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01 How it works
An owner has a flat or a small house that’s rented to holiday guests. You run it for them: the listing, prices, messages, check-in, coordinating the cleaning, reviews and small repairs. In return you get a share of the booking income — usually 15 to 25 %, agreed in a written contract.
On Airbnb this is built in: the owner adds you as a co-host, you get access to the listing, the calendar and the messages, and the owner can share part of each payout with you directly. Since October 2024 Airbnb also runs a Co-Host Network in Germany, where owners can find local co-hosts. Booking.com and other platforms work with shared access or a channel manager.
- Owner
- Listing
- Prices
- Guests
- Cleaning
- Reviews
02 Is this for you?
- live in or near a place with tourists or business travellers
- are organised and like checklists
- answer messages quickly, even on a Sunday
- stay calm when a guest locks themselves out
- like working with local people — cleaners, owners, craftspeople
- want a business that runs without you being reachable
- live far away from the flats
- hate phone calls and small emergencies
- plan to rent flats yourself and sublet them
- don’t want to deal with permits and paperwork
03 Before you start: rules and permits
Short-term rentals are regulated more and more — especially in big cities. Most rules apply to the owner and the flat, but if you manage a flat that isn’t allowed, you’re part of the problem. So check every flat before you take it on.
04 What AI changes
Co-hosting is mostly communication and organisation — and that’s exactly where AI saves hours. You still need to be there for keys, problems and quality checks.
I think co-hosting is one of the most honest ideas in this whole area: you don’t risk money on rents, you earn when the owner earns, and good work is visible in every review. But it’s a service job. If you’re not reachable when a guest is standing in front of a locked door at 11 pm, it won’t work.
05 Step by step — from the first flat to a small portfolio
All ten steps. Steps 1 to 5 prepare your offer, steps 6 to 10 bring owners and good reviews.
Stay in a few holiday flats and take notes: what was great, what annoyed you? If you know someone with a listing, help them for a month for free. Read the platform’s host guides — Airbnb and Booking.com explain a lot about ranking, reviews and rules.
Pick one town or district you can reach in 20 minutes. Look at the listings there: How many are there? What do they cost? Which ones have poor photos or few reviews? Those owners are your future customers. A small area keeps your travel short and your cleaning team close.
Find out whether your town has a ban on misuse of housing, needs permits or registration numbers and charges a tourist tax. Note everything in a short fact sheet — owners love a co-host who knows the rules.
Three packages work well: a setup package (photos, listing, house manual, pricing — e.g. a one-off fee), full service (everything incl. guests and cleaning coordination, e.g. 20 % of the booking income) and guest communication only (e.g. 10–12 %). Define clearly what the percentage is calculated on — usually the payout after platform fees, without the cleaning fee.
Register a business, open a separate account and prepare a written management contract: services, fee, access to accounts, who pays for repairs, notice period, liability. Get business liability insurance and ask about professional indemnity insurance — a lost key or a double booking can be expensive.
Start with the owners whose listings could do better: poor photos, slow replies, few reviews. Also ask in your network, at local estate agents and at cafés with holiday guests. Many owners who live far away are happy to find someone reliable nearby. On Airbnb you can apply for the Co-Host Network once you meet its requirements.
Good photos are the biggest lever — hire a photographer for the first flat or learn to take wide, bright photos yourself. Then rewrite title and description, add a clear list of amenities and set prices by season. The accomodation description should sound like a person, not like a brochure.
Build a small team of cleaners you pay fairly and on time, with a checklist for every changeover. Use a key safe or smart lock, keep spare linen and basics in stock and check the flat yourself after the first few cleanings. Reliability is your product.
Answer every booking request quickly, send arrival details two days before, check in after the first night, and ask for a review after check-out. Reply to every review — especially the critical ones, calmly and without excuses.
Send every owner a short monthly report: bookings, occupancy, income, reviews, what you’ll change next month. Satisfied owners recommend you to their neighbours. With 5 to 10 flats in one area, co-hosting becomes a real small business — and you can hire help for cleaning or check-ins.
06 Tools
Platform apps are enough for the first flat. From three or four flats on, a channel manager saves a lot of time.
07 Realistic expectations
Finding the first owner usually takes the longest. After that it gets easier: every flat with good reviews is a reference. Expect quiet months in the off-season and busy weekends in summer — and plan your own holidays outside the high season.
What it can look like — a worked example
Invented example numbers. Cleaning is paid by the guests’ cleaning fee and passed on to the cleaners. In the off-season, nights and income can be half as much — or less, depending on the place.
08 Tips & common mistakes
- Do: Check permit and registration number before you take on a flat.
- Do: Put everything in a written contract — especially what your percentage is based on.
- Do: Stay in one area so you can be there in 20 minutes.
- Do: Have a backup cleaner for every flat.
- Avoid: Rent-to-rent: renting flats yourself to sublet them.
- Avoid: Promising owners a fixed income.
- Avoid: Listings that hide the flat’s weak points.
- Avoid: Taking on more flats than your team can clean.
09 Pros & cons
- Almost no start capital
- No lease, no rent risk
- Owners pay only when guests book
- Grows step by step with every flat
- A local business that’s hard to copy from abroad
- You have to be reachable, also at weekends
- Very seasonal in many places
- Stricter rules in big cities
- Depends on reliable cleaners
- Owners can end the contract and take the listing with them
10 Risks & legal
- Permits: in many cities flats may only be rented to tourists with a permit or registration number. Managing an illegal flat can mean fines for the owner and the end of your contract.
- EU regulation: since 20 May 2026 platforms must check and show registration numbers where a registration procedure exists, and remove illegal listings.
- Business and tax: co-hosting is a business — register it, invoice owners and keep the small-business rule in mind. Platforms report income to the tax office.
- Contract and liability: a written contract protects both sides. Get business liability and, if possible, professional indemnity insurance for mistakes like double bookings.
- Money: the owner’s booking income belongs to the owner. Use the platform’s payout sharing or invoice your fee — don’t collect guests’ money in your private account.
- Data protection: guest data (names, IDs, registration forms) must be stored safely and deleted when no longer needed.
- Permits for long-term tenancies: managing long-term rentals for others needs a permit under § 34c of the Trade Regulation Act.
General information only, not legal or tax advice. Check the rules of your town and get advice from a tax advisor before you start.
11 FAQ
What does a co-host earn?
Usually 15 to 25 % of the booking income for full service, sometimes plus a one-off setup fee. What the percentage is based on — before or after platform fees, with or without cleaning — should be in the contract.
Do I need my own flat?
No. That’s the point: you manage other people’s flats and don’t rent anything yourself.
How do I get paid on Airbnb?
The owner can add you as a co-host and share part of each payout with you — as a percentage, a fixed amount or the cleaning fee. Only the owner can set this up, and you confirm it. Alternatively you invoice your fee every month.
Is co-hosting allowed everywhere?
Co-hosting itself is a normal service. What’s regulated is renting the flat to tourists — in many cities only with a permit or registration number. Check every flat before you take it on.
Do I need a business?
Yes. Co-hosting is a business you run regularly for profit, so you register a Gewerbe.
What about the Airbnb Co-Host Network?
It’s Airbnb’s directory where owners find local co-hosts. It’s available in Germany, but you have to apply and meet Airbnb’s requirements — usually experience and good ratings.
How many flats can I manage alone?
With a reliable cleaning team, 5 to 10 flats in one area are realistic as a main job. As a side job, start with one or two.
What if something breaks?
Agree in the contract up to which amount you may order small repairs without asking, and keep a list of local craftspeople. Bigger repairs are always the owner’s decision.
The Co-Hosting Starter Kit
- Area & rules check for your town
- Offer & price packages for owners
- Management contract checklist
- Owner outreach messages
- Guest message templates & house manual
- Changeover checklist & monthly owner report