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Most Airbnb management in Calgary is priced as a percentage of the revenue your home books, not as a flat monthly bill. The percentage on its own tells you very little, though. Two quotes with the same number can cover very different amounts of work, and one of them may bill cleaning, supplies or service calls on top.
At Premier Stays, full management is 15–25% of revenue, depending on the package you choose (see our pricing). If you'd rather run the home yourself, you can list it on premierstays.ca for $0, and guests pay an 8% platform fee at checkout with card processing included. Either way, repairs, parts, licensed trades and furnishing are owner costs.
Below is how fees are usually structured, what a full-service fee should cover, what sits outside it, and the questions that make two quotes comparable.
How Airbnb management fees are usually structured
Percentage of revenue
In our experience, this is the model you'll see most often for full-service short-term rental management. The manager takes an agreed share of booking revenue, so their income rises and falls with yours. That alignment is the point: a manager paid on revenue has a reason to price well and keep the calendar full.
The detail that matters is the base. "Revenue" can mean nightly rent only, or rent plus the cleaning fees guests pay. It can be measured before or after the booking platform's own host fees and any discounts. Ask for the definition in writing, because it can change the real cost as much as the percentage does.
Flat monthly fees and hybrids
Some managers charge a fixed monthly amount instead, or a lower percentage plus a monthly minimum. A flat fee is easy to budget, but it pays the manager the same in a slow month as in a busy one, so there's less built-in reason to chase bookings.
Setup and onboarding charges
Some quotes add a one-time charge for getting the home live: photos, listing creation, lock setup and a first stock of supplies. Ask whether there is one, what it covers, and whether the photos and listing content stay with you if you leave.
Partial service
Co-hosting or "listing only" arrangements cover part of the work, often messaging and pricing, and leave cleaning, restocking and repairs to you. They cost less because you do more of the work yourself.
What a full-management fee should cover
When we quote full management, the fee covers running the home day to day. In general terms:
- Dynamic pricing with pricing software (PriceLabs) plus human review (pricing and revenue management)
- Listings on Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Hopper, Google and premierstays.ca, kept on one calendar through Hostaway
- Guest messaging, including after-hours issues, and check-in coordination
- Cleaning coordination on every stay (cleaning and turnovers)
- A standard linen and towel program, and restocking of routine guest supplies
- Review management
- Routine minor tasks, like batteries and light bulbs, without a separate service-call fee
- Coordinating trades when something needs repair (maintenance and inspections)
- Monthly owner statements and payouts
Where you land between 15% and 25% depends on the package: how much of the operation you want us to run, and what your property needs. We confirm your package and rate in writing before anything starts.
What's billed outside the management fee
This is where quotes differ most. Here's how it works with us:
| Cost | Who pays | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning on each stay | Guests, through the cleaning fee | The cleaning fee on each booking pays for the turnover. It's accounted for separately from the management fee. |
| Linens, towels and routine supplies | Included with full management | Property-specific or unusually high-cost supplies may be handled separately. |
| Minor routine tasks | Included | No separate service-call fee for things like batteries or light bulbs. |
| Repairs, parts and licensed trades | Owner | We coordinate the work and tell you before we spend outside routine operations. |
| Appliances and damage not recovered from a guest | Owner | These are costs of the property, not of management. |
| Furnishing and staging | Owner | Quoted separately (furnishing and staging). |
| Utilities | Owner | Part of owning the home, whoever runs it. |
| City licence and insurance | Owner | See below. |
As of October 2026, the City of Calgary's 2026 business licence fee schedule lists a short-term rental licence for a home you don't live in at $627 new or $377 to renew, and for your primary residence at $289 new or $248 to renew, fire fee included. The application also asks you to confirm liability insurance that covers short-term rental use. Fees and rules can change, so check the City's current pages before you apply. Our licensing and compliance help walks you through the paperwork.
The other option: list it yourself for $0
Full management isn't the only way to work with us. On premierstays.ca you list your furnished home for $0 and run it yourself: pricing, guest messages, cleaning and repairs stay with you. Guests pay an 8% platform fee at checkout. It's charged on the rent and cleaning fee after any discount, never on taxes, and it already covers card processing. It shows as its own line rather than being hidden in your nightly rate. More detail is in what it costs to host on Premier Stays.
| List on premierstays.ca | Full management | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay | $0 to list | 15–25% of revenue, depending on package |
| What guests pay us | 8% platform fee, card processing included | Fees and taxes shown at checkout on each channel |
| Pricing, messages and cleaning | You | Us |
| Where it's listed | premierstays.ca | Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Hopper, Google and premierstays.ca |
| Furnishing and staging | Quoted separately | Quoted separately |
Questions to ask in any fee quote
Put these to every manager you talk to, including us, and get the answers in writing:
| Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What percentage, and of what exactly? | Rent only versus rent plus cleaning, before or after platform fees, changes the real cost. |
| What's included, task by task? | Cleaning coordination, linens, supplies, messaging and pricing may each be in or out. |
| Is there a setup or onboarding fee? | One-time charges add to your first-year cost. |
| Are there service-call or trip charges? | Small call-out fees add up over a year. |
| How are repairs approved? | You want to know before money is spent outside routine work. |
| What's the term and notice period? | You should be able to leave without a penalty you didn't expect. |
| What happens to the photos and listing content if I leave? | Rebuilding them costs time and money. |
| How and when am I paid? | Look for a monthly statement that shows every booking and every deduction. |
| Is the revenue estimate a promise? | It shouldn't be. Ask how it was built. |
Estimates are a starting point
Every manager will show you a revenue projection. Ours comes from a free revenue assessment, which is a starting point our team reviews with you. We don't guarantee income: results depend on the home, the market, the season and local rules. We manage about 70 properties across Calgary, Edmonton, Airdrie, Cochrane and Chestermere, and two similar homes on the same street can still perform differently.
If you're comparing managers on more than price, our 12 questions for choosing a Calgary property manager go deeper, and our Calgary property management page covers how we run homes in the city.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Airbnb management companies charge in Calgary?
Most full-service managers we see charge a percentage of booking revenue, and some use flat monthly fees or a mix of the two. We don't quote other companies' rates, because what each quote includes varies too much to compare on the number alone. At Premier Stays, full management is 15–25% of revenue, depending on the package you choose, and our pricing page explains what decides the rate.
Is the cleaning fee part of the management fee?
No. Guests pay a cleaning fee on each booking, and that fee pays for the turnover. It's accounted for separately from the management percentage. With full management we coordinate the cleaning on every stay, along with a standard linen and towel program and restocking of routine guest supplies, so you aren't booking cleaners or buying toilet paper yourself.
Who pays for repairs when a manager runs my Airbnb?
You do, as the owner. Repairs, replacement parts, licensed trades, appliances and any damage not recovered from a guest are costs of the property, not of the management fee. We coordinate the work and tell you before we spend on anything outside routine operations. Small routine tasks, like replacing batteries or light bulbs, don't carry a separate service-call fee with us.
Do I need a furnished home before hiring a manager?
For us, yes. We manage furnished, Airbnb-ready homes. If yours is empty or only partly furnished, our furnishing and staging team can plan and set it up, quoted separately from management. Other managers handle this in different ways, so ask early whether furnishing is included, quoted separately, or something you arrange yourself before the listing goes live.
Is listing on premierstays.ca really $0 for the owner?
Yes. There's nothing for you to pay to list a furnished home on premierstays.ca. Guests pay an 8% platform fee at checkout. It's charged on the rent and cleaning fee after any discount, never on taxes, and card processing is included in it. You run the home yourself, so pricing, guest messages, cleaning and repairs stay with you.
Can an Airbnb manager promise what my home will earn?
No one can honestly promise that. Revenue depends on the home, its location, the season, the market and local rules. We give owners a free revenue assessment, which is a starting point our team reviews with you, and we don't guarantee income. Be cautious of any quote that presents a projection as a sure thing, and ask how it was calculated.
