Vacation Rental Management Services: Tips, Tools, and Top Companies

Vacation Rental Management Services Tips Tools and Top Companies

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It’s no secret that effective vacation rental management can multiply your bookings and elevate your Airbnb business to new heights. In fact, Vacasa reports that if you hire rental managers or management companies to oversee your rentals, you can save up to 30 hours of time spent on daily business tasks. It’s clear to see that good management is essential for long-term success, but what exactly does vacation rental property management involve?

Keep reading to get a crash course in everything you need to know about short-term rental management — what it is, what it requires, and how to use it to give you an edge.

What Is Vacation Rental Management?

Vacation rental management is the supervision and administration of vacation rental properties, ranging from handling bookings, cleaning, and maintenance, to marketing, and taking good care of the guest experience.

People book vacation rentals more commonly for holiday purposes, so vacation rental managers also focus on providing a top-notch guest experience.

Vacation rental management is different from regular property management typically provided by landlords. Short-term rental management requires a lot of time spent on guest communication and marketing of properties, far more than traditional property management.

Someone who manages vacation rental properties is responsible for all daily operations and handles guest turnover.

How Does Vacation Rental Management Work?

Vacation rental management, in essence, is simple. If you own a property such as an apartment, house, cottage, or villa, you can rent it out to travelers and holidaymakers.

People who book your vacation rental property are likely to stay for several days up to a week, however, they can also book for extended periods.

Vacation management can be outsourced, meaning you hire an external manager or management company to oversee your rentals, or you can do DIY management, meaning you undertake all management tasks yourself.

What Does a Property Manager Do?

Despite the title, it’s not actually necessary to own a property to become a vacation rental property manager.

With the necessary qualifications, legal requirements, and expertise, anyone can manage the properties of other property owners without ever owning one themselves.

Day-to-day operations of a property manager will include:

• Responding to guest messages and inquiries
• Handling reservations and cancellations
• Setting and adjusting rental prices for reservations
• Obtaining payment for bookings
• Overseeing guest check-in and checkout
• Restocking supplies after every stay
• Arranging property cleanings and maintenance visits
• Writing guest reviews
• Marketing and promoting the property online.

How to Manage Your Vacation Rentals Yourself?

Deciding to self-manage your rentals does offer benefits, such as reduced costs and more control over your rental properties. However, rental management is also a time-consuming process that requires juggling many different responsibilities.

To ensure your management procedures run as smoothly as possible, you should first draw up a business plan and identify goals you want to achieve. You should also consider hiring a cleaning service and establish a network of reliable contractors who can help with maintenance, guest communication, etc.

Using Tech Tools in Vacation Rental Property Management Business

The next essential step is to get yourself familiar with PropTech tools and software solutions. To thrive in the vacation rental industry and be ahead of your competition, you should automate most of your operations with vacation rental software, such as iGMS.

iGMS offers advanced functionality that helps vacation rental homeowners and property managers run their businesses on autopilot, including:

• Managing multiple accounts and listings on the top online travel agencies from a single interface
• Synchronizing reservations across multiple platforms to eliminate double bookings
• Organizing messages into a single feed with a unified inbox
• Setting automated templates and triggered messaging

How to Hire a Vacation Rental Management Company

There are a few things to keep in mind for hiring a property management service for your vacation home:

1. Identify your needs

The most important first step is to identify your needs as a host. How much help do you need with managing your vacation rentals? Do you only need help with managing guests and the rental, or do you also need help with marketing and attracting bookings?

2. Do your research

The next step is to begin searching for a company present in the vacation rental market that offers the services you are looking for within your budget.

After identifying potential companies, you can begin screening and vetting them. Check the reviews on Yelp and Google Business and ask the businesses in question to provide references from their current or former customers.

3. Ask the right questions

To make sure you select the ideal company for you, it’s important to ask specific questions about their business model. Some questions you can ask include:

• How many employees make up the company?
• Do they offer full services, or can you select the services you require?
• Will you be assigned a fixed agent for your rental, or will it be managed by a team of agents?
• Does the company respond to guest requests and messages outside of office hours?
• How does the company handle emergencies outside of work hours?
• How will the company track and monitor the performance of your rental property?
• What strategies will the company use to improve your rental’s performance and occupancy rate?
• Does the company work from a fixed contract?

4. Find out about fees

Another important topic is vacation rental property management fees. Companies generally work from one of three fee structures: the guaranteed income model, the fixed-rate model, and the commission model.

Each fee structure has unique pros and cons for property owners. Aside from knowing what businesses charge, you also need to know what services are being covered in the fee structure, and if certain services will cost extra.

What Does a Vacation Rental Management Company Charge?

A rental company’s fees range from around 10% to 40% of the monthly rental income, and can depend on certain factors:

• The location of the rentals (urban, beach rentals, mountainside properties, etc.)
• The number of rentals you would like the company to manage
• The size and type of the rentals (luxury villas will require more overall management compared to apartments)
• The size of the company
• Whether the company is a local company or an international organization
• The services offered by the property management company
• The fee structure used by the company (fixed-rate, guaranteed income, commission-based, etc.).

Keep in mind that the fees you end up paying will impact your net revenue as a property owner.

5 Best Vacation Rental Management Firms in the US

Although it’s best to do your own research when it comes to selecting a vacation rental property management company, here are some of the top-rated management companies in the USA:

Evolve

Evolve is one of the most popular choices among short-term rental management companies. With more than 30,000 properties in its active portfolio and a nationwide presence, it's one of the dominant players in the industry. For a 10% fee, Evolve provides professional listing photos, marketing and listing management across all major OTAs, guest support, and revenue optimization through dynamic pricing adjustments.

Evolve also offers a Plus plan for an additional 5% fee, where experts take a more hands-on approach by providing strategic guidance, enhanced risk protection, and several other benefits. On top of that, they offer a risk-free guarantee, offering a refund if you're not satisfied or don't get the expected results after six months.

Casago (and Vacasa)

With over 20 years of experience, Casago offers property management services in more than 70 markets, including the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, and Aruba. Casago emphasizes the importance of local management teams who are familiar with the area.

Casago lists properties on major OTAs as well as their own platform. They provide professional photography and optimized listings, organize cleanings, offer 24/7 guest support, optimize rates, and assist with short-term rental licensing and taxes.

Their full-service management fee ranges from 20% to 30%. With Casago, owners sign a 1-year term contract with the option to cancel with 60 days’ notice. Casago acquired Vacasa, another nationwide vacation rental management company.

iTrip

iTrip Vacations is a vacation and urban rental management company with properties in 60 destinations across the U.S. It operates under a franchise-based service model with local property managers.

iTrip is operating as a full-service vacation rental management business. Their services include marketing, booking management, guest communication, cleaning, maintenance, dynamic pricing, and exposure on over 85 listing sites such as Airbnb and Vrbo. Fees are determined locally based on regional market conditions and property specifics.

SkyRun

SkyRun is another property management company offering services in many U.S. states. It operates a franchise-based business model where local offices are owned by operators, allowing the company to focus on local expertise and personalized service.

Like other companies, SkyRun offers similar services, including dynamic pricing, marketing across multiple platforms, guest communication, and property maintenance.

SkyRun charges a commission fee but requires potential clients to request a personalized quote.

VTrips

VTrips is a property management company serving Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. It is ideal for property owners in the Southeastern U.S. seeking comprehensive, locally focused management services.

They partner with Beyond, a revenue management solution for short-term rental managers, to implement dynamic pricing strategies for rentals.

iGMS: An Essential Tool for Vacation Rental Management Success

Whether you're managing a single property or running a growing vacation rental business, iGMS has your back. With automation tools, you or your property manager will take care of everything from listings to guest communication, all in one easy-to-use platform. Stay on top of your tasks with the mobile app, save time, and focus on growing your business.

About the Author
Phoebe Gunning is a former content writer in the Communications Department at iGMS. She is passionate about the vacation rental biz, notably helping hosts make the most out of their vacation rental businesses. Some of her hobbies include reading, traveling and drinking a good cup of coffee.