Changing manager is mostly paperwork and timing. Here's the detail behind each step: what your contract usually decides, what happens to your listing and bookings, the council side, the money, and how to get an honest second opinion first.
Notice periods and your current contract: what to read first
Before you say anything to your current manager, read the agreement you signed. Most of what follows depends on it.
Six things to find in the contract
- The notice period. How long it is, whether it must be in writing, and when it starts. Some run from the date notice is received, others from the end of a month.
- Any exit or termination fee. Note the amount and what triggers it.
- Who owns the listing. Is it on your platform account, or theirs? This decides what happens to your reviews.
- Photos and listing text. Who paid for them, and whether you can keep using them.
- Bookings after your leaving date. Does the contract say who hosts them, and who is paid for them?
- The final statement. When it's due, and when any money held for you is paid out.
Notice periods vary a lot between managers, so don't assume. If the contract is unclear or silent on a point, ask in writing and keep the reply.
You're welcome to send us the agreement before you give notice. We'll read it with you and point out anything that affects your dates. There's no obligation to switch. If you'd rather talk first, book a 15-minute call with one of the co-founders.
Airbnb listings, reviews and future bookings in a handover
This is the part owners worry about most, and with good reason. Reviews take time to build.
If the listing is on your own Airbnb account
Your old manager is removed as a co-host and we're added. The listing, its reviews and its history stay with the home. This is the simplest route.
If the listing is on your manager's account
The reviews usually stay with that listing. A new listing is created for your home, with your licence number and EPC rating shown, as the licence conditions require. It takes a few months of good stays to build new reviews, and we plan the first months with that in mind: careful pricing, quick replies and a home that matches its photos.
Bookings already made
They're honoured. Either they move across with the listing, or your old manager hosts them until the handover date. We agree which, in writing, booking by booking, before anything changes. The aim is that a guest arriving the week of the switch notices nothing.
On the handover day, the two calendars need to match exactly, so no night is sold twice. Check them together on the day. If you list on Booking.com as well, the same questions apply there.
If you're not sure how your listing is set up, a free listing review is a good start. Send us the link and we'll tell you what we see. Our Airbnb management page explains how we run listings once they're with us.
Your licence and the £137 change-of-manager fee
Your short-term let licence belongs to you, not to your manager. Switching doesn't cancel it, and you don't need a new one. What the City of Edinburgh Council does need is to be told about a change of day-to-day manager, because that's a change to the details on the licence.
| Change | Council fee |
|---|---|
| Change of day-to-day manager | £137 |
| Other variations, such as layout | £74 |
| Transfer to a new licence holder | £120 |
For a straight switch, the £137 change of manager is the one that applies. We prepare the notification with you. A transfer only comes into it if the licence holder changes, for example when a home is sold or inherited.
While we're at it, we check the rest of the licence file. When is the renewal due? Are the gas, EICR and PAT certificates in date? Does the fire risk assessment match the home as it is now? Is the maximum number of guests on your listings the same as on the licence? It's common to find one date that nobody was tracking. Our pages on licence renewal and licence requirements have the detail.
Your neighbours should also have the right number to call. Make sure the stair has the new contact number, so nobody is left ringing an old line. Our page for neighbours of our homes shows what they see.
The money side of switching manager
A handover has a clear date, but bookings don't always fit neatly either side of it. Agree these points in writing before the switch, and the final statements will make sense.
- Stays that straddle the date. Who is paid for them, and who pays the cleaning? The simplest answer is usually that whoever hosts the guest takes care of that stay from start to finish.
- Money already collected. Payments taken for future stays, and anything held for you, should appear on the old manager's final statement.
- The Visitor Levy. For stays in the City of Edinburgh from 24 July 2026, 5% is added to the accommodation price for the first five nights. Agree who collects and returns it for each booking around the handover. Our Visitor Levy page explains how it works.
- Bills and contractors. Ask for any open repair jobs and unpaid invoices, so nothing turns up later with your name on it.
What it costs to switch to us
A one-off onboarding fee of £400, £500 or £600 + VAT, depending on the number of bedrooms. It covers photos where they're needed, listings, setup and the handover, and a noise sensor is included. Our management fee is from 15% + VAT of net booking revenue, which is what guests paid after platform fees, cleaning and the Visitor Levy. That's 18% including VAT. New owners who sign a 1-year agreement by 31 December 2026 pay 10% + VAT for their first four months, on every tier. Our pricing page sets out the tiers. Your first statement arrives at the end of the first month, on one page.
Getting a second opinion on your current manager
You don't have to decide anything to get a second opinion. Send us your last 12 months of owner statements and we'll look at what the home earned, what it could earn and where the money went.
What we look at
- Nights booked across the year. In the homes we managed all year, 84% of nights were booked, against 72% for Edinburgh short lets overall. A home well below that usually has a pricing or listing problem.
- How prices move. August, Hogmanay and the rugby weekends should look very different from a February weeknight.
- Every cost line. Fees, cleaning, linen, restocking and repairs, and whether you agreed to each one.
- Reviews. Any complaint that keeps coming back, about cleanliness, check-in or noise.
- The paperwork. Licence dates and certificates, and who is tracking them.
Sometimes the answer is that your manager is doing a reasonable job and one or two things need fixing. That's still worth knowing, and you can take the points back to them.
If you'd like a quick sense of the numbers first, our earnings calculator gives a range for your home. For the full picture, ask for a free plan and you'll get earnings month by month, the licence position and every cost, by 11am the next working day.
You can also call us on +44 (0)131 560 6614, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm, or send us a message.
When to switch Airbnb manager in Edinburgh, and mistakes to avoid
If you can choose, switch in a quieter month. January to March is usually calmer than the summer. Switching in July, with the Fringe weeks already booked, can be done, but there's more to coordinate.
Notice periods often decide the timing for you. Count back from the date you'd like us to start, and give notice so the two line up.
Mistakes owners make when switching
- Giving notice before checking who owns the listing. Find out first, so you know what happens to your reviews.
- Cancelling bookings to make the handover tidier. Cancellations hurt your listing and the guests. Honour them.
- Leaving certificates behind. Ask for copies of every certificate and the licence paperwork before the last day.
- Not counting the keys. Every key, fob and lockbox code, with a signed list. Change lockbox codes on the handover day.
- Forgetting the cleaner. If you like your cleaner and they meet our standard, they may be able to stay.
If you're thinking of hosting it yourself rather than switching, our page on hosting it yourself gives an honest comparison. To see how we work day to day, read about our team or what owners and guests say. Let's talk about your property when you're ready.
Book a 15-minute call with one of the co-founders, or get a free plan for your home: what it could earn, the licence route and every cost.
