Airbnb Co-Host System: Responsibilities and Revenue Sharing

Airbnb's co-host system allows multiple people to manage a single listing. It is a practical solution for property owners living abroad, hosts with multiple listings, and those who want to outsource local operations.

What is a Co-host

A co-host is a second or third user granted access to an Airbnb listing. The primary host retains all rights, while the co-host acts within the defined authorization scope.

A co-host can:

• Respond to messages
• Accept or decline reservations
• Update the calendar
• Change pricing (if authorized)
• Respond to reviews

A co-host cannot:

• Delete the listing or close the primary account
• Change payout details
• Add another co-host

Co-host Roles

Airbnb defines three different authorization levels for co-hosts:

Revenue Sharing

Airbnb supports co-host payouts in two ways:

1. The Platform's Automatic Payout System

The primary host can set up an automatic percentage transfer to the co-host from each reservation. This rate is usually between 10-25 percent and is determined by the following factors:

• Tasks undertaken by the co-host (communication only, or does it include cleaning coordination as well?)
• Physical location (in town or remote?)
• Number of listings (a co-host working with multiple listings may request a lower percentage)

2. Off-Platform Payment

The parties can agree amongst themselves. In this case, the co-host can receive a fixed monthly fee or payment per reservation. From a tax perspective, a serbest meslek makbuzu (self-employment receipt) or invoice must be issued.

Ways to Find a Co-host

• Airbnb Co-host Network: The official matching system launched by Airbnb in 2024. It provides a list of approved co-hosts based on location and property type.
• Local Airbnb communities: Facebook groups and WhatsApp networks
• Property management companies: Many companies also offer co-hosting services

Co-host Agreement

It is recommended to sign a written agreement with a co-host working off-platform. The agreement should include the following:

1. List of duties and responsibilities
2. Fee amount and payout date
3. Termination conditions (notice period in days)
4. Limitation of damage and liability
5. Confidentiality (not sharing guest data with third parties)

Advantages and Risks of the Co-host System

When Should You Get a Co-host

Hiring a co-host makes sense in the following situations:

• If you are abroad for more than 3 months a year
• If you cannot manage 3 or more listings alone
• If your metric for responding to guest messages within 1 hour is declining
• If local operations (cleaning coordination, key handovers) are starting to suffer

Common Mistakes

• Working without an agreement: Not making a written agreement with an off-platform co-host is the primary source of fee and responsibility disputes.
• Granting excessive authority: Assigning more permissions than necessary increases risk; choose the narrowest role suitable for the job.
• Not tracking performance: The co-host's response time and guest rating directly affect your Superhost status; track metrics regularly.
• Neglecting tax obligations: For off-platform payments, a serbest meslek makbuzu (self-employment receipt) or invoice must be issued.

Quick Checklist

• Have you assigned the narrowest authorization role suitable for the job to the co-host?
• Does the written contract include clauses for duties, fees, termination, and confidentiality?
• Is the revenue share percentage set according to the tasks undertaken?
• Are you tracking the co-host's response time and guest rating?
• Is a common standard defined for messaging and check-in processes?

A well-selected co-host working under a clear agreement offloads your operational burden while protecting your rating. Managing your listings and reservations from a single dashboard with KepGuide makes it easy to transparently track the actions taken by your co-host. To compare professional management options, check out our guide on choosing a property management company, and for revenue optimization, take a look at our dynamic pricing tools content.