friends. You might even decide to hire a professional. They’re all about helping owners manage their vacation rentals more smoothly.

Some of the qualities that you should look for in a co-hosting partner are efficient time management, organization, positive attitude, willingness to go above and beyond, multitasking, people skills, and problem-solving.

Your chosen co-host can be a family member if you so desire, but this can complicate the professional relationship. The most important thing is that your Airbnb account and your property listing (or multiple properties) are managed well. Local co-hosts are probably the best choice, as you never know when you’ll need them to drop in to solve a problem at multiple Airbnb listings.

Vacation rental software for busy Airbnb hosts.

What Do Co-Hosts Do? 

Co-hosts are all about lending a hand with every aspect of managing a vacation rental, from taking care of the space to looking after the guests.

Sharing Hosting Duties 

Dividing up hosting duties requires clear communication between hosts and co-hosts. It’s crucial to know who’s handling what to keep everything running smoothly.

Here’s a rundown of the key tasks Airbnb co-hosts can take on:

• Manage the listing
• Keep the calendar and pricing updated
• Handle reservations
• Communicate with guests
• Prepare the space for guests
• Greet guests in person
• Assist guests during their stay
• Write reviews
• Seek support from Airbnb when needed
• Coordinate cleaning and maintenance
• Restock essential supplies

For co-hosts who value efficiency, automation tools can streamline listing management and help maintain personalized communication with guests.

Airbnb Co-Hosting and iGMS

iGMS software specializes in automating rental management systems and processes, freeing up dozens of hours every month. Its core tools and features enhance co-hosting.

Things Co-Hosts Cannot Do

Insurance-related claims: At Airbnb’s Resolution Centre, co-hosts cannot open or respond to damage or insurance-related claims. Primary Hosts or Host owners can only open a claim.

Review Transactions: In Transaction History, Co-Hosts can review payout transactions for listings to which they have been added (without being able to view the payout method information). For example, Co-Hosts can check the payout status and see when cancellations or alterations have been reflected.

Taxpayer Information: Co-hosts cannot access the listing owner’s payout or taxpayer information. And they can’t review the listing owner’s activity traveling on Airbnb as a guest.

Adding an Airbnb Co-Host to a Listing

The account owners and Airbnb hosts are the primary Host by default but may designate a co-host to be listed as the primary Host.

• Login to Airbnb
• In Hosting mode, select Listings from the top navigation bar.
• Click on your listing.
• Click on Co-hosts from the menu at the top.
• Click the Invite a Friend button under Host with a Friend.
• Access and permissions

All your co-hosts have the same limited set of permissions and never have access to your transaction history. If you decide you don’t want your co-host to have access to the above tasks, you can remove them.

How Do Airbnb Co-Hosts Get Paid?

Paying your Airbnb co-hosts is easy. Just as you would add your payout method as an individual host, you can opt for split payment under the “routing rules” option inside your payment method dropdown.

From here, you’ll need the bank details of your co-host so they can receive the payments accordingly. If your co-host isn’t comfortable sharing their bank details, you can collect the total amount and split it outside the Airbnb platform.

Get paid via Airbnb’s host marketplace.

Airbnb Co-Host Fees

Wondering how much you can make as an Airbnb co-host? Well, co-host fees can really differ depending on what you’re responsible for, the size of the property, and even the location.

Typically, Airbnb co-hosts take home about 10-20% of the nightly rate, and that’s without getting involved in cleaning. For instance, if you’re co-hosting a spot that pulls in $30,000 a year, you might be looking at earning between $3,000 and $6,000.

Now, if you’re handling everything from check-ins and check-outs to managing the guest experience and even cleaning, you could bump your take up to 25% or opt for a flat management fee.

It really comes down to what you agree on in the co-host agreement with the primary host. The more you do, the more you stand to earn, so it’s all about balancing responsibilities with potential earnings.

Airbnb Co-Host Agreement

Airbnb needs co-hosts to sign off on the Terms of Service, but hosts and co-hosts can definitely hash out their own specific agreement too.

It’s essential to ensure that all terms and expectations are clearly stated. For instance, hosts and co-hosts should nail down who’s doing what, figure out how much the co-host will earn, and agree on how they’ll be reimbursed.

You can either tweak a pre-made Airbnb co-host agreement to suit your needs or, if you want something more tailored, you could hire a lawyer to draft one for you—just keep in mind that’ll cost extra.

Key Points to Include in a Co-Host Agreement

Hosting Responsibilities

Your agreement should stipulate who owns the property, the property address, who is the co-host, and the point of contact.

The list of responsibilities and tasks above is extensive. Your co-host agreement should specify who takes care of which duties.

It should also actively state the work timeframes of the co-host. Whether they will work occasionally or if they will be working during each booking.

The co-host cannot manage payment and transaction history and taxes, and the agreement needs to be clear with the roles of the Host.

Earnings

The Co-host’s percentage and payment method need to be outlined in the agreement. It should also detail when payment happens so your time as a busy Airbnb host is preserved.

Expenses

Ideally, payments for the vacation rental should be covered by rental revenue from hosting. Owners are usually responsible for the utilities and maintenance of their properties.

Expense payment needs to be discussed before welcoming guests with a co-host because no one wants to have to pay unfairly.

Liability and Safety

Accidents, unfortunately, can and do happen no matter how many precautions you take. Therefore, it’s essential to know beforehand who is responsible for the accident and how payment will be dealt with when something needs fixing.

Added to this, stipulate who is covered by your vacation rental insurance. Monthly payments to the insurance company must also be worked out in the expenses portion of the agreement.

The agreement should detail who needs to check safety regulations and the ongoing compliance measures required for the vacation rental unit.

Make sure your Airbnb co-host agreement takes into account all occurrences.

Airbnb Co-Hosting and iGMS

iGMS software specializes in automating rental management systems and processes, freeing up dozens of hours every month. Its core tools and features enhance co-hosting.

• Managing multiple accounts and listings on the top OTAs from a single interface
• Synchronizing reservations across multiple platforms to eliminate the risk of double bookings
• Organizing messages into a single feed with a unified inbox
• Improving communication with automated templates and triggered messaging
• Creating and coordinating cleaning tasks with live tracking to completion