01
What Airhomes charges
Airhomes’ published rate is from 15% + GST of gross booking revenue. “From” matters: the written proposal for your address confirms the actual rate before you sign, and portfolios and developments are priced on their own terms. Airhomes’ own setup fee is NZ$0 under the new-management launch offer, which covers the next five suitable homes.
There is no fixed term. Either side can end the agreement on 30 days’ written notice, with no exit fee, and confirmed reservations and handover duties are completed under the written agreement.
02
What the percentage is charged on
A percentage means little without its base. On this site, gross booking revenue means the total guests actually paid for the stay, GST and cleaning fees included — the same basis as the figures in the Christchurch case study. The management fee is 15% of that, plus GST.
When you compare managers, ask each one whether the percentage is taken from gross booking revenue or from an amount left after costs, and which costs come off first. Two quotes with the same percentage can describe different amounts of money.
03
What the fee covers
Under one written scope, Airhomes takes on the day-to-day running of the home. What the scope can include is published on the services page:
- Listing setup and channel distribution, and pricing review.
- Guest messages, booking administration and arrival information.
- Cleaning and turnover coordination: in Christchurch, cleaning and turnover run through Airhomes’ own in-house cleaning team rather than a rotating contractor.
- Maintenance coordination, inside the approval limits you agree in writing.
- Owner reporting: a written monthly statement for each property, with income, costs and GST itemised.
Anything charged outside the percentage is listed per property in the proposal’s written fee schedule, with the approval limit for repairs and other work, before management begins. Ask to see that schedule before you compare percentages. The full scope is on the services page.
04
What you pay separately before the first guest
NZ$0 means Airhomes charges nothing of its own to get the property listed. It does not mean launching costs nothing. Before the first guest there is one-off work: the first deep clean, professional photography, topping up any missing linen and kitchen items, compliance, lock hardware and any other third-party cost the launch needs.
These are third-party costs, paid on your behalf and settled at actual cost, with no markup and no management fee applied to them. You see the quotes before anything is booked.
05
GST on the fee and on the stay
Airhomes’ rate is quoted plus GST, so GST is added to the management fee.
Separately, GST on short-stay bookings changed on 1 April 2024. As at 24 August 2026, the booking platform collects 15% GST on short-stay bookings whether or not you are registered; if you are not, 8.5% comes back to you as a flat-rate credit and 6.5% goes to Inland Revenue. How that applies to you is a question for your accountant.
06
Co-host or full-service manager: what changes
Owners search for an “Airbnb co-host” and for “full-service Airbnb management” to describe the same need: someone else runs the home. The real difference is how much of the work is written into the scope, so compare the scope, not the label. Airhomes takes on the full operation under one written agreement.
| What to settle | Co-host arrangement | Full-service management |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Agreed task by task; some work may stay with the owner | One written scope covering the operation |
| Guest messages and bookings | Confirm who answers, including late at night | Sits with the manager under the agreed scope |
| Cleaning and turnover | Confirm who books, pays and inspects | Coordinated by the manager; ask whether it is an in-house team or contractors |
| Maintenance and repairs | Confirm who calls the trades and who approves spend | Approval limits agreed in writing before launch |
| Fee | A percentage, a flat amount or per task; confirm the base | Confirm the base and every separately charged cost |
| Reporting | Ask what is itemised and how often | Ask what is itemised and how often |
| Your own duties | Consent, insurance and the rules for the address stay with the owner | Consent, insurance and the rules for the address stay with the owner |
07
Questions to ask any manager before you sign
Ask these of every manager you compare, and ask for the answers in writing.
- What is the percentage charged on — gross booking revenue, or an amount after costs? Which costs come off first?
- Is GST on top of the fee?
- What does the fee cover, and where is that written?
- Which costs do I pay separately, to whom, and do I see the quotes first?
- Is there a setup or onboarding fee, and what does it cover?
- Who cleans: an in-house team or contractors?
- What is the notice period, is there a minimum term, and is there an exit fee?
- What happens to confirmed bookings if I leave?
- How often is a statement issued, and what does it itemise?
- Who approves repairs, and above what amount?
Airhomes answers the first eight in the sections above; the last two are set per property in the written proposal. Next: the rate and the live listings on the owners page, one home’s full booking records in the case study, what moving from another manager involves in changing manager, the wider checklist for choosing a manager, and what the Council allows for your address in the Christchurch rules guide.
Questions owners ask
How much does an Airbnb manager charge in New Zealand?
Each manager sets its own fee and its own base, so compare the base as well as the percentage. Airhomes charges from 15% + GST of gross booking revenue, with an Airhomes setup fee of NZ$0 under the new-management launch offer (the next five suitable homes). The written proposal for your address confirms the rate.
What does full-service Airbnb management include?
With Airhomes, one written scope can cover listing setup and channels, pricing review, guest messages, booking administration, arrival information, cleaning and turnover coordination, maintenance coordination inside agreed approval limits, and a written monthly statement for each property with income, costs and GST itemised.
Is there a setup fee?
Airhomes’ own setup fee is NZ$0 under the new-management launch offer (the next five suitable homes). Launch work before the first guest — the deep clean, photography, missing linen and kitchen items, compliance and lock hardware — is a third-party cost, settled at actual cost with no markup and no management fee.
Do I pay separately for cleaning, linen and photography?
Before the first guest, yes: the first deep clean, professional photography and topping up missing linen and kitchen items are third-party costs at actual cost. For the ongoing costs of running the home, the written proposal lists anything charged outside the management fee before management begins, and each monthly statement itemises income, costs and GST.
Is there an exit fee or a minimum term?
No to both. An Airhomes agreement has no fixed term: either side can end it on 30 days’ written notice with no exit fee, and confirmed bookings and handover duties are completed under the written agreement.
What is the difference between an Airbnb co-host and a full-service manager?
The labels overlap. The real difference is how much work is in the written scope, so compare who handles guest messages, cleaning, repairs and reporting, what the fee is charged on, and the exit terms. Airhomes takes on the full operation under one written agreement.