Most Melbourne Airbnb managers charge between 15% and 25% of your booking revenue, usually plus GST, along with a one-off setup fee of $800 to $1,500. The most common Melbourne rate is 18% plus GST, which is 19.8% once GST is applied. Holiday House Manager charges a flat 15% with no setup fee.
The headline percentage is only part of the picture. What you actually pay depends on the fee model, what sits inside that percentage, and which costs are billed to you separately. Here is what Airbnb management companies in Melbourne charge in 2026, what those fees cover, and what to check before you sign anything.
The short answer on Melbourne Airbnb management fees
Across the Melbourne market, full-service Airbnb management fees sit in a fairly consistent band of 15% to 25% of booking revenue. A few operators start lower at around 14%, and premium or guaranteed-income arrangements can run higher. Long-term rental managers charge far less, usually 8% to 12% of the rent, but they do a fraction of the work short-term rental management involves. At Holiday House Manager we charge a flat 15% management fee with no setup costs and no onboarding fee, which sits at the lower end of that range for a full-service offering.
What Airbnb management companies in Melbourne charge, side by side
Almost every guide to this question quotes a range and stops there. Below is what operators actually publish, taken from their own pricing pages in August 2026, with the GST maths already done. Melbourne specialists and the national brands are in the same table, because owners compare them against each other anyway.
| Operator | Fee model | Headline rate | Effective rate with GST | One-off setup fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houst | Commission, priced per property | From 14% | Not stated | None advertised |
| Holiday House Manager | Flat commission | 15% of owner payout | 15% | None |
| Airbricks | Commission | 18% + GST | 19.8% | $799 + GST |
| Method Stay | Commission | 18% + GST | 19.8% | Listing fee, quoted per property |
| OptiNest | Commission | 18% + GST | 19.8% | Listing fee, quoted per property |
| AirKeeper | Commission | 18% + GST, promotional rate | 19.8% | $399 photography and profile creation, usually $699 |
| Property Mums | Commission | 18% + GST | 19.8% | $1,450 + GST |
| MadeComfy | Quote based | Not published, reported at 15% to 20% | Varies | Not published |
| Hometime | Quote based, priced market by market | Not published, reported at 15% to 25% | Varies | Not published |
| L’Abode Accommodation | Quote based | Not published, reported at 15% to 25% | Varies | Not published |
| BNB Butler | Commission | 15% to 25% | Not published | Not published |
| Typical market range | Commission | 15% to 25% + GST | 16.5% to 27.5% | $800 to $1,500 |
Rates as published by each operator in August 2026, except where marked as reported. Third-party pricing changes without notice, so treat this as a starting point for your own comparison rather than as a quote.
Three things stand out. The first is that 18% plus GST has quietly become the Melbourne standard: four separate operators land on exactly that number, which means the real going rate for full-service management in this city is 19.8%, not the 18% most owners write down after the first phone call.
The second is how much of the market will not publish a number at all. MadeComfy, Hometime and L’Abode are three of the largest names in the country and none of them state a rate. The figures shown for them come from third-party comparison guides rather than from the companies themselves, and they vary widely depending on the property, the city and who is doing the reporting, which is exactly why they are shown as ranges rather than as a single number. Treat them as a rough guide and get the real figure in writing. The practical cost of quote-based pricing is that you cannot shortlist on price at all: every comparison has to start with a sales call.
There is a subtler thing to check with the national operators, and almost nobody mentions it: what the percentage is actually calculated on. Hometime states that its fee is charged on revenue after platform fees, cleaning costs and payment processing have been deducted. Most operators charge on gross booking revenue instead. Our own 15% is charged on the owner payout. Those are three different bases, and a percentage means nothing until you know which one applies, because a lower rate on a bigger base can easily cost more than a higher rate on a smaller one. Ask for the calculation, not just the number.
Be careful with rates that start with the word “from”, and with rates flagged as limited-time. Houst advertises from 14%, AirKeeper’s 18% is described on its own pricing page as a discounted rate available for a limited period, and MasterHost advertises Melbourne management from 10%. Introductory pricing is legitimate, but the questions to ask are what the rate reverts to, when, and whether that is written into the agreement. The same goes for waived setup fees: Houst has run free-onboarding promotions with published end dates.
One last thing the table cannot show. Operators differ on what sits inside the fee and what is billed separately. L’Abode, for example, states that coordinating trades, property maintenance, ordering replacement items and greeting guests at the property may incur extra charges. None of that is unreasonable, but two quotes at the same percentage are not the same deal if one of them bills separately for the jobs the other absorbs.
How Melbourne Airbnb management fees are structured
There are two fee models you will come across, plus a third that a smaller number of companies offer.
The most common is the percentage or commission model. The manager takes an agreed percentage of each booking, typically 15% to 25%, so you pay nothing during vacant weeks and the manager earns more when your property earns more. Your interests and theirs stay aligned.
The second is a flat or fixed monthly fee. You pay a set amount regardless of how many nights sell. This makes budgeting simple, but in a strong month you can end up paying more than a percentage would have cost, and in a quiet month a fixed fee bites harder.
A smaller group of companies offer a guaranteed income model, where you receive a fixed payment each month whatever the property earns. That certainty comes at a price. The guaranteed figure is usually set well below the property’s likely potential to cover the manager’s risk. If you are still weighing up whether to hand the property over at all, our guide on self-managing versus hiring a manager works through the middle options too.
What a Melbourne fee actually costs in dollars
Percentages are easy to nod along to and hard to feel. Here is the same property on two different fee models.
Take an inner-Melbourne two-bedroom averaging $300 a night with 23 booked nights a month. That is $6,900 in gross booking revenue, which sits in the same territory as the properties we manage: across our own portfolio a two-bedroom in Brunswick has averaged $267 a night at 84% occupancy over the past twelve months, and a three-bedroom in Kensington $455 a night at 94%.
On a flat 15% with no setup fee, management costs $1,035 for the month and you keep $5,865. On a 20% fee plus GST, which is 22% in practice, management costs $1,518 and you keep $5,382. The gap is $483 a month, or $5,796 across a year. Add a $799 plus GST setup charge in year one and the difference is closer to $6,675.
That is the part the headline percentage hides. Five points of commission does not sound like much until you price it against what your property actually earns, and it is the same argument in reverse when a cheaper manager loses you three weeks of occupancy. Fees and revenue are two halves of the same decision, which is why it is worth reading them together with how much you can earn from Airbnb in Melbourne.
What an Airbnb management fee actually covers
A full-service fee should cover the whole hosting operation. That usually means listing creation and listing optimisation, dynamic pricing that adjusts your nightly rate to demand, guest communication and screening, check-in and check-out, professional cleaning coordination, linen, and maintenance. Good short-term rental management also means multi-platform listing across Airbnb, Booking.com, Stayz and Vrbo, so you capture demand from every channel rather than Airbnb alone. Owner reporting rounds it out, so you can see your bookings and earnings without chasing anyone. This is the hands-off arrangement most owners are actually paying for.
The extra costs owners tend to miss
The percentage is the headline, but it is rarely the whole bill. The most common surprise is a setup or onboarding fee, usually $800 to $1,500, charged to build the listing, arrange photography and cover the first deep clean. Some companies waive it and we do not charge one at all. Cleaning is the next one to watch. The cleaning fee is normally billed to the guest rather than to you, but check whether it is passed on at cost or marked up, because a marked-up cleaning fee quietly inflates what guests pay and can dent your booking conversion. If you want to understand how that side of it works, our Airbnb cleaning and linen service page covers it in detail.
Then there is GST. Management fees in Australia are often quoted plus GST, so a 20% fee is really 22% once GST is added, and you should confirm whether any percentage you are comparing is GST-inclusive before you treat two quotes as equal. Beyond that, watch for a minimum monthly charge, one-off photography costs, consumable restocking and exit fees for leaving a contract early. None of these are unreasonable in isolation, but together they move the real cost well away from the headline number, so ask for every fee in writing.
What pushes one Melbourne quote higher than another
Two quotes from different Melbourne operators can look very different, usually for good reasons. Property size and type matter, since a four-bedroom house with a pool takes far more turnover and maintenance work than a one-bedroom apartment. Location matters too. A listing in a high-demand pocket like Melbourne CBD, St Kilda or Southbank can support a slightly different fee than a quieter outer suburb. The service level is the biggest lever of all. A half-service or channel-only arrangement that just handles pricing and messaging sits at the lower end, while genuine full-service short-term rental management that runs cleaning, linen and maintenance sits higher. If you have several properties, most managers will discount the percentage across the portfolio.
Short-stay fees versus long-term property management
It is easy to look at 15% to 25% and flinch, especially next to the 8% to 12% a long-term rental manager charges. The comparison is misleading though. Short-term rental management covers listing, photography, dynamic pricing, guest communication, cleaning coordination, linen and check-in across multiple platforms, which is a far broader job than collecting monthly rent and running the occasional inspection. Short stays also carry obligations a long-term let does not, including Victoria’s short stay levy of 7.5% on bookings under 28 nights, which someone has to price for and account for correctly on every channel.
A well-run short-stay property in Melbourne also tends to hold higher occupancy and earn substantially more gross revenue than the same home let long-term, so a higher percentage on a bigger number often leaves the owner with more in hand. For many owners, that is closer to the passive income they were after in the first place. Whether it works for you comes down to your property, your suburb and local demand. Our guide on whether Airbnb is profitable in Australia works through that maths.
What to check before you sign with a Melbourne operator
Before you commit, get a full written fee schedule and read past the headline percentage. Confirm whether the fee is quoted inclusive of GST or on top of it. Ask whether cleaning is billed to the guest at cost or marked up. Check the setup fee, if there is one, and what it includes. Find out who owns the listing and the reviews if you decide to leave, because losing years of five-star reviews is a genuine cost that never shows up on a fee schedule. And read the contract term, the notice period and any exit fee. A company that answers all of that plainly, in writing, is showing you how it will run your short-term rental management once you are a client.
A simpler way to think about Airbnb management fees in Melbourne
Our own answer to all of this is to keep it simple. Holiday House Manager charges a flat 15% management fee with no setup costs and no onboarding fee, and that single percentage covers full-service short-term rental management: listing and pricing, guest communication, professional cleaning and linen, maintenance, and multi-platform listing across Airbnb, Booking.com and Stayz. You can work out your likely net return before you commit a cent, because there are no surprise line items to model around. If you want to see what your place could earn after fees, you can request a free property appraisal and we will run through the numbers with you.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Melbourne Airbnb managers charge?
Most Melbourne operators charge between 15% and 25% of booking revenue for full-service management, and many add GST on top. The most commonly published rate is 18% plus GST, which works out at 19.8%. Some start near 14% on introductory pricing, and premium or guaranteed-income models can run higher. Holiday House Manager charges a flat 15% management fee with no setup costs.
Are Airbnb management fees charged on top of the cleaning fee?
The management fee and the cleaning fee are usually separate. In most Melbourne arrangements the cleaning fee is billed directly to the guest rather than to you, so it does not come out of your share. Confirm whether the cleaning fee is passed on at cost or marked up, since a marked-up fee raises the total price guests see and can affect how often your property books.
Do Airbnb managers in Melbourne charge GST?
Many do. Management fees in Australia are often quoted plus GST, so a 20% fee becomes 22% once GST is added, and the common 18% quote becomes 19.8%. Always ask whether a quoted percentage is GST-inclusive so you are comparing like with like.
Are Airbnb management fees tax-deductible in Australia?
Airbnb management fees are generally tax-deductible as an expense against your rental income, along with cleaning, maintenance, supplies and some utilities. Keep good records and speak with a registered tax agent about your own situation, since this is general information rather than tax advice.
Is a percentage fee or a flat monthly fee better?
For most owners a percentage fee is the safer choice, because your cost falls when your bookings fall and you pay nothing during vacant weeks. A flat monthly fee only tends to make sense if you need predictable outgoings and are willing to trade away some upside in your strongest months.
Does Victoria’s short-stay levy change what I pay my manager?
The short-stay levy is separate from your management fee. It is a Victorian Government charge on short-stay booking revenue, not something your manager keeps, though a good manager will help you account for it. Our guide to Victoria’s short-stay levy explains how it works and what it means for Melbourne hosts.
