Short-let property management in Ireland runs at 15-25% of your booking revenue in 2026, with most full-service operators landing close to 20% once you add everything in. The number that catches people out isn't the percentage itself — it's what sits outside it: cleaning, guest turnover, and platform listing fees, which most agencies bill separately rather than folding into the headline commission.
TL;DR
- Short-let property management in Ireland costs 15-25% commission in 2026, with 20% the most common full-service rate.
- Cleaning, guest turnover and platform fees are usually billed on top of the management commission, not inside it.
- Full-service management runs 20-25%; co-hosting sits nearer 12-18%; listing-only support is 8-12%.
- Location, occupancy, property size and Fáilte Ireland registration requirements all move the percentage up or down.
- Sos Stays manages self-catering lets across the Boyne Valley, Louth, Meath and the Mourne/Wexford coast on a commission basis.
Why this matters
For anyone renting out a holiday home in Louth, Meath, or Down, the commission percentage is the number that decides whether handing it over beats doing it yourself. Get the comparison wrong and a "20% management fee" quietly becomes 30% of turnover once cleaning and platform costs get added back in.
Sos Stays runs a commission-based management service for self-catering holiday homes across the Boyne Valley, Louth, Meath and the Mourne/Wexford coast, alongside the directly bookable stays it lists for travellers in the same regions. Knowing what's typical elsewhere in the market makes it easier to judge whether any quote you get — from us or anyone else — is fair.
How much does short-let property management cost in Ireland?
The honest answer is: it depends on how much you want taken off your plate. A full-service agency doing everything — listing, pricing, guest messaging, cleaning coordination, compliance paperwork — sits at the top of the range. An agency that just syncs your calendar across booking channels sits at the bottom.
| Service tier | Typical commission (2026) | What's included | |---|---|---| | Full-service management | 20-25% | Listing optimisation, guest comms, cleaning coordination, dynamic pricing, compliance | | Co-hosting / part-service | 12-18% | Guest comms and pricing; owner handles cleaning and key handover | | Listing-only / marketing | 8-12% | Channel listing and calendar sync only |
On top of whichever percentage you agree, expect separate line items for cleaning per turnover, linen, and sometimes a flat monthly software or channel-manager fee. None of that is hidden exactly — it's just rarely mentioned in the same breath as the headline commission.
Full-service management: 20-25% commission
This is the tier most owners mean when they ask about "property management" in the first place. You hand over the keys, more or less, and the agency handles guest enquiries, pricing adjustments around demand, cleaning schedules, and the Fáilte Ireland Short-Term Letting Register paperwork that's now part of running a legal short-let in 2026.
Best for: owners who don't live near the property, or who own more than one and don't have time to manage either well. The trade-off is straightforward — you give up a quarter of revenue for getting your weekends back.
Co-hosting or part-service: 12-18% commission
Co-hosting splits the work. The agency handles guest messaging, calendar pricing and platform relationships; you or a local contact still handle cleaning, key exchange and any on-the-ground problems.
Best for: owners who live close enough to manage turnovers themselves but want someone else fielding 11pm messages about a broken kettle. It's a middle ground, and it prices like one.
Listing-only support: 8-12% commission
At the bottom of the range, an agency simply lists your property across booking channels and keeps the calendar synced so you don't get double-booked. Everything else — pricing, guest comms, cleaning, compliance — stays with you.
Best for: owners who already know how to run a short-let and just want the admin of multi-channel listing taken off their hands. It's cheap, but it's not really management — it's distribution.
Why short-let property management costs vary
- Location — a coastal Mourne or Wexford property with strong seasonal demand gets priced differently than an inland Boyne Valley cottage with steadier, lower-volume bookings.
- Property size and bed count — a six-bed farmhouse takes considerably more turnover work than a two-bed cottage, and pricing usually reflects that.
- Occupancy level — because commission is charged on revenue, some agencies drop the percentage slightly for owners whose calendars are consistently full.
- Fáilte Ireland Short-Term Letting Register compliance — registration, fire safety documentation and renewal paperwork add admin hours that get priced into the commission.
- Cleaning and turnover logistics — rural properties without a local cleaning team nearby cost more to service reliably than ones close to a town.
- Contract length — a rolling monthly agreement typically costs more per month than a 12-month commitment, since the agency carries more risk of losing you quickly.
Compare management against self-managing
See how Sos Stays runs commission-based management across Louth, Meath and Down.
Is short-let management worth it for just one property?
It depends entirely on how much your time is worth and how close you live to the property. If you're managing one holiday home an hour's drive away and already juggling a full-time job, a 20% commission often costs less than the value of the hours you'd spend on guest messages, cleaning coordination and last-minute cancellations.
If you live five minutes from the property and enjoy the guest side of things, self-managing and paying nothing beyond platform fees usually wins.
What's the difference between a letting agent and a short-let manager?
A traditional letting agent in Ireland typically handles long-term tenancies — one tenant, one lease, minimal turnover. A short-let manager is built around constant turnover: multiple guests a month, dynamic nightly pricing, and compliance under the newer Short-Term Letting Register rules introduced for 2026 rather than standard Residential Tenancies Board rules.
The two aren't interchangeable, and pricing a short-let against a long-term letting agent's fee (often a flat percentage of annual rent) will give you a misleading comparison.
Do you still pay tax on rental income after management fees?
Yes — the management commission reduces your net income but doesn't change your tax obligation on rental earnings, which still needs to be declared to Revenue regardless of who's running the property day to day. Get specific advice from an accountant familiar with short-term letting income, since deductible expenses and registration status both affect the calculation.
One last thing
Most owners compare short-let management quotes by percentage alone, and that's the wrong number to anchor on. Ask each agency for the total cost per average booking — commission plus cleaning plus any platform or software fee — and compare that figure instead. A 25% full-service quote that includes everything can end up cheaper than an 18% co-hosting quote where cleaning, linen and a channel-manager fee all show up separately.