Vacasa Guestworks Property Management Review

While many vacation rental property investors are familiar with Vacasa, very few know about Vacasa Guestworks. In brief, this is Vacasa’s offshoot that provides half-service short-term rental property management through automation.

In this article, we will review exactly what Vacasa Guestworks is, what services it covers, how it works, how much it costs, what customers think, and how it compares to other Airbnb property management solutions.

On our list of the best Airbnb property management companies we ranked Awning above Vacasa Guestworks for its better pricing, more complete service offering, and nationwide footprint. 

What Vacasa Guestworks Is

Vacasa Guestworks is a branch of Vacasa which uses the same technology platform as the parent company to help hosts automate and optimize the management of their vacation rental. This half-service platform for Airbnb hosts was launched after Vacasa acquired TurnKey Vacation Rentals.

Eric Breon and Cliff Johnson founded Vacasa in 2009, with headquarters in Portland, OR. Since then, Vacasa has become the largest short-term rental property management company in North America, covering 35 US states, Canada, Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica. At the moment, Vacasa manages 35,000+ vacation rentals. However, there is no online information on the number of rentals that use Vacasa Guestworks.

Vacasa Guestworks Property Management Services

Vacasa Guestworks is a half-service Airbnb property management company. This means that Airbnb hosts can use the tech-driven platform to facilitate and automate many of the processes associated with owning and running a short-term rental business. Vacasa Guestworks promises to help vacation rental owners generate more revenue with doing less. However, they cannot achieve truly passive income as they still have to do some work.

Vacasa Guestworks provides the following vacation rental management services:

• Extensive listing distribution: Vacation rentals are listed on top platforms for maximum exposure to potential guests.
• Promotion: Short-term rental listings get promoted for additional access to interested guests.
• Dynamic pricing: Adjusting daily prices is key for optimizing Airbnb SEO and boosting bookings.
• Automatic booking calendars sync: Short-term rental booking calendars are synchronized across Airbnb, Vrbo, and other platforms to avoid double-bookings or non-booked nights.
• Smart locks: Vacasa Guestworks installs smart locks which generate a unique access code for each guest and housekeeper.
• Guest screening: Vacasa has developed industry-leading guest screening and fraud protection services to avoid fraudulent bookings. 99.7% of guests do not incur any material damage.
• 24/7 guest support: The Vacasa Guestwork guest support team provides around-the-clock communication with and help to guests to ensure that hosts get messaged only when it’s absolutely obligatory.
• Access to online owner portal: it provides this through the TurnKey Vacation Rentals platform and provides vacation rental owners with real-time tracking of property performance.

These services are in line with the Airbnb management services offered by other half-service companies. For the provision of these services, Vacasa Guestwork relies on the same technology that Vacasa uses for its full-service property manandsiness as well as the interface of TurnKey Vacation Rentals. Other than that, Vacasa Guestwork offers only very limited information with no specific details on the website.

Property Management Services Not Covered by Vacasa Guestworks

As a half-service provider, Vacasa Guestworks does not provide the following services:

• Interior design and vacation rental furnishing: How you design and furnish your Airbnb property has a major impact on occupancy, guest experience, and reviews. Good furnishing in accordance with local market trends can help increase rental revenue by up to 50%.
• Obtaining and renewing short-term rental licenses and permits: Most US counties and cities require short-term rental operators to get a license or a permit that - in most cases - has to be renewed annually. This can take between a couple of hours and a couple of months.
• Vacation rental insurance: Homeowner insurance is not enough to cover all the potential damage and liability associated with owning a short-term rental. Special grade insurance is needed.
• Cleaning and housekeeping: Unless you plan to clean and restock the property yourself between visits, you need to hire a local team of professionals to take proper care of your rental.
• Maintenance and fixes: Airbnb rentals are subject to more wear and tear because of the high turnaround of renters, which leads to more frequent need for small repairs before they turn into major problems.
• Transient occupancy tax collection and remittance: Most US locations require Airbnb hosts to pay TOT similar to hotels, in most cases on a monthly basis.

As Vacasa Guestworks does not provide the above-listed services, vacation rental owners have to either perform them themselves or hire local contractors whom to manage. In either case, this is not ideal for remote real estate investors or those hoping to earn passive income.

Where Vacasa Guestworks Property Management Is Available

Vacasa Guestworks does not provide specific information on where its short-term rental property management services are available. Vacasa, meanwhile, operates in 35 US states across the nation besides Canada, Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica. While this is the largest North America vacation rental management company, it does not work in the entire US market.

How Vacasa Guestworks Property Management Works

To get started with Vacasa Guestworks, Airbnb property owners need to fill in an online form where they provide some basic information including their name, email, phone, and rental address. Afterwards, they’ll be contacted by a Vacasa representative to discuss the details. Alternatively, they can call a phone number to speak to Vacasa staff right away.

Vacasa Guestworks does not provide detail on the property eligibility requirements (if any) and the onboarding process.

Vacasa Guestworks Property Management Costs and Fees

The Vacasa Guestworks website does not offer any information on the vacation rental property management fees. This is similar to the policy of the parent Vacasa company. Airbnb hosts need to talk to a Vacasa representative to know how much they will be expected to pay per month and if the fee is inclusive of all available services.

Based on our research of other half-service providers, expect to pay a fee of at least 10% of revenue. In our review of Vacasa fees and costs we also found that users regularly reported additional fees and markups from the company. 

Vacasa Guestworks Property Management Terms and Requirements

Vacasa Guestworks does not clarify if short-term rental property owners need to sign written contracts and if there is a requirement to commit in the long term. The exact rights and responsibilities of owners are not clear. Thus, you need to ask to see a copy of a written rental property management agreement before you decide whether or not to hire Vacasa Guestworks.

Vacasa Guestworks Property Management Reviews

There are no online reviews of Vacasa Guetsworks, neither by investors nor by short-term guests. However, there are thousands of Vacasa reviews by property owners and guests which show generally positive experiences.

You can find online Vacasa reviews on:

• Trustpilot: Currently 4.0/5 stars based on 9,756 reviews
• BBB.org: Currently 4.07/5 stars based on 2,743 reviews
• Yelp: Currently 2.5/5 stars based on 1,398 reviews
• Sitejabber: Currently 1.17/5 stars based on 774 reviews

The experiences of vacation rental property owners who’ve worked with Vacasa are mixed. Some are very satisfied with the value for money that the company provides, while others report destroyed properties, unexpected charges, lack of communication on behalf of the company, and difficulties getting out of contract.

Positive reviews by happy guests praise the outstanding, well-equipped, well-maintained, well-stocked rentals, the excellent locations, and the friendly guest support team. Negative reviews by unhappy guests complain about properties in a terrible state, mismatch between listings and actual rentals, last-minute cancellations, and poor customer support.

Vacasa Guestworks Competitors

Finding someone to manage your short-term rental is as important as buying the right property. Before deciding whether to work with Vacasa Guestworks or not, it’s a good idea to consider some of its alternatives. There are plenty of Airbnb managers in the US market, so it’s worth looking at some of the biggest names out there.

Here are comparisons between Vacasa Guestworks and its major competitors in the vacation rental management market:

Awning vs Vacasa Guestworks

Awning is the top vacation rental property management company in the US market, which offers truly comprehensive services, allowing hosts to earn passive real estate income. Awning covers all services, from getting properties ready for listing and welcoming guests, to ensuring they remain in good form year after year. It works with all property types and covers the entire US market, from end to end. This is achieved by setting up local teams of vetted contractors before even onboarding properties in a market.

Awning property management services include interior design and furnishing (if needed), getting licenses and permits, vacation rental insurance, optimizing and distributing listings, marketing and advertising, dynamic pricing, 24/7 guest support and communication with the lowest average response time in the industry, cleaning, restocking, laundry, property maintenance, hot tub and swimming pool maintenance, lawn maintenance, and property inspections and repairs.

This full-service Airbnb manager offers an industry-low vacation rental management fee, starting at 15%. Importantly, the interior design and furnishing process is managed by the ex-Head of Design at Airbnb, so properties furnished by Awning generate up to 50% more in revenue than comps in the same market.

Evolve vs Vacasa Guestworks

Evolve is the most popular direct competitor of Vacasa Guestworks as it is a half-service short-term rental property manager. Currently, it manages 24,000+ properties in 750 markets in the US and Mexico.

Similar to other half-service providers, Evolve focuses on listing optimization and distribution, marketing, dynamic pricing, guest communication and support, and rental property insurance covering both liability and property damage.

Evolve offers to connect Airbnb hosts with local contractors for the services that it does not cover. However, property owners will manage and coordinating their work.

Evolve charges a single fee of 10% of monthly revenue, regardless of the market and the property type. This is a very transparent and clear fee structure.

RedAwning vs Vacasa Guestworks

RedAwning is another direct Vacasa Guestworks competitor as a half-service Airbnb property manager, albeit less famous than Evolve.

The services covered by RedAwing include listing optimization, distribution, marketing, reservations management, guest support and communication, payment processing and revenue management, property damage protection, cleaning (through TurnoverBnB), and additional damage coverage (through Safely). Through the partnerships with others in the short-term rental industry, RedAwning can provide more services than other half-service companies.

RedAwning charges a standard vacation rental property management fee of 10% of monthly income plus a 3% credit card processing fee. The fee is the same for all US markets and properties of all types and sizes, which makes for a clear pricing structure, without unnecessary complications.

Vacasa vs Vacasa Guestworks

Vacasa is the parent company of Vacasa Guestworks which provides full-service short-term rental property management services.

Vacasa covers: interior design, help with licenses and permits, installing smart home devices, linen program, vacation rental insurance, listings, distribution, marketing, cleaning, restocking, property inspections and maintenance, dynamic pricing, revenue management, guest support and communication, tax support, and hot tub maintenance.

The majority of these services are covered by a monthly fee, which is calculated as a percentage of the revenue. The company website does not state the specific percentage, while explaining that the fee varies by market and property size. However, Vacasa reviews by property owners reveal a range between 25% and 35%. Additional services like interior design, linen program, and vacation rental insurance are paid separately.

Takeaway

Vacasa Guestworks could be a good option for vacation rental property owners who live in the local market and who’d like to be DIY Airbnb hosts. However, as a half-service property management company, it’s not recommended for investors who invest remotely or who don’t have the time to attend to their property in person. The information available online for Vacasa Guestworks - both on its website and third-party websites - is scarce and insufficient to make an informed decision.