Guest management: everything we take off an owner's hands
Check-ins, guest messages, pricing, listings and reviews, with the cleaning, linen and repairs arranged: the daily work of a short let, organised by us. 16% commission, no retainer.
What could it earn?
Three details, an income range on screen, and the assumptions behind it.
An indicative range worked out from the assumptions above, not a valuation. We confirm a realistic figure for your property after a free assessment.
Get the full breakdown by email
Month by month, what drives the range for this property, and what we would change. We reply within one working day.
- Highest rated in Bournemouth on Google
- Booking.com Traveller Review Award 2024
- 100+ properties managed
- Airbnb Superhost
- 16% commission
What guest management covers
Cleaning, arranged
Professional cleaning after every stay by a trusted local cleaning company we recommend, or by your own cleaner. You pay the cleaner directly; we book, coordinate and check every changeover.
Linen and laundry, arranged
Linen and towels from a trusted local linen and laundry company we recommend, paid by you directly, or from your own supplier. We coordinate it, with three sets per bedroom recommended.
24/7 guest support
A person answers at any hour on any day. Lock-outs, late arrivals and emergencies are handled without a call to you.
Check-ins and inventory checks
We manage each arrival and check the inventory at changeover, so a missing or broken item is known about the same day.
One inbox for every message
Enquiries and guest messages from every booking channel arrive in a single property management system, so no question goes unanswered.
Daily pricing
Dynamic pricing, reviewed every day, across peak summer, school holidays, events and changes in the weather. In winter, mid-term lets are added to the mix.
Listings on 20+ channels
Listings created and kept up to date on Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and 20+ channels, plus the group's direct booking site, with professional photography.
Guest screening and reviews
Guests are screened through the platforms' own tools. After each stay we deal with the review and put right anything it raises.
Maintenance call-outs
Regular inspections catch problems early, and we arrange repairs with trusted local tradespeople, or your own, paid by you directly.
On this page
Guest management is everything that happens between a booking being made and the property being ready for the next one: messages, check-in, support during the stay, cleaning, linen, checks and repairs. Sea Breeze runs or arranges all of it for more than 100 properties around Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Our work is covered by a commission of 16% of booking revenue, with no retainer. Cleaning, linen and repairs are paid separately, directly to the local companies we recommend or to your own.
Who this page is for
Owners who want to know exactly what they are handing over before they sign anything, and owners who manage their own let and are counting the hours it takes. If you are in the second group, self-managing vs full service puts the two side by side.
This page describes the work. The commercial case for each kind of let is on holiday let management, Airbnb management and short let management.
One booking, from enquiry to review
- Before the booking. The listing is live on Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and 20+ channels and on the group's direct booking site. The price for each night has been set by dynamic pricing and reviewed that day.
- The booking. The guest is screened through the platform's own tools. Their questions arrive in one inbox, whichever channel they used, and are answered by our team.
- Arrival. We manage the check-in. A late train or a lost code is a call to our 24-hour support line, not to you.
- The stay. Support runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for lock-outs and emergencies. If something breaks, we arrange the contractor.
- Departure. The cleaners we have booked turn the property round, fresh linen goes in and we check the inventory.
- Afterwards. The review is dealt with, anything it raises is fixed and the income appears in your owner portal.
In August this cycle can run several times a week. The same day often holds a departure and an arrival, which is why we book the cleaning and the linen around the calendar ourselves.
What we handle and what stays with you
| We handle | You keep |
|---|---|
| Listings, photography and daily pricing | The decision on how and when the property is let |
| Guest messages, screening and reviews | Holiday let insurance |
| Check-ins and 24/7 guest support | Safety checks and certificates |
| Arranging cleaning and linen, and inventory checks | Utilities, broadband and council tax or business rates |
| Regular inspections | Consent from your lender or freeholder |
| Arranging maintenance and repairs | Approval of larger repairs, and your tax return |
| Monthly payouts and the owner portal | Paying the cleaning, linen and repair companies |
Two notes on the right-hand column. Management does not move legal responsibility for the property from its owner, so the items in it need to be in place before the first guest: holiday let regulations in England lists them and the holiday let insurance guide explains the cover. And platform damage protection, such as Airbnb's AirCover for Hosts, applies only where its terms are met. It is not a substitute for a policy.
How cleaning, linen and repairs work
Cleanliness is one of the categories guests score on Airbnb, so the changeover matters as much as the listing. We do not clean or launder ourselves. We recommend trusted local cleaning, linen and maintenance companies, you pay them directly, and if you want we arrange and coordinate them for you. If you already have a cleaner, a linen supplier or contractors you trust, you can keep them.
Either way, the coordination sits with us:
- Changeovers are booked around the calendar, including the same-day departures and arrivals of peak weeks.
- The inventory check after each clean tells us the property is ready before the next guests arrive.
- When a guest reports a problem, they report it to us, and we arrange the person who can fix it.
For an owner who lives away this is most of the point. Our guide to managing a holiday let remotely explains what has to be covered on the ground. The area pages show where we work: Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch.
What it costs
Our part of the work on this page is covered by the management commission: a flat 16% of booking revenue, with no retainer and no monthly fee. We confirm the commission and any VAT in writing before you sign. The services carried out at the property are paid separately, directly to the companies we recommend or to your own.
- Cleaning. Paid directly to the cleaning company we recommend, or to your own cleaner.
- Linen and laundry. Paid directly to the linen company we recommend, or to your own supplier.
- Maintenance and repairs. Paid to the tradesperson who does the work.
- The clean after your own stay. Paid by you.
A one-off onboarding fee covers photography, the listings and the set-up visit, and is deducted from the first month's income. You are paid monthly, either directly by Airbnb with our fee invoiced, or by bank transfer from us for the previous month. Our pricing sets this out, and agency commission explained shows what to ask any manager about what their percentage includes.
How to start
Send us the property's details through list your property. We visit, agree what the property needs and book the photographer, and a new listing is typically live within a week of the shoot. Notice to leave is 45 days if it does not work for you. The full sequence is on how it works.
Full in summer. Earning in winter too.
Most holiday lets go quiet from November. Ours do not have to. Alongside Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo, every property we manage goes out on Flexiestays, Bournemouth's number one platform for winter and long stays, where contractors, relocations, visiting families and remote workers book for weeks and months at a time.
- Flexiestays charges only 8% on the bookings it brings
- Winter stays of a week to several months
- Long stays fill the gaps between summer seasons
8% One commission. No retainer.
Holiday let management 16% commission on booking revenue - No retainer, no monthly fee
- We only earn when you do
- 45 days' notice to leave
What the 16% covers
- Listings on 20+ channelsAirbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and Flexiestays, written and optimised.
- Daily dynamic pricingRates reviewed every day for season, events and demand.
- 24/7 guest supportEvery message answered, day and night.
- Check-ins and inventoryArrivals handled and inventory checked.
- Regular inspectionsThe property checked between stays.
- Monthly payoutsPaid monthly, with an owner portal.
Paid separately
- Cleaning
- Linen and laundry
- Maintenance and repairs
We recommend trusted local companies and can arrange them for you; you pay them directly. Already have your own cleaner or contractor? Keep them.
A one-off onboarding fee covers the photography, the listings and the set-up visit. It comes out of your first month's income, never up front.
Full pricing and what is extraFrom first call to first guest
Tell us about the property
Send the address and a few details, or run the income calculator first. We come back with a realistic income range for the property, what it needs before the first guest and our terms.
We set it up
A set-up visit, professional photography and listings written for Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and 20+ channels. The one-off onboarding fee is not paid up front: it comes out of the first month’s income.
Guests arrive, you get paid
We price every night, answer every message and arrange the changeovers with recommended local cleaning and linen companies (or your own), which you pay directly. You are paid monthly and can block dates for your own use in the owner portal.
What guests say about the properties we run
Excellent service from the team at sea breeze. The apartment is very well maintained and the team is available to assist whenever you need them.
Great apartment at a perfect location. Jack and the team were so easy to deal with. This is our second time at this apartment block and will definitely be returning in the not to distant future.
Lovely apartment in very close proximity to Bournemouth town centre and beach. The apartment was modern, very clean and well equipped. Onsite parking was a big bonus and once parked we didn't really need the car. We would definitely return.
Reviews are quoted word for word as guests published them about properties we manage.
Read before you let
Guide Holiday let insurance: the cover a short let needs
What a holiday let policy must cover and where a home or landlord policy leaves gaps: buildings, contents, liability, guest damage, lost income, unoccupancy, and what AirCover does not replace.
Read more
Guide Holiday let agency commission explained
What a 15% to 22% booking agency commission really costs a holiday let owner once VAT, cleaning, linen and fees are added, set against a 16% management commission.
Read more
Guide Managing a holiday let remotely: what it takes
How to run a holiday let you do not live near: keys and smart locks, changeovers, linen, maintenance, 24-hour guest support, winter care, records, and how to vet a manager.
Read moreGuest management: common questions
What do I still have to do as the owner?
Very little day to day. You keep the things only an owner can do: insuring the property, keeping its safety certificates current, paying the utilities and council tax or business rates, approving larger repairs, paying the cleaning, linen and repair companies, and filing your own tax return. Everything between a guest's enquiry and their review is organised by us.
Who does the cleaning?
A trusted local cleaning company we recommend, or your own cleaner if you already have one. You pay the cleaner directly, and we arrange and coordinate every changeover. That matters most in summer, when one departure and the next arrival are hours apart and a cleaner who does not turn up costs you a review.
Who does a guest call if something goes wrong at night?
Us. Guest support runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and covers lock-outs, late arrivals and emergencies. You are not given to guests as a contact, and you hear from us afterwards only if there is something you need to decide or to know.
Do you supply the linen, or do I?
You choose. Either you use the local linen and laundry company we recommend, paying it directly, or you keep your own supplier, and we coordinate the changeovers either way. We suggest three sets per bedroom so a clean set is always ready while another is in the laundry. Linen is not part of the commission.
Who arranges and pays for repairs?
We arrange them through trusted local tradespeople we recommend, or your own contractors, and you pay for the work directly. Regular inspections mean most faults are found by us before a guest reports them.
How are guests checked before they stay?
Guests are screened through the booking platforms' own tools. Where a platform provides damage protection, such as Airbnb's AirCover for Hosts, it applies to those bookings. Neither replaces your own insurance, and an inventory check at each changeover records the state of the property.
How do I know what is happening at my property?
The owner portal shows your income and is where you block dates for your own stays. Owner enquiries are answered from 9am to 5pm every day by phone, WhatsApp or email.
Ready to hand over the keys?
Tell us about the property and we will come back with a realistic income estimate, what it needs before the first guest and the terms. 16% commission, no retainer.