- Management takes 20–25% of revenue and decides whether there is revenue at all.
- The gap between average and managed villas is 20+ p.p. of occupancy.
- KPIs to demand are occupancy, ADR, response time, rating and payout punctuality.
- Ask for real dashboards of current objects, not promises.
Two identical villas on one street can differ by a third in annual revenue. The difference has a name and an office, the management company. Choosing it is the second most important decision after the villa itself.
What you are actually buying
Listings and pricing across platforms, guest communication around the clock, cleaning to hotel standard, maintenance, reviews work, monthly reporting and payouts. In short, the entire operating business for 20–25% of revenue.
The exposure questions
Ask any candidate to show current occupancy and ADR dashboards of comparable villas. Then ask what their average response time is, how they do dynamic pricing, who pays for which repairs, and when exactly owners get paid. Weak operators answer in adjectives, strong ones open screens.
FAQ
Can I self-manage from abroad?
Technically yes, but in practice it is a daily operations job in another time zone. Most remote owners lose more occupancy than they save in fees.
Can I change the company later?
Yes, contracts have notice periods. Listing history and reviews transfer with the property page when handled correctly.
Fixed rent vs revenue share?
Fixed rent caps your upside and often hides weak operations. Revenue share aligns incentives, so prefer it with transparent reporting.