Key facts
- What is not settled at handover gets settled later, in a dispute.
- Two questions belong before the contract: is the use permitted at this address, and who bears which costs.
- Ten points belong in the handover — from keys and a photo series to the payment flow and the tradesman limit.
- Least often settled and most often needed: the exit — notice period, review history, return of access.
Before the contract
Two questions decide whether working together makes sense at all, and both can be answered before any signature.
- Is the use admissible at this address? The zone, the municipal regulations, with condominium ownership the association’s rules, under a tenancy the lease. A management company that does not ask this question will not check anything later either.
- Who bears which costs? Cleaning, laundry, consumables, initial equipping, repairs below a given amount. If that division is not in writing, it becomes an issue with the first broken dishwasher.
The ten points of the handover
What in our view has to be in place within the first two weeks — not because it is formally required, but because every unsettled point creates friction later.
- Keys: how many exist, who holds which, and what happens if one is lost. With an electronic lock, additionally: who manages the codes.
- A dated photo series, all rooms, all surfaces. Not listing photographs — evidential photographs of the condition at handover.
- An inventory with a note of condition. Without an inventory it is no longer possible after a year to establish what is missing.
- Access: who has access to the platform account, and in whose name it runs. That matters more than it sounds — reviews hang on the account.
- Flow of funds: where the payouts go, when statements are issued, how the commission is charged.
- Availability: who is the contact, within what time a reply comes, and what happens at night.
- Tradesmen: up to what amount the manager may instruct work without asking. Without that limit, either too much is asked or too much is decided.
- Own use: how many weeks a year the owner wants to use the flat, and with what notice they register them.
- Insurance: what has been notified, what is covered, who reports a loss.
- Exit: notice period, transfer of the review history, return of keys and access. The point most rarely settled and most often needed.
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 returnHow to spot an unsuitable manager
Three signs at which we would advise against it ourselves — even where that argues against us.
First: a promise of income. Anyone guaranteeing an amount they do not control has either not understood the calculation or is selling a risk as security.
Second: a long minimum term. A manager doing good work does not need a commitment lasting years. Monthly cancellability is a promise of quality, not a drawback.
Third: no answer to the zoning question. Anyone who evades «is this admissible here?» will evade a complaint too.
Frequently asked questions
Ten points, and the most important is the one most rarely settled: the exit. Notice period, transfer of the review history, return of keys and access. Alongside that: keys and codes, a dated photo series as evidence of condition, an inventory with a note of condition, the question of whose name the platform account runs in, the flow of funds, availability, the spending limit for instructing tradesmen without asking, your own use with notice, and the insurance position. What is not settled at handover gets settled later, in a dispute.
By three signs. First, a promise of income: anyone guaranteeing an amount they do not control has either not understood the calculation or is selling a risk as security. Second, a long minimum term — a manager doing good work does not need a commitment lasting years; monthly cancellability is a promise of quality. Third, an evasive answer to the zoning question: anyone who evades «is this admissible at this address?» will evade a neighbour’s complaint too. We name these points even though the second and third can be used against us as well.
That belongs in the contract, and it matters more than it sounds: the review history hangs on the account, and that is the most valuable intangible asset a let property has. If the listing runs in the manager’s name, the history stays with them on a change of provider — you start at zero, with all that follows for ranking and price. If it runs in your name, you take it with you. Settle this point before the first booking, not on termination.
And for your property?
Sources
State of our research: 27 July 2026. Official rules change — check the current position with the competent authority.
