What Does a Lubbock Airbnb Manager Actually Cost? (And What to Watch For Before You Sign)

Here's the thing nobody tells you when you start calling property managers.

The percentage on the proposal is almost never the whole story, and deciding who should manage your property just based off the percentage they tell you is often NOT the right call.

Two managers can both say "20%" and leave you with very different checks at the end of the month. One is upfront about everything. The other one makes it back on fees you didn't know to ask about.

So let's talk about what management actually costs in Lubbock, what you should be getting for it, and the stuff I'd flag before you ever sign a contract.

What we charge (no fine print)

I'll go first.

At Simply Stay we charge a 20% management fee on the entire reservation payout. If your home doesn't have guests in it, we don't make money. We only make money when you do, which keeps us very motivated to fill your calendar at the right price. (We don't want to rent it out and have problem guests either, because those problems come to us, so pricing right really matters.)

$50 technology fee per listing, per month. This covers the software that runs your home: pricing tools, guest messaging, smart lock codes, bookkeeping fees, etc.

100% of the cleaning fee. Guests pay a cleaning fee on every stay, and that goes to our own cleaning crew. We don't hand your home off to whoever is cheapest that week. We have an in-house cleaning team we train to maintain our standards across the board.

What's included: listing setup, photos, pricing, guest communication, check-in, cleaning, restocking cleaning supplies, inspections, and a monthly statement in your inbox by the 10th. Your payout lands about a day later. We also do not mark up any invoices we pay for you.

What gets billed back: any home repairs and maintenance. Plumbing, HVAC, handyman work. Those come out of your payout and show up line by line on your statement, so you always know exactly what was done and what it cost.

Let me show you some of the things I would suggest watching for when you are looking to hire a property manager for your vacation rental.

1. Be careful with the big national companies

They have slick websites, big marketing budgets, and hidden fees they don't always disclose. What they usually don't have is someone who has actually stood in your kitchen, knows your house, and lives in the community you are building in. They often have a ticket system for you to reach someone, and it can take multiple days to get in contact, or your assigned "account manager" changes every week.

When something goes wrong at 9pm on a Texas Tech game weekend, you want someone local who can be there, not a ticket number and a call center three time zones away.

Choose someone who lives where you are building. Someone who knows which neighborhoods book for football, which ones book for graduation, and what Lubbock wind does to a patio umbrella. (Ha!)

2. Be careful with the one-person show

On the other end, I'd be cautious about a manager with only around 5 properties.

Nothing against them. Most of us started there. But at that size it's usually one person doing everything. Pricing, messaging, cleaning schedules, maintenance calls, the bookkeeping and finances.

That works great right up until they get sick, go on vacation, or just get busy. That's when things start falling through the cracks. And it's your guests (and your reviews) that feel it.

3. Watch out for "partial" management

Some companies only do one piece. Just pricing. Just guest messaging. Just the listing.

It sounds cheaper, and upfront it might be, but what it costs you in the long run usually isn't worth it.

When three different people each oversee a single part of your home's care, nobody owns the whole thing. A guest complains about the AC, and the messaging person blames the cleaner, and the cleaner says it's a maintenance issue, and you're the one stuck in the middle sorting it out.

That overlap creates way more frustration than it's worth. Even if you "can" deal with this back and forth, I would argue you will make less money in the long run doing it this way.

4. Pick the right fit for YOU, not just the prettiest website

Don't choose a manager because they look like the right fit. Choose them because they feel like the right fit. Pay attention to personality, vibe, and professionalism. How do they talk to you? Do they actually listen? Do they answer your questions straight, or dance around them?

And please don't decide off one phone call. Talk more than once. Ask follow-up questions. You're handing someone one of your biggest investments. You want a partner who genuinely supports your goals and is going to help you make as much money as possible with your home.

5. Know your goals before you get on the phone

The best conversations happen when you already know what you want.

Before you call anyone, get clear on:

• How often do you want to use the home yourself?

• Do you want to use it on peak nights, like football weekends or graduation?

• Do you want to stay hands-on, or be fully hands-off?

• What does a "good month" look like to you?

Then ask every manager the same questions:

• Who owns the listing? Is it on your account or theirs? (Both can work. Just know which one you're getting.)

• How is revenue collected? Who gets paid first, and when do you get your money?

• Are there any hidden fees? Setup fees, linen fees, marketing fees, "admin" fees, or mark-ups attached to receipts?

• Do you mark up maintenance? Some managers add a percentage on top of every repair. That's a good thing to know.

If someone gets weird about answering any of these, that is something to be aware of.

How we answer those questions

Just so you have something to compare against:

• Listing: You choose. We can co-host on your account, or we own the listing. Whatever makes you more comfortable. Either way, we create a hands-off experience for you.

• Revenue: Guests pay through Airbnb or our website. We collect all revenue and disburse payments (minus management fees, cleaning fees, and any expenses). You get a statement by the 10th and your payout about 24 hours later.

• Fees: 20% of the total reservation, the cleaning fee, and $50 a month for technology.

• Repairs: Billed back from your payout and itemized on your statement.

• Personal use: Free. Use your home whenever you want. The only exceptions are Texas Tech football weekends and graduations, where we charge our management fee on what the home would have rented for.

The bottom line

The cheapest manager is rarely the one who makes you the most money. The right one is local, has a real team behind them, handles the whole home, and tells you exactly what you're paying for.

If you have a home in Lubbock (or you're thinking about buying one) and want to see what it could earn, we would love to have a conversation with you!

See how our management works →