Owner Guide
Real 2026 fees, what each tier includes, the costs that never come up on the first call — and why we charge a flat 18%.
Quick answer
In Málaga and the Costa del Sol a holiday rental management company charges between 12% and 25% of booking revenue. Below 15% is online-only management with no local team; 18-22% is full-service management with staff in the area; above that, franchises and premium services. What really changes the outcome is not the percentage but what it is applied to and which costs sit outside it. Holidays Malaga charges a flat 18% — no set-up fee, no monthly fee, no lock-in — on accommodation revenue net of platform fees.
Only 3 of the 13 management companies we benchmarked in the province publish their fee online. These are the ranges we see in real proposals owners show us.
| Fee | Type of service | What it includes | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-15% | Online / remote co-host | Listings, pricing and messaging. Cleaning, keys and issues are yours to solve or pay for separately. | Owners who live nearby and only want help with the digital side. |
| 18-22% | Full-service with a local team | The whole cycle: listings, dynamic pricing, guests 24/7, check-ins, cleaning, laundry, maintenance, guest registration, licence and monthly statements. | Owners who don't live in the house or don't want to deal with anything. This is our tier (18%). |
| 22-30% | Franchises and premium service | Same as full-service, plus a national brand, concierge and sometimes interior design. The extra pays for structure, not necessarily more bookings. | Luxury villas in Marbella, or owners who prioritise the brand. |
Two managers with the same percentage can cost you very different amounts. Take a €1,000 accommodation booking plus a €120 cleaning fee on Airbnb (3% host fee):
That is €27 per booking — over €1,000 a year at 40 bookings. The second method is ours: the guest pays cleaning and it is not part of the base, and platform fees are deducted before the 18% is applied.
Set-up or onboarding fee (€100-500): serious management coordinates the preparation, it doesn't charge a fee for it.
Fixed monthly fee even when the house has no bookings: it breaks the logic of "we only earn when you earn".
Mark-up on cleaning and maintenance: if the manager takes a cut of every repair, they have an incentive to repair more.
12-36 month lock-in with exit penalties: if the service is good, you don't need to be tied in.
Charging for blocking dates for your own use, or limiting it to a few weeks a year.
Surcharge for processing the VUT licence or NRA when the house joins the portfolio.
Included
Not included (and no mark-up on it)
No set-up fee, no monthly fee, no lock-in, no charge for blocking your own dates.
In 2026 the usual range in Málaga and the Costa del Sol is 12% to 25% of booking revenue. Below 15% is normally online-only management with no local team (listings and pricing); 18-22% is full-service management with staff in the area; above 22% is usually franchises or premium concierge services in Marbella.
Always ask. The most transparent method applies it to the accommodation amount the guest pays, after platform fees (Airbnb or Booking). Some managers apply it to the gross including the cleaning fee, which inflates their share. At Holidays Malaga the guest pays cleaning separately and it is not part of the commission base.
Set-up or onboarding fees, a fixed monthly fee even with no bookings, mark-ups on cleaning or maintenance, exit penalties, charges for blocking dates for your own use, and surcharges for handling the tourist licence. A clean contract has none of them.
It is the point at which we can provide full-service management with our own team in the Axarquía (in-person check-ins, cleaning, maintenance, dynamic pricing, licensing) and still only earn when you earn. No set-up fee, no monthly fee, no lock-in.
Ranges observed in proposals from managers in Málaga and the Costa del Sol in 2026. Every company sets its own terms — always compare the calculation base and the full contract, not just the percentage.
Free guide · PDF · 2026
VUT licence and NRA step by step, tax for residents and non-residents, a checklist to prepare the house and how to choose a manager. 8 pages, no fluff.
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