We believe vacation rental owners should feel in control of their business. Self-management gives you that opportunity. You decide how your guests are treated, the standard of care your property receives, and the way your rental fits into your life. With the right systems in place, self-managing no longer means being tied to a phone or checking in guests at all hours of the day. It can be a flexible, profitable, and even enjoyable way to run your vacation rental business.
According to AirDNA, most short-term rental management companies charge between 15% and 25% of your rental income, and in some cases, fees can climb as high as 40%. That is a meaningful share of every booking. Once you factor in mortgage payments, utilities, maintenance, and other costs of ownership, the difference between self-managing and using a management company can have a significant impact on your bottom line.
Self-management is not about doing everything yourself. It is about choosing how you want your business to run, deciding what you want to stay involved in, and letting the right tools and the right people handle the rest. With OwnerRez at the center of your operations, you can run your self-managed vacation rental business at an elite level while shaping it to fit your life.
You Stay in Charge of What Matters
When you choose to self-manage your vacation rental, you stay in control of the details that shape the guest experience. You know and care about your property more than anyone else, which enables you to deliver consistent, high-quality stays while keeping your property in top condition. By remaining close to the day-to-day operations, you're able to receive immediate feedback from guests, make quick adjustments when needed, and often catch maintenance issues before they become large, expensive repairs.
Self-management also offers a level of insight into your business that is hard to gain when you pass it to a management company. You can identify which amenities are driving occupancy, operational tasks that can be improved, and occupancy patterns that can help inform key pricing decisions. As a self-manager, you'll understand why guests choose your place over others and what keeps them coming back. This information is extremely valuable and can be used to build a business that is not solely reliant on the big OTAs. This firsthand knowledge becomes part of the long-term health of your business. Without it, you are left relying on second-hand information to make pivotal decisions for your business.
Beyond the operational benefits, self-management gives you flexibility that traditional management companies rarely offer. You can easily block off time for family and friends, schedule preventive maintenance, or reserve time to enjoy the property yourself. You are not bound by someone else’s calendar or priorities. You get to make the decisions that work best for your business and your life in each season.
You Do Not Have to Do Everything Yourself
Choosing to self-manage does not mean doing all of the work alone. OwnerRez gives you a solid foundation so you can run your vacation rental business at a professional level without spending all your time on busy work. From guest messaging to payment collection and calendar sync, OwnerRez takes care of all the tedious tasks for you. Don't just take our word for it; here are two independent reviewers who chose to self-manage with OwnerRez:
Katheryn G shared, “So happy I switched from Evolve over to self-managing with OwnerRez. The whole setup I have now is fantastic. The software works like a charm.”
Quenton L wrote, "OwnerRez is top notch! My wife and I decided to self-manage our STR and decided to use OwnerRez as our PMS. We could not have been more pleased with our decision to use OwnerRez."
These stories reflect what many owners discover once they begin self-managing with OwnerRez: "It is not as complicated as it may seem on the surface." This is especially true when you have the right tools in place. A huge piece of that comes from automation and integrations. OwnerRez connects with 100+ certified partners and integrations, which include: Dynamic Pricing, Door Locks, Guest Communication, AI, Housekeeping Services, Insurance, Automation, Accounting, Business Intelligence, Devices, Websites, Channel Integrations, Payment Processors, and more! These integrations give you the freedom to choose which tools best fit your desired workflow.
For example, partners like Turno will work with OwnerRez to turn new bookings into cleaning assignments and send them to your cleaner automatically, so you don't have to remember to call or text your cleaner. Door lock integrations, such as our integration with Schlage, work with OwnerRez to generate and deliver a unique access code to each guest before arrival, eliminating the need to meet guests at the property or worry about lost keys. Powerful dynamic messaging lets you create check-in and check-out instructions that will automatically send according to your schedule. Dynamic pricing partners, such as PriceLabs, connect directly to your OwnerRez account and can monitor demand and adjust your rates automatically, saving you hours of manual price updates while optimizing your revenue.
And this is only the beginning. When you partner with OwnerRez, you no longer have to manage every little detail on your own. You get access to a number of powerful automation tools that streamline your workflow and help free you up to spend time growing your business.
Self-Management Protects Your Bottom Line
Management fees play a major role in a vacation rental's profitability. According to AirDNA, most short-term rental management companies charge between 15% and 25% of your rental income, with some full-service models reaching upward of 30% to 40% once additional fees are included. Holding on to that percentage can be the difference between a good year and a great one, especially when you factor in mortgage payments, utilities, maintenance, taxes, and the other ongoing costs of running a vacation rental.
What many owners do not realize is that the management fee itself is often only a base fee. AirDNA notes that many companies add onboarding fees ranging from $200 to $1,000, annual listing optimization fees, maintenance markups, supply restocking charges, guest screening fees, and even early termination fees if you decide to terminate the contract early. These additional charges can add up quickly, and when combined with the percentage of booking revenue, the true cost of full-service management is often far higher than it appears on the surface.
Full-service management still has its place, and for owners who want a completely hands-off experience, it can be a great choice. But for many vacation rental owners, self-management offers a superior financial and operational advantage. By keeping more of what you earn, avoiding layers of add-on fees, and staying more in tune with your business, self-management becomes not only a more practical choice but a financially strategic one.
Conclusion
Self-management is not about doing everything yourself. It is about staying in control of your business and deciding what you want to handle, what you want to automate, and what you want to outsource. You can still hire licensed professionals for tasks like cleaning, maintenance, pool care, or landscaping. The difference is that you choose what to oversee directly and what to hand off as your schedule, goals, or seasons of life change.
While handing things off to a management company may still be the best option for some, many owners find they prefer the clear financial and operational benefits that come with self-management. Choosing to self-manage with OwnerRez as the foundation of your vacation rental business allows you to capture those benefits while operating at an elite level.
If you are not yet using OwnerRez, get started today by signing up for a 14 day free trial or by signing up to join one of our weekly live demo webinars.
FAQs About Self-Managing Your Vacation Rental
Q: What does it mean to self-manage a vacation rental?
A: Self-managing your vacation rental means you remain in control of your vacation rental business. You decide how guests are cared for, how your property is maintained, and how your rental fits into your life. With the right tools in place, self-management becomes a flexible and enjoyable way to operate your business.
Q: Why do vacation rental owners choose to self-manage instead of hiring a management company?
A: Many vacation rental owners choose self-management because of the financial impact. Most management companies charge between 15% and 25% of the rental income. By self-managing, owners retain more of their hard-earned income and avoid layers of management fees that can quickly eat into profits.
Q: Does self-managing a vacation rental mean I have to handle everything myself?
A: No. Self-management is not about doing all the work alone. It is about choosing what you want to do yourself and letting automation and trusted partners handle the rest. From guest messaging to payment collection and more, OwnerRez takes care of all the tedious tasks for you, so you can focus on building your business.
Q: How does OwnerRez make self-management an easy choice for vacation rental owners?
A: OwnerRez provides the structure and automation that allow you to operate at an "elite" level. When you partner with OwnerRez, you no longer have to manage every little detail on your own. You get access to a number of powerful tools that streamline your workflow and help free you up to spend time growing your business.
Q: How does self-management protect the profitability of my vacation rental?
A: By choosing to self-manage, you keep the large percentage of revenue that management companies charge. You also avoid common add-on fees such as onboarding fees, annual listing optimization fees, supply restocking markups, and potentially early termination fees. Keeping these costs in your business helps strengthen your long-term financial position and increases the return on your investment.
Q: What if I want a more hands-off experience and don't want my vacation rental business to take up all of my free time?
A: Self-managing a vacation rental is flexible by design. You can adjust your level of involvement at any time, choose which responsibilities you want to maintain, and outsource the rest to trusted vendors. Whether you want to be deeply involved or step back for a period, the decision remains entirely yours when you are self-managing. This is especially true when you have the right tools in place. OwnerRez offers industry-leading tools and connects with 100+ certified partners and integrations, so you have the flexibility to run your vacation rental business however you would like.
Q: How do I get started with self-managing my vacation rental with OwnerRez?
A: You can get started by signing up for a 14-day free trial or by signing up to join one of our weekly live demo webinars.