Looking for an STR co-host

[Nana Sefa]

I am looking for a solid STR co-host for a property in Washington, DC. Any recommendations? What are the pros and cons of co-hosting vs full time PM? Thank you.

[David Cherkowsky]

Hi Nana, I have an Airbnb in DC and would be open to co-hosting. It’s a 3-bedroom, 2-bath home with 16 five-star reviews. Happy to chat more over DMs if you’re interested.

In general, the difference between co-hosting and full-time property management comes down to how involved you’d like to be as the owner.

Co-hosting is a good fit if you want to stay engaged but offload certain tasks like guest messaging or calendar management.

Property management is better if you’d prefer to be completely hands-off, with the manager handling everything including guest communications, maintenance, cleaning, turnovers, etc.

However, there are two big benefits, in my opinion, to co-hosting over property management. The first is tax benefits. With a property manager, you often lose access to the short-term rental tax loophole, which is one of the major perks of STRs. The second is control. Co-hosting allows you to retain more say over how your rental is run, while property management shifts most decisions to the PM. That’s a plus for some owners, but a drawback for others.