Quick answer
A normal Airbnb co-host fee is 10-25% of gross booking revenue. The fair number depends more on the job than on the market. Answering guest messages is a small job. Running pricing, cleaners, supplies, repairs, and reviews is a much larger one.
For a $5,000/month listing, a 20% co-host fee equals $1,000/month. The time you save, the reviews the co-host protects, and any extra revenue they bring in should be worth more than that fee.
Typical co-host fee ranges
| Service level | Typical fee | Usually includes |
|---|---|---|
| Guest messaging only | 10-15% | Inbox, check-in notes, basic support |
| Partial management | 15-20% | Messaging, cleaners, calendar, issue handling |
| Full-service co-hosting | 20-25% | Pricing, vendors, restocking, reporting, operations |
| Property-manager-level service | 25-40% | Full service plus cleaning and maintenance labor |
| Flat monthly fee | $300-$800+ | Predictable workload or backup support |
A gross split is usually easiest
Most co-host agreements use gross booking revenue because it is easy to calculate and hard to argue about. A net-profit split can be fair, but it takes more accounting. You both have to agree on how to count the mortgage, utilities, platform fees, cleaning, supplies, repairs, and owner expenses.
If the deal is small or new, keep it simple. Pick a percentage, define the work, and revisit the split after the first 60-90 days.
Simple example
Calculate the exact split
Test gross split, owner share, and co-host income before you put it in writing.