Airbnb Management in Melbourne
Managing a Melbourne Airbnb is profitable on paper. The reality involves constant guest messaging, daily pricing updates, cleaning coordination, listing optimisation and review management, and most owners underestimate the workload until it has taken over their evenings.
Holiday House Manager takes all of it off your plate. We provide end-to-end Airbnb management in Melbourne, covering everywhere within roughly 25 minutes of the CBD, from St Kilda and South Yarra to Southbank and Richmond. You stay completely hands off while your property earns consistent income, managed by a boutique local team who own and run short-term rentals themselves.
Proven Results, Trusted by Melbourne Property Owners
75+
Properties managed across Melbourne
4.85
Average Airbnb rating
6 Years
Consecutive Airbnb Superhost status
85%
Average Occupancy (after first 6 months)
Explore Our Leading Airbnb Property Management in Melbourne
Holiday House Manager is a boutique Airbnb property management company based in Melbourne, and Melbourne is the only market we work in. We are not a national franchise running your listing from a call centre in another state. The three directors who own this business live here, inspect properties here, and answer the phone when a guest locks themselves out at 11pm.
That focus shows in the results. Across 75+ managed properties we hold a 4.85 average Airbnb rating and six consecutive years of Superhost status, and properties typically reach around 85% occupancy within their first six months with us. Whether you own a two-bedroom apartment in Southbank or a period terrace in Fitzroy, our team knows what your property should earn and how to get it there.
Our short-term rental management covers the full guest journey and the full owner experience: listing creation, dynamic pricing, 24/7 guest communication, professional cleaning and linen, maintenance, and transparent monthly reporting through your owner dashboard. One flat 15% management fee covers all of it, with no setup costs and no surprises.
Many of our clients came to us after discovering that self-managing is anything but passive income. Want to know what your property could earn without the workload? Book a free, no-obligation call and we will prepare a property earnings report comparing similar homes in your suburb.
Our Airbnb Management Services
Every property we manage receives the same complete service. There are no tiers, no add-on packages and no fine print. Here is what your flat 15% fee covers.
Free Onboarding & Setup
Getting started costs you nothing. We handle the full setup of your property from day one, including lockbox installation, listing creation, check-in and check-out configuration, house manuals, guest communication templates and initial pricing. By the time your first guest books, everything is in place and running. Most Melbourne Airbnb managers charge $800 to $1,500 for this. We charge nothing.
Revenue Maximisation & Dynamic Pricing
We use specialist short-stay pricing software to make sure your property earns what it should, every night. Rates are adjusted daily based on seasonality, local demand, suburb-level competitor performance and upcoming events such as the AFL Grand Final or major concerts. Minimum night settings are managed strategically to avoid low-value gaps. The result is revenue optimisation that responds to the market in real time rather than a rate set once and forgotten.
Guest Communication & Support
Our team handles all guest communication around the clock, from the first enquiry through to checkout. Every message receives a prompt reply and every issue is resolved professionally. We combine local, on-the-ground support with dedicated virtual assistants so nothing falls through the cracks, regardless of the hour. Guest vetting is part of the process too, which protects your property and your reviews.
Professional Cleaning & Linen
After every stay your property is reset to hotel standards, with fresh linen, a thorough damage check and restocking of guest essentials such as toiletries and consumables. Cleaning fees are charged directly to the guest at booking, so this never comes out of your pocket. Consistent presentation is the single biggest driver of 5-star reviews, and it is the part of the job we refuse to outsource to unmanaged contractors.
Listing Optimisation & Photography
Your listing is your shopfront. We create and maintain fully optimised, multi-platform listings across Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO, Stayz and Google, written for both search visibility and guest conversion. Professional photography is arranged for every property we onboard. Calendars stay synced through professional management software, which means no double bookings and one clear view of what is happening at your property.
Owner Dashboard & Transparent Reporting
You have full visibility over your property’s performance at all times through our management software dashboard, which tracks occupancy rate, average daily rate, pricing and revenue in real time. Monthly invoicing covers management and cleaning clearly, with no surprises and no chasing us for information. Your calendar stays in your control as well, so you can block out dates for personal use whenever you like.
How We Manage Your Property End-to-End
Wondering whether you should self-manage or hire an Airbnb manager? Here is exactly what happens when you hand your property to us.
1
Free earnings report
2
Onboarding at no cost
We install a lockbox or setup key collection solution, arrange photography, build your listings, write the house manual and set your launch pricing. You pay nothing for our setup.
3
Going live
Your property is published across Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO, Stayz and Google with synced calendars, and dynamic pricing begins adjusting your rates daily from the first night.
4
Every stay, handled.
Guests are vetted, messaged and supported 24/7. Checkout at 10am, clean and inspection during the day, next check-in at 3pm. Same-day turnovers maximise your bookable nights.
5
Property care between stays
Bruno and our local team inspect regularly, coordinate cleaning crews, restock essentials and resolve maintenance issues directly with trusted local trades, usually before you even hear about them.
6
Monthly reporting
At the end of each month you receive clear invoices covering all revenue, management and cleaning, and we review strategy with you as the seasons change.
Why Choose Holiday House Managers for your Airbnb Management Service?
As a local Melbourne business, we personally oversee every aspect of your airbnb management. From tailored cleaning and plant care to essential restocking, we ensure your airbnb property is impeccably maintained. Our hands-on approach includes managing all necessary trades and conducting thorough quality checks, giving you peace of mind and your guests a exceptional experience.
Holiday House Manager
- Boutique Melbourne-based team
- Hands-on local support at properties
- No onboarding or setup fees
- 15% flat management fee
- 75+ Melbourne properties managed
- Dynamic pricing adjusted daily
- Real humans responding to guests
- Direct maintenance coordination
- Hotel-quality linen standards
- Professionally coordinated cleaning teams
- Local team members available onsite
- We actively protect your reviews
- Support with claims & damage recovery
- Faster issue resolution with local trades
Other Competitors
- Large interstate or offshore operations
- Fully remote management
- Expensive onboarding costs
- Complex or hidden fee structures
- Limited Melbourne experience
- Static or infrequently updated pricing
- Automated or outsourced support
- Slow third-party escalation processes
- Inconsistent linen quality
- Unmanaged contractor cleans
- No physical presence
- Reactive management only
- Limited post-stay claim handling
- Long delays for maintenance
Melbourne Short-Stay Rules and the Short Stay Levy
Last updated: July 2026
Do I need to pay a levy on my Melbourne Airbnb? In most cases, yes. Victoria’s 7.5% Short Stay Levy has applied to all short-term accommodation bookings since 1 January 2025. It covers stays of fewer than 28 consecutive days in any Victorian residential property that is not the owner’s principal place of residence, and it is calculated on the total booking fee, including cleaning fees and GST. The Victorian State Revenue Office administers the levy and is the authoritative source for edge cases.
How the levy reaches you depends on the platform, and the difference matters. On Airbnb, the 7.5% is added on top of your listed price, charged to the guest and remitted automatically, so your payout is unaffected. On Booking.com, the levy is deducted from your payout under its merchant model, which means your listed prices need recalibrating or you quietly absorb the cost on every booking. This is one of the most common revenue leaks we find when taking over Melbourne properties from other managers or self-managing owners.
The levy is not the only rule to stay across. Since 1 January 2025, owners corporations have been able to ban short stays in their building through a 75% special resolution, although the ban cannot apply to an owner’s principal place of residence. Victoria has no statewide night cap.
As part of our Melbourne short stay management service, we handle all of this for you: platform pricing adjustments, levy compliance across every channel, and checking your building and council rules before your listing goes live. For the full breakdown, read our guide to Victoria’s short stay levy.
Real Results From Our Melbourne Portfolio
Market averages only tell you so much. These are three real properties under our Airbnb management in Melbourne, anonymised to suburb level, showing occupancy and average nightly rate across the past 12 months and the annual revenue that produces.
| Property | Occupancy | Avg nightly rate | Annual revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luxury 3-bed house, Kensington | 94% | $455 | $156,110 |
| Luxury 2-bed penthouse, Melbourne CBD | 68% | $543 | $134,773 |
| 2-bed apartment, Brunswick | 84% | $267 | $81,862 |
Each figure reflects a different strategy. The Kensington house runs a high-occupancy approach with competitive rates and longer average stays. The CBD penthouse holds a premium nightly rate and accepts lower occupancy, because at $543 a night the numbers work. The Brunswick apartment sits in the balanced middle, which is where most Melbourne properties land.
That is the point: there is no single right strategy, only the right strategy for your property and your goals.
Explore Our Most Popular Suburbs For Airbnb Management in Melbourne
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Meet The Team
Rebecca: Client Relations & Onboarding
Rebecca has been managing Airbnbs for a decade, with a background in hotel management before that. She is usually the first person you will speak to, guiding new clients through onboarding and making sure you feel confident before we take on your property.
Nick: Operations & Owner Management
Nick runs the engine room: day-to-day owner communication, property performance and the guest messaging that keeps reviews strong and calendars full.
Bruno: Property & Maintenance
Bruno also comes from hotel management, and it shows. He personally inspects properties, coordinates cleaning teams and manages maintenance with local trades. When something breaks, Bruno is the first call, and he does not rest until it is sorted.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What does Holiday House Manager charge for Airbnb Management in Melbourne?
We charge a flat fee of 15% of the owner payout from each booking. This covers all standard management under our service.
How much does Airbnb management cost in Melbourne?
We operate on a simple, transparent fixed management fee of 15% of the owner’s payout. This is calculated on the daily rate plus the cleaning fee. All cleaning fees are charged directly to the guest at the time of booking, so it does not come out of your pocket. Across the wider market, fees typically run from 15% to 25% plus setup charges; you can see how we compare in our guide to what Melbourne Airbnb managers charge.
What's included in your Airbnb management service?
Our end-to-end service covers everything required to run your property as a high-performing short-term rental:
- Professional Cleaning & Hotel-Quality Linen: We reset the property to exacting standards after each stay, with fresh linen and thorough damage checks after every clean.
- Replenish Service: We restock guest essentials like toiletries and consumables at cost, so your property is always guest-ready.
- Guest Communication: Our five-person team provides 24/7 guest support, check-in and check-out coordination, and prompt resolution of any issues that arise.
- Revenue Maximisation: We list your property across Airbnb, Booking.com, and VRBO, with pricing strategies designed to increase occupancy and returns.
- Marketing & Listings: Professional photography (where needed) and optimised listings that highlight your property’s best features across all platforms.
- Maintenance Oversight: Fast, effective resolution of any maintenance issues to keep your property in top condition.
- Transparent Reporting: Full visibility of your rental income, with monthly invoicing for both management and cleaning.
- Troubleshooting: Rapid solutions in the rare event something goes wrong.
- Data-Driven Pricing: Dynamic pricing based on local events (AFL Grand Final, concerts), seasonality, and real-time market demand.
The result is completely stress-free management: we handle everything so you don’t have to. You can read what our clients say in our Google reviews, and we’re happy to connect you with existing clients for references.
What areas of Melbourne do you cover?
We cover Melbourne and its metropolitan areas; everywhere within approximately a 25-minute radius of the Melbourne CBD. This allows us to deliver a truly boutique Airbnb management service with hands-on oversight across every area we operate in. Our coverage includes Central Melbourne (CBD, Docklands, Southbank), the Inner South, Inner Southeast (including South Yarra and Elwood), the Inner Northeast (including Fitzroy, Collingwood, and Richmond), Inner North, Inner West, and Inner East. View all service locations
Do you manage properties on other platforms besides Airbnb?
Yes. Victoria’s 7.5% Short Stay Levy has applied to all bookings of under 28 nights since 1 January 2025, calculated on the total booking fee including cleaning fees. Airbnb adds it on top of your price and remits it automatically, while Booking.com deducts it from your payout, so pricing there needs adjusting. We manage levy compliance across every platform for you. Read the full breakdown in our guide to Victoria’s short stay levy.
Do I need council approval to run an Airbnb in Melbourne?
Most Melbourne properties do not need council approval to operate as a short-term rental, and Victoria has no statewide night cap. However, some councils have introduced their own limits on unhosted properties, and since January 2025 an owners corporation can ban short stays in a building through a 75% special resolution (this cannot apply to your principal place of residence). We check your building and council rules as part of onboarding, before your listing goes live.
What are the busiest times of year for Melbourne Airbnbs?
The strongest periods are the Australian Open in late January, the Formula 1 Grand Prix in March, AFL finals in September, the Spring Racing Carnival through late October and early November, and the Christmas to New Year summer peak. Concerts and festivals create smaller surges year-round. Our dynamic pricing lifts your rates ahead of each of these windows automatically.
Can I still use my property when I want?
Absolutely, your property is yours. We use a management platform that gives you full access to your property’s calendar, allowing you to block out any dates you’d like to use the property at any time. Your access and enjoyment of your own home is never compromised.
How does guest check-in and check-out work?
We operate a same-day turnover model, which means checkout is at 10:00am and check-in is at 3:00pm. This allows your property to be cleaned, inspected, and reset between guests on the same day, maximising the number of bookable nights and your overall revenue.
How do I track my bookings and income?
We use property management software that gives you visibility over all incoming bookings. At the end of each month, we provide you with invoices from both Airbnb and Booking.com so you have a clear record of all revenue generated for that period.
What are your occupancy rates in Melbourne?
Our occupancy rates are among the highest in the industry, consistently outperforming market averages across Melbourne. Depending on the strategy we implement, we’ve achieved up to 92% occupancy over a six-month period for select properties. We tailor our approach based on your goals, whether that’s maximising occupancy, driving higher nightly rates, or striking the optimal balance for overall revenue. Using dynamic pricing, real-time market data, and continuous calendar optimisation, we ensure your property is positioned to perform at its peak. Every property is different, which is why we work closely with you to define the right strategy and refine it over time, so you achieve the strongest possible occupancy and return.
How much can I earn from short-term rental in Melbourne?
Earnings vary depending on a number of factors including your property’s location, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, interior styling, and seasonal demand. You can see real examples from our portfolio above, or read our guide on whether Airbnb is profitable in Australia. To get a clear picture of what your property could earn, get in touch and we’ll prepare a free property earnings report, comparing similar properties in your area so you can see realistic income potential before committing to anything.
Reviews From Our Property Owners
Discover what our property owners have to say about our airbnb management in Melbourne! Read our Google reviews below and hear directly from satisfied owners.
Are you prepared to maximise your property’s possibilities through short-term rentals? We are ready to assist you.
If you’re curious about the potential earnings from leasing your property on a short-term basis, we are on hand to address all your inquiries.