Part of the Short-Term Rental Management Guide, step 3: decide
What Co-Hosting Means on Airbnb
On Airbnb, a co-host is a person the listing owner invites onto the listing to help with hosting. The owner keeps the listing, the payout method and the tax information. The co-host gets the access the owner chooses to give.
Airbnb lets an owner add up to 10 co-hosts to a listing. When you invite a co-host, you pick one of three permission levels (as described in Airbnb's Help Center, October 2026):
| Permission level | What the co-host can do |
|---|---|
| Full access | Manage the calendar, pricing and listing details; accept or decline reservations and handle cancellations; message guests; manage damage claims and reimbursement requests; see the earnings dashboard; add or remove other co-hosts |
| Calendar and messaging | Message guests and other co-hosts; view but not edit the calendar |
| Calendar | View but not edit the calendar |
Any co-host, at any level, can receive co-host payouts. You can change a co-host's permission level at any time, and changing it does not change their payout.
What a co-host cannot do, whatever their level: Airbnb says only listing owners can set up or edit co-host payouts, and co-hosts cannot view or change the owner's payout method or taxpayer information. Your bank details stay yours.
Airbnb also runs a Co-Host Network, available in the United States, where owners can search for local co-hosts. It sorts co-hosts into those offering full support (listing setup, pricing and availability, booking requests, guest messaging, onsite guest support, cleaning and maintenance, and listing photography) and those offering custom support with only some of those tasks. That list is Airbnb's general description of co-hosting, not a description of any one company's co-hosting product.
How Co-Host Payouts Work on Airbnb
The listing owner sets the co-host's payout inside Airbnb. As of October 2026, Airbnb offers four options:
- Cleaning fee: the co-host receives the amount you set as your cleaning fee
- Cleaning fee plus a percentage: the cleaning fee, plus a percentage of each booking (excluding the cleaning fee)
- Percentage: a percentage of each booking, with or without the cleaning fee included
- Fixed amount: a set amount per booking
Payouts are calculated from the owner's potential earnings on each booking. Airbnb notes that if those earnings are not enough to cover the co-host payout, the co-host can receive less than expected.
On taxes, Airbnb says the listing owner receives a tax document on the full booking amount, and the co-host receives a tax document for what they were paid. Talk to your tax preparer about how to treat the co-host's share on your return; our Airbnb tax basics page covers the federal rules in plain English.
Co-Hosting at New England Host Co
Here is what we can tell you plainly:
- It is a separate product. Co-hosting is sold instead of full-service management, not as an add-on to it. You choose one or the other.
- The split is agreed with each owner. Which tasks the company handles and which you keep, and the permission level that goes with that, are set out with you before you start. There is no standard co-hosting package to describe here, because it depends on your home and on what you want to keep doing yourself.
- Ask us for specifics. Pricing is quoted privately. Call (978) 672-4578 or use the contact form, and start with the free property analysis.
The company is led by founder Kyle Michaud, who has four years managing short-term rentals after a career that began in hotel and restaurant management and moved into technology. Owner/Operator Will Robichaud treats each property as an individual investment, with decisions made property by property. More on the founder page.
Co-Hosting or Full-Service: How to Think About It
The real question is how much of the work you want to keep. In New England that work is very physical: turnovers on a Saturday in ski season, a driveway that has to be clear before a 4 p.m. check-in, a septic system or well that needs someone who knows the house.
Co-hosting usually fits owners who:
- Live close enough to handle some things in person
- Already have a cleaner or handyman they trust and want to keep
- Enjoy parts of hosting and want help with the rest
- Want to stay the visible host on the listing
Full-service management usually fits owners who want the listing, pricing, guests, housekeeping and maintenance coordination handled as one package.
For a side-by-side look, read co-host vs full-service management. If you are still deciding whether to rent at all, start with the owner guide, Renting Out Your Home on Airbnb in New England.
Questions to Settle Before Any Co-Hosting Arrangement
Whoever your co-host is, agree these in writing:
- Which permission level the co-host gets on Airbnb, and why
- Which payout option is used, and whether the cleaning fee is included
- Who answers guests, and who is the backup when that person is away
- Who arranges cleaning, and who checks the house after each stay
- Who can approve a repair, and up to what amount
- Who handles pricing and the calendar, including your own dates
- How either side ends the arrangement, and how access is removed
Our list of questions to ask an Airbnb property manager covers more of these.
FAQ
Do I Give up My Listing If I Add a Co-Host?
No. On Airbnb you remain the listing owner. Co-hosts get the permission level you choose, and Airbnb says they cannot see or change your payout method or taxpayer information.
Can I Have Co-Hosting and Full-Service Management Together?
Not from New England Host Co. Co-hosting is a separate product, sold instead of full-service management.
What Exactly Will New England Host Co Do as My Co-Host?
That is agreed with each owner, so the honest answer is: ask us. Call (978) 672-4578 or send a note through the contact page.
How Does the Co-Host Get Paid?
On Airbnb, the listing owner sets a co-host payout using one of four options: cleaning fee, cleaning fee plus a percentage, a percentage, or a fixed amount per booking.
Can I Change the Co-Host's Access Later?
Yes. Airbnb lets the listing owner change a co-host's permissions at any time, and the change does not affect the co-host's payouts.
