You are handing a valuable asset to someone else. The decision is not settled by the commission percentage but by what exactly is taken on, how you get paid, and what you can see.
Below are the questions we would ask if we were in your position, along with what each answer tells you.
The short version
- Ask for a written agreement before anything else. If there is none, stop there.
- Ask exactly what the commission covers and what is billed on top.
- Ask precisely when money reaches your account.
- Ask to see how you will view your bookings.
- Ask who receives guests and what happens at two in the morning.
The nine questions
- What exactly does the commission cover? Cleaning, linen, guest reception, pool care? Anything not stated explicitly is not included.
- Is the commission calculated on gross or on net after platform fees? The difference is significant.
- Is there a setup cost, a minimum annual charge or a photography fee?
- When am I paid and through what process?
- How do I see my bookings and my income? With what access?
- Who does check-in and what happens with a late arrival?
- What happens if damage occurs and how is it covered?
- How many channels will the property appear on, and which ones?
- How long does the agreement run and how does it end? What happens to bookings already taken?
Red flags
Some answers should end the conversation.
- There is no written contract, or you are asked to start on a trial basis with nothing in writing.
- They promise a specific annual income before seeing the property.
- They cannot tell you clearly what is not included.
- They ask to operate your bank account rather than pay into it.
- They will not give you access to your own booking data.
The promise of a specific income before a visit is the most common. Nobody can know what a property will earn without seeing its location, amenities and condition.
What to ask about your area
A company operating across Greece is not necessarily worse, but the turnaround in a house in Apokoronas is done by people who have to be there. Ask who specifically covers your area and how quickly they can reach the property.
We work in Chania, Heraklion, Rethymno and Agios Nikolaos, and if a property sits outside those we say so rather than take it on half-heartedly.
What should not be the deciding factor
The lowest percentage is not a criterion on its own. Two companies three points apart on commission can be twenty points apart on annual income, depending on how well they price and how many channels they use.
Ask what they will do differently from what you do today. If the answer is only that they will put it on Airbnb, you do not need a company.
What the written agreement must say
The contract is not a formality, it is the only place where what you agreed becomes clear. Check that it states the following explicitly.
- The commission percentage and the basis it is calculated on.
- What is included and what is billed separately, by name.
- The method and frequency of your payments.
- Who sets the rates and within what limits.
- How many weeks you can hold for personal use and with what notice.
- What happens to existing bookings if the agreement ends.
- Who covers what in the event of damage.
If something was discussed verbally but not written down, treat it as not agreed.
How to compare two offers
Do not compare percentages. Make two columns and write down exactly what you get in each. Usually you will find the cheaper offer excludes cleaning or guest reception, so the cost simply moves elsewhere.
Then ask both the same question: what will they do in May and October. Peak weeks fill themselves. The difference between a good company and an average one shows outside the season.
Before you speak to any company
Two things are worth settling on your own first. One: how many weeks you want the property for your own use, and exactly which ones. If they are the two weeks of August, that materially changes the annual income and needs saying at the start, not after the agreement is signed.
Two: whether you want full management or online-only. They are different services at different costs, and knowing in advance saves you comparisons that make no sense. We work through this in the article on self-managing.
What to watch for on the first visit
The visit to the property tells you more than a meeting in an office. Notice whether they look at things you had not thought about: where a guest will park, whether the terrace has shade in the afternoon, how many steps there are from the road, whether the air conditioning covers every room.
Someone asking those questions has managed properties. Someone looking only at square metres and bedroom count has not necessarily.
Ask them as well what they would change before the first booking. If the answer is that nothing needs changing because it is perfect, either they did not look properly or they do not want to mention something that costs money.
Common mistakes owners make
- Signing without reading what happens when the agreement ends.
- Not asking what happens to the weeks they want for personal use.
- Comparing offers that do not include the same things.
- Ignoring the tax dimension of the choice.
