What Does an Airbnb Co-Host Do? Permissions, Costs and How It Works
Stephanie Hakim · · 9 min read · Landlord Guides
In this guide (12 sections)
- The short version
- What is an Airbnb co-host?
- Airbnb co-host settings: the three permission levels
- Can you co-host on Airbnb, and who is shown as the host?
- How co-host payouts work in the UK
- The Airbnb Co-Host Network
- How much does an Airbnb co-host charge in Manchester?
- Co-host vs management company vs doing it yourself
- What to put in writing with any co-host
- The risks of informal co-hosting
- How we co-host in Manchester
- Frequently asked questions
An Airbnb co-host is someone you invite onto your Airbnb listing to help you run it, while the listing stays on your own account. You decide how much they can do on Airbnb (full access, calendar and messaging access, or calendar access only). Everything else, from what they're paid to who answers the 2am message, is whatever you agree, so the agreement matters far more than the title.
We're Matt and Steph, and we've been hosting in Manchester since May 2017. We co-host owners' own listings as well as running homes on our own profile, so here's the honest version of how co-hosting works, whoever you choose. Our Airbnb co-host Manchester page explains how we do it.
The short version
- A co-host helps run your listing; you stay the owner. Up to 10 co-hosts, each with full access, calendar and messaging access, or calendar access.
- Reviews stay with you. Airbnb shows them on the listing owner's profile, never a co-host's.
- Airbnb pays you. Only you can share part of each booking with a co-host through co-host payouts.
- The Co-Host Network is live in the UK, with a Manchester page.
- Put scope, fees, cleaning, damage claims and notice in writing before the first guest arrives.
What is an Airbnb co-host?
Airbnb describes a co-host as someone invited to a listing for extra help, such as managing the listing, responding to enquiries or messaging booked guests (Airbnb, Co-hosts: an introduction, checked November 2026). It advises agreeing three things up front: who does what, the co-host's share of booking income, and how expenses are paid back.
The listing owner, whose account the listing sits on, is responsible for every co-host on it, including any added by a full-access co-host (Airbnb, What co-hosts can do, checked November 2026).
It's common here: AirROI's data shows 33% of Manchester's active listings name a co-host (checked November 2026).
Airbnb co-host settings: the three permission levels
You add a co-host in the listing editor, under Co-hosts, with their phone number or email and a permission level, up to 10 per listing (Airbnb, Add co-hosts to your home listing, checked November 2026). New co-hosts have to verify their identity before they can accept.
| Permission | What they can do | What they can't do |
|---|---|---|
| Full access | Message guests, edit the calendar, manage the listing, pricing and reservations, handle Resolution Centre and damage requests (depending on location), choose the primary host, add co-hosts | Add or remove other full-access co-hosts, or set up their own payouts |
| Calendar and messaging access | Message guests and view the calendar | Edit the calendar, or manage reservations, pricing or the listing |
| Calendar access | View the calendar | Message guests or edit anything |
Source: Airbnb, What co-hosts can do, checked November 2026. Co-hosts added before 3 May 2023 have full access by default, so check what long-standing co-hosts can do.
Can you co-host on Airbnb, and who is shown as the host?
Yes, co-hosting is built into Airbnb. Each listing has one primary host, who guests see as the host. The owner or a full-access co-host chooses who that is, and changing it leaves existing reservations unchanged (Airbnb, Primary Hosts: an introduction, checked November 2026).
Two things stay with the owner whoever is shown. Guest reviews appear only on the listing owner's profile, and only the owner's guest ratings count towards Superhost status, never a co-host's.
How co-host payouts work in the UK
Airbnb pays the listing owner, who can share part of each booking's earnings with a co-host. Only the owner can set up, edit or remove these co-host payouts (Airbnb, How co-host payouts work, checked November 2026). There are four ways to set them up:
- the cleaning fee
- the cleaning fee plus a percentage of the booking
- a percentage of each booking, with the cleaning fee included or left out
- a fixed amount per booking
The co-host has 14 days to confirm, and payouts apply to bookings starting after that. Damage protection reimbursements and Resolution Centre payouts aren't included, and your tax document still covers the full booking amount.
There are limits. Co-host payouts aren't supported on Airbnb's Residential Hosting programme in the UK, and Airbnb's page on regional limitations for co-host payouts (checked November 2026) says that outside the US and EU, hosts can share payouts with only one co-host per listing. The payout pages don't mention VAT, so ask any VAT-registered co-host how they'll handle it.
The Airbnb Co-Host Network
Airbnb launched the Co-Host Network on 16 October 2024 in 10 countries, including the UK, so owners can find and hire local co-hosts in the app (Airbnb newsroom, checked November 2026). It's still available in the UK. To join, a co-host needs 10 or more stays in the past 12 months (or 3 or more totalling 100+ nights), an average guest rating of 4.8 or higher and a cancellation rate under 3%, among other things (Airbnb, Co-Host Network requirements, checked November 2026). Airbnb doesn't set prices: you agree them with the co-host, and many are paid a percentage or a fixed amount per booking (Airbnb, Join the Co-Host Network, checked November 2026).
The Manchester Co-Host Network page featured three individual local hosts when we checked. It's a useful way to find people, but it isn't a contract.
How much does an Airbnb co-host charge in Manchester?
Airbnb doesn't set a rate. Houst, a national manager, puts most UK co-hosts at 10% to 25% of booking revenue in its 2026 guide to co-host earnings, depending on how much they do, with some charging a flat £150 to £400 a month instead (checked November 2026).
For full management, here's what some Manchester managers publish (checked November 2026):
- Pilot My Property: 13% for the first three months, then 14%, advertised with no VAT.
- 53 Degrees Property: 14% + VAT on a 12-month plan, 18% + VAT on 6 months, 22% + VAT rolling, with a £150 minimum monthly charge if the property is unavailable.
- Stayful: 15% + VAT of net booking value after the platform fee, plus a £42 a month + VAT software fee, on a 6-month fixed term.
- Pass the Keys: from 20% + VAT of net booking value.
Our full management is 15% of each booking + VAT, plus a one-off £400 + VAT onboarding fee for professional photography, your listing build and setup, on a rolling agreement with one month's notice either way. If we co-host on your own Airbnb account, we'll confirm the fee and terms for your property on the call. For the full market comparison, see what Airbnb management costs in Manchester.
Co-host vs management company vs doing it yourself
"Co-host" is an Airbnb role, not a type of business: a friend, a local host or a management company can all hold it.
| Doing it yourself | An individual co-host | A full management company | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whose account | Yours | Yours | Yours (as co-host) or theirs, depending on the company |
| Who does the work | You | Whatever you agree | Usually everything, from pricing to cleaning |
| Your reviews | Yours | Yours | Yours on your account, theirs on theirs |
| Cost | Your time | A percentage or fixed fee you agree | A published percentage, plus any set-up fee |
The account question is the big one: on your account, the listing and its reviews stay with you; on a company's account, they stay with the company. Our guide to switching Airbnb management company in Manchester explains what that means when you leave.
What to put in writing with any co-host
Agree these before the first booking:
- Scope. Which jobs are theirs (messaging, pricing, cleaning, maintenance, check-ins) and which permission level they get.
- Fees. The rate, what it's a percentage of (the whole booking or after the platform fee, with or without cleaning), whether VAT is on top, and any set-up, software or minimum charges.
- How they're paid. Through Airbnb's co-host payouts or by invoice, and how expenses are paid back.
- Cleaning and linen. Who books the cleaners, who supplies linen, and where the guest cleaning fee goes.
- Damage claims. Who files them and who receives the money, since Resolution Centre and damage protection payouts aren't shared through co-host payouts.
- Notice. How much either of you must give, and how.
- Who owns the listing. That it stays on your account, and what happens when either of you ends things.
- Who is shown as the primary host, and who holds the keys and lock codes.
The risks of informal co-hosting
Plenty of informal arrangements work well. The ones that don't usually fail here:
- You're still responsible. If you remove a co-host, you remain responsible for current and future bookings, including ones they accepted (Airbnb, Remove a co-host, checked November 2026). Have cover lined up first.
- Full access is a lot of access, including pricing and reservations. Give it to someone you'd trust with your income.
- Money agreed over a chat is easy to dispute. A fee "of the booking" can mean three different numbers.
- Your tax figures. Your Airbnb tax document still shows the full booking amount, so keep records of what you paid your co-host.
- One person is one person. Holidays or illness can leave your guests with nobody to call.
How we co-host in Manchester
We co-host the listing on your own Airbnb account, so the listing and its reviews stay yours, or we host your home on our established City Superhost profile. Either way you get our full management, and we're rated 9.2/10 from 8,700+ guest reviews (Airbnb and Booking.com combined). There's more on our Airbnb co-host Manchester page, or tell us about your property or call 07523 840 013.
Frequently asked questions
What does an Airbnb co-host do?
An Airbnb co-host helps the listing owner run their listing, from messaging guests to managing pricing and reservations. What they can do on Airbnb depends on their permission level: full access, calendar and messaging access, or calendar access. Jobs off the platform, like cleaning and maintenance, depend on what you agree.
How much does an Airbnb co-host charge in Manchester?
Houst's 2026 guide to co-host earnings puts most UK co-hosts at 10% to 25% of booking revenue, depending on how much they do. The Manchester management companies we checked publish rates from 13% (introductory, no VAT) to 22% + VAT on a rolling contract (checked November 2026). Compare the total each would take from the same booking, including VAT and extras.
How many co-hosts can an Airbnb listing have?
Airbnb allows up to 10 co-hosts on a home listing. Each has its own permission level, and the owner can change it or remove a co-host at any time. Outside the US and EU, Airbnb says only one co-host per listing can receive co-host payouts.
Can a co-host take my listing or reviews?
Not if the listing stays on your own Airbnb account. Airbnb shows guest reviews only on the listing owner's profile, and only the owner's ratings count towards Superhost status. A listing on someone else's account belongs to that account, so agree whose account it sits on.
Is the Airbnb Co-Host Network available in Manchester?
Yes. The Co-Host Network launched in the UK in October 2024, and Airbnb has a Manchester page featuring local co-hosts (checked November 2026). Fees aren't set by Airbnb, so you agree them with the co-host directly.
Can my co-host be paid through Airbnb in the UK?
Usually, yes. The listing owner can share the cleaning fee, a percentage, or a fixed amount per booking through Airbnb's co-host payouts, and only the owner can set it up. Co-host payouts aren't supported on Airbnb's Residential Hosting programme in the UK.