How much does short-let management cost?

The short answer

Most full-service short-let managers charge a percentage of the rental income a property earns. The Mae Collection’s standard North Cyprus fee is 20% of Gross Accommodation Revenue. Portfolio and development pricing is bespoke or tiered. The fee is only earned when the property earns, which keeps the interests of owner and operator aligned.

The more useful question is not the percentage, but what sits inside it and what is billed separately. Gross Accommodation Revenue means accommodation revenue before platform and payment-processing deductions. Separately charged cleaning/laundry, refundable deposits, damage recoveries, taxes and pure pass-through costs are excluded. It includes non-refundable accommodation supplements and cancellation/no-show accommodation charges, but excludes refundable security authorisations and taxes collected for an authority. Portfolio and development pricing is bespoke or tiered.

What a management fee should cover

A full management fee should cover running the short-stay business around the property, not simply placing it on a booking platform. With The Mae Collection that includes:

• Pricing, availability and booking management across distribution channels
• Guest communication before, during and after each stay
• Arrival, access and check-out coordination
• Coordination of cleaning, linen and turnover between guests
• Routine maintenance coordination and local issues
• Owner reporting and a single accountable point of contact

Where costs usually appear elsewhere

When comparing managers, ask directly which of these are charged in addition to the headline fee: cleaning per stay, linen hire, set-up or onboarding, call-out charges, photography and listing creation, and platform or payment fees. Some costs are genuinely separate, because they are paid to third parties such as cleaners or contractors. What matters is that they are stated clearly before you sign, not discovered on the first statement.

Why the cheapest fee is rarely the cheapest option

A lower percentage can cost more if pricing is left static, reviews slip because turnovers are rushed, or small maintenance issues are allowed to become large ones. Net return, and the long-term condition of the asset, are the figures worth comparing.

Getting a figure for your property

Income depends on location, size, season and the standard of the property. Rather than publish generic estimates, The Mae Collection starts with consultation and property review/readiness before a property-specific estimate or proposal. Agreement, onboarding and compliance follow. No listing, booking acceptance or guest check-in before compliance go-live is GREEN.