Contents
Key facts
- «Co-host» is an Airbnb term, «management» a description — in substance the same offering.
- The difference lies underneath: whose account the listing runs on. Reviews accumulate on the account, not on the flat.
- If it runs on the provider's account, a separation puts you back to zero — a tie that appears in no contract.
- With us the account stays yours. Self-management costs around 180 hours a year, the basic package 18 per cent, full service 25.
Two terms, one thing — almost
«Co-host» is an Airbnb term: a person who is granted rights on your account to edit the listing, the calendar and the messages. «Management» is not a platform term but a description of what somebody does.
In practice the two overlap almost completely. Whoever runs the short-term letting for you normally works as a co-host — that is the technical route by which access to a listing arises.
The difference lies not in the word but in a question beneath it: on whose account the listing runs.
The question that makes the difference
There are two routes. First: the account is yours, the service provider is a co-host on it. Second: the listing runs on the provider’s account, and your flat is one of many within it.
Economically this is the most important point of the whole relationship, and it appears in no price comparison. Reviews accumulate on the account, not on the property. An account with fifty good reviews achieves higher prices and a better ranking than a new one.
If the arrangement ends and the account was the provider’s, you start again at zero with the next provider or in self-management. That is a tie which appears in no contract — and is therefore easy to overlook.
Your figures, not our examples
The calculator takes the number of rooms, the neighbourhood and the fit-out and shows you a range — with the arithmetic beside it, not as a single figure you have to take on trust.
Estimate the returnWhat to ask before you sign
Four questions, and the answers say more about the relationship than the percentage does.
- On whose account does the listing run? If on the provider’s: what happens to it on termination?
- Do the reviews stay with me? If the account is not mine, the answer is in substance no, whatever is promised.
- Do I receive the photographs and listing texts, or do they stay with the provider?
- Who is registered with Airbnb as the host — and who receives the payouts, into which account?
How we handle it
The account is yours. We work on it as a co-host rather than building one of our own. On termination we withdraw as co-host; access, listing, photographs and reviews stay where they are.
The reason is not generosity but a calculation: a tie you later regret produces a relationship in which we no longer have to make an effort. Monthly cancellability is a stronger incentive for us than any clause protecting us.
What that means for you in practice: if you already have an account with reviews, we carry on within it rather than starting afresh. Reviews are the asset that builds over years — throwing them away in order to set up a new listing would be the most expensive mistake at the start.
Self-management, co-host or full service: what each one covers
The difference between the three routes is not the account — that stays yours in all three — but the scope. Self-management costs no commission and around 180 hours a year for guest enquiries alone. The basic package at 18 per cent takes on the listing, the pricing and the communication; cleaning and handover you continue to organise yourself. Full service at 25 per cent takes those on as well.
Towards the guest and the platform you remain the host in all three cases. That is not a limitation of our offer but the consequence of the account staying yours — and the reason you can withdraw our rights at any time.
| Self-management | Basic (co-host) | Full service | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commission | none | 18 % of accommodation revenue after platform fees | 25 % of accommodation revenue after platform fees |
| Listing and photography | Owner | alphakey | alphakey |
| Pricing | Owner | alphakey, continuously | alphakey, continuously |
| Guest communication | Owner | alphakey | alphakey |
| Check-in and on-site support | Owner | Owner | alphakey |
| Cleaning and laundry | Owner organises | Owner organises | alphakey organises |
| Maintenance | Owner | Owner | alphakey coordinates |
| Your time | around 180 hours a year, 15 to 25 hours a month in high season | cleaning and handover | decisions, nothing else |
| Holder of the Airbnb account | Owner | Owner | Owner |
| Host towards guest and platform | Owner | Owner | Owner |
| Commitment | none | cancellable monthly, no base fee | cancellable monthly, no base fee |
Frequently asked questions
Not because of the term. Some providers call a reduced package «co-hosting» and a complete one «full service» — then the difference is the scope, not the label. Compare what is included, not what it is called.
No. You withdraw the co-host rights yourself in the account settings, at any time and without the provider’s consent. That is an advantage of this route over a listing on somebody else’s account.
They stay with the account on which they arose. If the listing runs on your account, they stay with you. If it runs on the provider’s, they stay there — and you begin again.
And for your property?
Sources
State of our research: 31 July 2026. Official rules change — check the current position with the competent authority.
