London short-let management fees explained

What is the management fee calculated on?

If a proposal uses a percentage, ask for the calculation base in writing. Does it apply to accommodation charges alone, or also to cleaning charges? Is it calculated before or after booking-channel deductions, refunds and adjustments? If it uses a fixed charge, check the period or activity that triggers it.

Ask the provider to walk through one example booking from the guest's charge to the owner's payment. Two percentages cannot be compared fairly when they are applied to different amounts or include different work.

Which costs should you compare separately?

A clear comparison groups each charge by what it pays for. Check whether it is already included elsewhere so that the same cost is not deducted twice.

• Management: the agreed administration and operational responsibilities.
• Booking channels: platform charges and any payment-processing costs.
• Cleaning and linen: turnover work, laundry and any separate guest cleaning charge.
• Property running costs: utilities, internet, supplies and recurring property bills.
• Maintenance: contractor charges, replacement items and any coordination charge.
• Setup: photography, inventory preparation and other agreed onboarding work.
• Tax treatment: whether quoted service prices include any applicable VAT; confirm your own position separately.

Why is a platform payout different from owner profit?

Airbnb's payout guidance starts with the nightly charge and optional extras, then subtracts its host service fee and any shared co-host payout. That platform payment is one stage of the calculation. It does not by itself show all the costs of running or owning a property.

Reconcile the payment with any management charges and property expenses paid outside the platform. For your own profit assessment, consider the relevant ownership, financing and tax costs separately. Keep the booking period, payment date and any later adjustments visible so figures from different periods are not mixed.

• Start with actual booking receipts for the period being compared.
• Identify deductions already made by the channel or payment provider.
• Reconcile further agreed fees and property expenses against statements and invoices.
• Separate the amount payable to the owner from a forecast or a profit estimate.

How do you compare two proposals fairly?

Give both providers the same property information, intended availability and service requirements. Ask each to identify included work, exclusions, additional charges and approval limits. If one proposal includes cleaning coordination and another leaves it with you, account for the work you would still need to organise.

Ask how cancelled bookings, refunds, owner-use periods and exceptional repairs are reflected in reporting. Confirm the agreement's actual treatment rather than assuming fees automatically stop or reduce in any of those situations. Assess forecast figures separately from money already earned.

What does NourNest charge?

NourNest's management page explains that fees depend on the property and the services agreed. Request a written proposal covering the management fee, separate costs and owner approval limits. Optional concierge services are discussed separately.

Send the area, property type, bedroom count, proposed availability and support required. That gives the team a useful starting point for discussing suitability and scope, without presenting a generic percentage as a quote for your property.