Help! RedAwning (my PM) won't pay me!

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Help! RedAwning (my PM) won't pay me!

Jeremiah DunhamPro Member
Member since 2026 · 10 posts · 2 votes

Hi BP Community - I'm looking for advice. I signed up to use RedAwning for property management about 3 months ago. Onboarding was fine, but there has been one major problem: Of 13 completed stays, they've only paid me for 2 of them so far. Worse, they only paid me for those stays after I complained to my account team repeatedly. I gave my 30-day contract termination notice to them 2 weeks ago. I email them every day asking for resolution and just get generic replies -- "we understand your frustration... we've asked our billing team for updates..." -- but no money or commitment to make the situation right. There's no phone number for me to call, no manager to escalate to, and no sympathetic ear on the other end of the email inbox. At this point, they owe me over $7,500 and I'm worried that I might be screwed.

How would you proceed if you were me?

UPDATE (Oct 22, 2026): I sent a formal demand letter to my PM on Oct 19, documenting our interactions and outstanding payments and requesting that they remit all past due payments by today at noon. If they did not do so, I would file a binding arbitration request, which is in our contract. Astonishingly, they complied with my request, paying everything I was owed yesterday! Many, many thanks to everyone in the BP community who responded to my request for help and offered advice!

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Michael BaumPro Member
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
1w

I might get an attorney and have them send a letter. Might motivate them to move.

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  • Michael BaumPro Member
    Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    1w

    I might get an attorney and have them send a letter. Might motivate them to move.

    2Reply
    • Jeremiah DunhamPro Member
      OP
      Member since 2026 · 10 posts · 2 votes
      1w

      Thanks, Michael! I'll keep this option open.

      0Reply
  • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
    Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    1w

    In Hillsborough County FL where I reside the limit for small claims court is $7,500. I would threaten legal action and give them a deadline i.e. 5 business days. If they do not you will have to send a demand letter, and if still nothing file suit.

    [email protected]813-563-0877
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    • Jeremiah DunhamPro Member
      OP
      Member since 2026 · 10 posts · 2 votes
      1w

      I like the small claims court suggestion, Andrew! This is a good approach overall. Thanks!

      0Reply
  • Hossein Sharifi
    Investor · Member since 2023 · 133 posts · 66 votes
    1w

    Agree with Michael on the attorney letter, and a flat-fee demand letter is usually cheap. Before that, build the paper trail: all 13 stays with confirmation codes, checkout dates, payout amounts, and the payout timing your contract promises. Then send one formal written demand that cites that clause and gives a deadline, instead of daily emails into the support queue.

    Two other things. Make sure your listings move back to your own Airbnb and VRBO accounts at termination, so stays after your notice date pay you directly. And since those bookings came through the platforms, their payout records back up your numbers. If it drags on, check your state's small claims limit. In a lot of states $7,500 fits, and a filed claim tends to move a billing team faster than email.

    1Reply
    • Jeremiah DunhamPro Member
      OP
      Member since 2026 · 10 posts · 2 votes
      1w

      This is great advice, Hossein. I'm going to follow the process you outlined and make a formal written demand. Cheers!

      0Reply
    • Jules Aton
      MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
      1w

      Unless OP owns the Airbnb account and mgt company was acting as a co-host I don't think they will be able to keep the listings. As for VRBO I don't think there is a co-host option.

      1Reply
    • Jeremiah DunhamPro Member
      OP
      Member since 2026 · 10 posts · 2 votes
      1w

      Jules is correct, unfortunately. I had to create a new listing under my own account. It's a bummer to give up the review history, but at least this happened early enough that I didn't lose that many.

      0Reply
  • John Leland
    Specialist · I give advice - [email protected] - I focus on states where investing is profitable, reasonably safe & secure · Member since 2026 · 150 posts · 52 votes
    1w
    Quote from @Jeremiah Dunham:

    Hi BP Community - I'm looking for advice. I signed up to use RedAwning for property management about 3 months ago. Onboarding was fine, but there has been one major problem: Of 13 completed stays, they've only paid me for 2 of them so far. Worse, they only paid me for those stays after I complained to my account team repeatedly. I gave my 30-day contract termination notice to them 2 weeks ago. I email them every day asking for resolution and just get generic replies -- "we understand your frustration... we've asked our billing team for updates..." -- but no money or commitment to make the situation right. There's no phone number for me to call, no manager to escalate to, and no sympathetic ear on the other end of the email inbox. At this point, they owe me over $7,500 and I'm worried that I might be screwed.

    How would you proceed if you were me?

    Build a file of documentation. Put together every contact, phone call, email. Organize it by date and keep it handy. Contact an attorney in the city they are in & send them a notice.

    It's better to be on the front end of a failing company before they collapse than trying to collect afterwards. I don't know who they are or where they're located or what they do for that matter, but I know you have to collect fast or you'll be eating it.

    1Reply
    • Jeremiah DunhamPro Member
      OP
      Member since 2026 · 10 posts · 2 votes
      1w

      Thanks, John. That's my concern too. Gotta move fast!

      0Reply
  • Dan H.Pro Member
    Investor · Poway, CA · Member since 2015 · 7k+ posts · 8k+ votes
    1w

    You do not indicate what state your rental is located. In most states, the difference between co-host and PM is

    1) PM can handle the money, co-host can do everything but handling the money

    2) PM have a brokers license and insurance.

    3) Co-hosts cost less than PMs which make sense seeing the PM has a broker’s license and insurance.

    The reason this is important is that brokers are associated with agencies and have insurance.

    You can complain to State Real Estate Commission / Department of Real Estate (DRE), The Broker’s Managing Broker or Office, or the Local Association of Realtors (Ethics Complaint). I would try this route before paying a lawyer to draft a demand letter. If filing a complaint approach fails, then I would go the route of paying a lawyer to draft a demand letter. If that also fails, then small claims court. In my market small claims court can be a slow and tedious process.

    Good luck

    1Reply
    • Jeremiah DunhamPro Member
      OP
      Member since 2026 · 10 posts · 2 votes
      1w

      Thanks for this suggestion, Dan. I hadn't considered filing a complaint with the State Real Estate Commission. I will do this.

      1Reply
  • Clever Mukori
    Member since 2026 · 28 posts · 9 votes
    1w

    Build a one-page ledger for all 13 stays (dates, gross booking, their fee per your contract, net owed, paid or unpaid) and send it as a formal written demand with a firm deadline, citing the payment-terms section of your agreement. Send it by email and by certified mail to the company's registered agent, which you can find in its state's business entity search, so there's a record it was received. Before your termination takes effect, make sure upcoming bookings move to your own listing so new guest payments don't flow to them. If the deadline passes, an attorney letter or small claims is the next step, and since small-claims limits vary by state, check whether your amount fits yours.

    1Reply
    • Jeremiah DunhamPro Member
      OP
      Member since 2026 · 10 posts · 2 votes
      1w

      Good call. I'll send a certified letter as well. All new bookings are coming to me at this point, so I've at least stopped the bleeding.

      1Reply
  • John RacinePro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Casselberry, FL · Member since 2008 · 78 posts · 47 votes
    4d

    Glad you stopped the bleeding. One thing for whoever you hire next: keep the listing in your own Airbnb account and add them as a co-host, rather than letting them list it under theirs. Your situation shows why:

    - Your reviews and listing history stay with you if you part ways.

    - Airbnb can split payouts, so Airbnb pays you directly and sends the co-host their share. Nobody else is holding your money.

    It works for the manager too. I co-host a 1 bed/1 bath where the owner prefers to keep upgrades to a minimum, and keeping the listing in his name is the right fit for both of us. He controls the asset and the decisions about how much to put into it, and the listing's track record stays with the property instead of being tied to my account. Owner-held listings get clear lines on who owns what.

    VRBO is harder, since it doesn't have a real co-host setup. Ask any manager exactly how VRBO payouts flow, and put the payment timing in the contract.

    Full disclosure: I co-host STRs for owners this way, so I'm biased. But you've seen firsthand why the structure matters.

    0Reply
    • Jeremiah DunhamPro Member
      OP
      Member since 2026 · 10 posts · 2 votes
      3d

      This is a great recommendation, John. I'm going to self-host for now, but I will totally use a co-host in the future if I decide to get help.

      0Reply
  • Matthew Tregoning
    Property Manager · Melbourne, FL · Member since 2019 · 404 posts · 166 votes
    1d

    Glad to read your update that the payment came through, Jeremiah. With the new listing and self-hosting underway, I’d make a simple handover checklist for upcoming stays, cleaner access, guest messages and door codes. Getting those details squared away should make the fresh start a lot calmer.

    1Reply
  • Onn Biri
    Property Manager · Miami, FL · Member since 2025 · 5 posts · 1 vote
    23h

    Glad the new bookings are coming to you now. Others have covered the demand letter well, so here are two things for the handover and for next time.

    For the handover: ask in writing for any guest security deposits or damage claims they're holding, for future reservations made before your termination date that will still be paid through them, and for your guest contact history if the contract gives you access to it. Also change every door code, Wi-Fi password and smart-device login the day the contract ends.

    For the next manager, whoever it is: ask how money flows. Is owner money kept in a separate trust or escrow account, how many days after checkout do you get paid, and can you see each payout in the platform yourself? In Florida, also ask whether each home has its own state vacation rental license and whose name is on it, and how they keep owner funds separate. A manager who answers those clearly up front is usually the one who pays on time.

    Disclosure: I run a vacation-rental management company in South Florida.

    Drafted with AI help, reviewed and edited by me.

    1Reply
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