Answers for Adelaide owners
What management costs, what the owner still pays, which parts of Adelaide are covered, and how an appraisal works.
How much does Airbnb management cost in Adelaide?
Adelaide managers typically quote between 15% and 25% of gross booking revenue, and the base they use varies. Aurea charges on net accommodation revenue, which is the booking total after the platform's commission. Tier 1 is 24% of net plus a one-off $2,200 onboarding fee. Tier 2 is 26% of net with no onboarding fee. On a gross basis that is roughly 20% and 22%. Both include GST. Guests pay the cleaning fee on each stay, and professional photography and the initial setup clean are the only other costs, invoiced at cost. Full detail is on our fees page.
How much does short stay management cost in Adelaide?
Aurea charges one of two management fees, both inclusive of GST. Tier 1 is a management fee of 24% of net accommodation revenue, plus a one-off onboarding fee of $2,200. Tier 2 is a management fee of 26% of net accommodation revenue, with no onboarding fee. The full schedule, including a worked example and what sits outside the fee, is on the fees page.
What is net accommodation revenue?
Net accommodation revenue is the gross booking revenue for a stay, less the booking platform's commission on that revenue. The management fee is charged on that figure, and on nothing else. If a booking takes $1,000 in accommodation revenue and the platform commission is $150, net accommodation revenue is $850, so the Tier 1 management fee is 24% of $850, which is $204. Cleaning fees sit outside the calculation.
Who pays the cleaning fee?
The guest pays the cleaning fee, on every stay. It is charged as a separate line item on the booking, collected by Aurea, and paid to the cleaning provider that turns the property over. It does not form part of net accommodation revenue and no management fee is charged on it, so it does not come out of the owner's share.
What does the owner still pay?
The running costs of owning the property stay with the owner, as they would with any property: utilities, insurance, council rates, and maintenance. Aurea coordinates maintenance and engages the tradespeople, and those costs are invoiced to the owner at cost. Two setup items are also an owner cost on both tiers: professional photography and the initial setup clean, both invoiced at cost with no margin, markup or coordination charge added. The detail is set out on the fees page.
Which parts of Adelaide do you manage?
Aurea manages homes across metropolitan Adelaide. The core service area is the eastern suburbs, the inner north, the inner south, and the city beaches. Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu homes are managed on a mid-term model running March to September, which matches the seasonal demand pattern in those areas rather than running them as year-round short-stay listings. Aurea does not manage properties interstate.
Can I use my own home?
Yes. Owner use is available within the terms of the management agreement, and owner dates are blocked out so they are not available for guest bookings. On coastal and Adelaide Hills homes the summer block is capped at one to two weeks, because summer is where the year is earned in those locations.
Do you take homes for a few months only?
No. A three or four month stint finishes before the listing has built the review history that a nightly rate is set on, so the home is handed back at the point it would start performing. A furnished mid-term let arranged through a rental agent suits that timeframe better.
Do you take apartments and townhouses?
Yes, where the body corporate allows short stays. That is the first thing to check, because a by-law prohibiting short-term letting rules the property out whatever the home is like. Sleeping capacity also needs to match the bedroom count: a three bedroom apartment or townhouse should sleep six.
How are guests screened?
Every guest has their identity verified before a door code is issued. The house is inspected in person after every stay, so damage and wear are picked up at the changeover rather than months later. Bookings that do not fit the home are declined, including parties and groups the property is not set up to hold.
Why do you cap the portfolio at fifteen?
Fifteen homes at most, so every property gets real attention, with an experienced Adelaide short stay team behind it. That is the number of homes we can inspect in person after every stay without cutting corners. At that size no property competes with another for attention, and owners deal with the founder rather than an account manager rota. The cap is a deliberate limit, not a stage of growth, and the reasoning behind it is set out on the about page.
How does an appraisal work?
An appraisal starts with the address and photos of the home, requested through the contact page. Noah returns a two page appraisal setting out a conservative annual revenue range and the owner's share of that range after fees. The figures are set by Noah, and the comparable evidence they rest on is attached. There is no upside case, because a figure the home cannot reach is not useful to an owner.
What happens over Christmas and events?
Peak periods sit inside the annual range in an appraisal, not on top of it. Christmas, the Adelaide Fringe, WOMADelaide and Gather Round are already accounted for in the range Aurea quotes. Rates for those dates are set ahead of the season and reviewed through it as bookings come in, rather than left on a default calendar.
How do I receive my earnings?
Owners receive a statement every month within ten business days of month end. It shows bookings, platform commission, the management fee and the owner share, and the owner share is paid with it.
If a question here is not answered, or you want to know what your home would do, request an appraisal.