Avantstay vs Vacasa: Which Offers Better Airbnb Management?

This AvantStay vs Vacasa review to compare and contrast the services which these two short-term rental management companies offer and the requirements, eligibility criteria, and fees that they expect. We evaluate what types of properties and investors each company is best for. Then we looked at their top competitors to see if they manage properties in the same or different way.

In brief, are AvantStay and Vacasa worth it for Airbnb hosts? No! While they both provide full-service vacation rental property management, they don’t cover important markets and have vague pricing structures, raising questions about the transparency and honesty of their business model.

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

AvantStay vs Vacasa: Overview

Below is a quick comparison highlighting the fundamental similarities and differences between AvantStay and Vacasa:

AvantStay is a full-service short-term rental property management company which specializes in providing ultimate travel experiences. AvantStay was founded in 2017 by Sean Breuner and Reuben Doetsch. The company headquarters are in Los Angeles, CA. They have attracted a total funding of $686 million so far, in six rounds. In February 2022, Saluda Grade invested $500 million in the largest investment to date. AvantStay is a privately owned company. Currently, they manage 600+ properties in 70+ cities across the US and Mexico.

Meanwhile, Vacasa also provides full-service vacation rental property management. It was founded significantly earlier, in 2009, by Eric Breon and Cliff Johnson. It’s headquartered in Portland, OR. In its 13-year history, Vacasa has generated $834.5 million in funding, in seven rounds. Most recently, TPG invested $200 million in December of last year. Vacasa has been a publicly traded company under NASDAQ:VCSA since 2021 when it underwent an IPO. It has acquired 34 companies from within the Airbnb rental industry. The company manages 35,000+ short-term rentals, significantly more than AvantStay. Indeed, this number positions Vacasa as the largest Airbnb property manager in North America, which is not necessarily an advantage if you prefer a more personal, local approach to your investment property. Its properties are in the US, Canada, Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica.

AvantStay vs Vacasa: Locations

The Airbnb property management services provided by both AvantStay and Vacasa are limited to North and Central America, with a focus on the US market.

AvantStay vacation rental management services are much more geographically restricted, covering cities in 13 US states and Baja California Sur in Mexico. The US states where AvantStay is present include Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.

Besides the US and Mexico, Vacasa property management is also available in Canada, Belize, and Costa Rica. The company covers 35 US states, excluding Arkansas, Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.

The market coverage of both Airbnb management companies is concentrated in the US, but they offer some international coverage too, albeit limited to North and Central America.

Neither AvantStay nor Vacasa operates outside North and Central America.

Both AvantStay and Vacasa have dedicated in-house teams in all markets where they manage properties in order to provide full-service management to vacation rental owners.

AvantStay vs Vacasa: Costs & Fees

AvantStay does not publicize any information about the pricing structure and the fees that it charges on its website. Short-term rental property investors need to submit their property and get in touch with a company representative to know how much it will cost to work with AvantStay. It is also not clear whether there is a universal fee applying to all property types and sizes and all markets or whether the fee varies between homes and locations.

This lack of transparency raises a red flag. Investors need to have an open conversation with a company representative to understand how much AvantStay charges per month. Another important thing to understand is if the fee would cover all advertised services, or if there are additional fees. It’s best if you get all this information in writing and sign an agreement before hiring AvantStay to prevent unpleasant surprises along the way.

Similarly, Vacasa does not specify how much it costs to use their vacation rental property management services. It says that it calculates the fee based on the monthly income and that the fee changes for markets and property types in order to accommodate local realities. However, this is not the standard practice in the US Airbnb property management industry where many companies charge the same percentage of monthly revenue across all locations and properties.

Once again, contact Vacasa directly and connect with a representative to learn how much you can expect to pay. You should get the full details and read a written contract before getting started.

Vacasa charges separately for some additional services like their smart home program, vacation rental insurance ($7-$9/booked night), interior design ($99-$1,199), linen program, hot tub maintenance and management, and online account and app. While enrolling in these extra services costs more, this is the only way to get yourself a truly passive real estate income experience.

It is not clear whether working with AvantStay vs Vacasa costs less, and this is likely to vary from one investor to the next. It’s best to speak to both companies to get a quote and decide which makes more financial sense in your particular situation.

AvantStay vs Vacasa: Services

Being a full-service short-term rental property management company, AvantStay provides the following services to Airbnb investors:

• In-house award-winning interior design: AvantStay has an in-house team of interior designers that has won various awards. They ensure that the rental design provides the ultimate experience for guests in line with the spirit of the location and the property.
• Smart technology: AvantStay installs digital locks, noise monitors, security cameras, and device monitors to turn your investment property into a smart and secure home, without charging an additional fee.
• Vacation rental listing creation: AvantStay has an in-house team of professional photographers and copywriters to create optimized short-term rental property listings published on their website and multiple other channels like Airbnb.
• Digital rental marketing: AvantStay uses various digital marketing strategies to get as many views as possible to the properties that it manages. The company also relies on its network of travel agents.
• Commercial-grade insurance: AvantStay complements your home insurance with their multi million dollar general liability coverage.
• Cleaning and stocking: AvantStay takes care of cleaning vacation rentals thoroughly and restocking them with all essential supplies between stays.
• Best-in-class property maintenance: AvantStay maintains the short-term rentals they manage, to provide a higher standard of service.
• In-house housekeeping and local repairs: AvantStay assures that all necessary fixes and repairs are taken care of in due time.
• Revenue management: AvantStay combines data-driven insights with human analysis to help boost Airbnb revenue by around 20%. They use data from comparable properties in their own portfolio and market reports from AirDNA to ensure dynamic pricing of your rental property. Their team of dedicated pricing and revenue management specialists review pricing strategies on a weekly basis to guarantee optimization.
• Guest vetting, communication, and support: AvantStay takes responsibility for vetting guests and responding to their questions and needs before, during, and after a stay via SMS, email, and phone. They can solve 90% of all reported issues within the first call.

The list of services offered by AvantStay makes it look like a real full-service Airbnb rental management company. Having their own in-house teams in various departments like housekeeping, marketing, and revenue management means that investors can achieve optimal results without putting effort into managing their vacation home. One concern though is that it is not clear how much AvantStay charges per month and whether all these services are included in its vacation rental management fee.

There are two primary services which AvantStay does not mention in its portfolio, so property owners need to inquire about them separately. First, they don’t explicitly talk about providing help in navigating the local short-term rental laws and regulations. Most US markets have imposed various Airbnb laws requiring licenses and permits that - in most cases - have to be renewed annually. Second, AvantStay doesn’t mention taxes. In most locations Airbnb hosts need to pay sales tax, lodging tax, and rental income tax while taking advantage of all applicable short-term rental tax deductions to boost profit. Unless you have a good understanding of accounting, things can get complicated. So we recommend you discuss with AvantStay whether they can help with these two issues.

For comparison, the Vacasa full-service vacation rental management includes:

• Getting properties guest-ready: Vacasa provides interior design, smart home devices and monitors, short-term rental licenses and permits, cleaning, linen, and stocking to get your property ready for listing and welcoming its first guests. Some of these services come at an extra cost, as discussed shortly.
• Listing your vacation rental property: Vacasa has an in-house team that optimizes listings with high-definition photos, 3D tours, property description, and search engine optimization (SEO). Properties get listed on their website and Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Homes & Villas by Marriott International, and others.
• Rental property marketing: Vacasa promotes its vacation rentals using targeted digital marketing channels like Google ads, Facebook ads, and email marketing. Though it’s not clear which properties receive this focused advertising.
• Bookings and guest management: Vacasa approves bookings and communicating with guests 24/7 at all stages - before, during, or after their stay. This includes solving all their problems. They also take care of collecting positive reviews.
• Dynamic rate setting: Vacasa benefits from billions of relevant data points and top technology to set up different nightly rates each day, based on seasonality, weather, events, and other factors. This allows them to increase Airbnb income by 20%, on average. They do not mention human review of their dynamic pricing mechanism.
• Cleaning and restocking between stays: Vacasa cleans the short-term rentals they manage between guests to follow the CDC requirements which includes changing and washing linen. They restock supplies.
• Vacation rental inspection and maintenance: Vacasa inspects their properties regularly to ensure that everything is fine, while taking stock of pending issues. Their local teams take care of the needed fixes or coordinate with external experts.
• Tax support: Vacasa helps investors with tax forms.

Besides these standard services, Vacasa provides more help for an extra cost, including:

• Online account and app: Vacasa gives investors constant online access to a booking calendar, financial performance, monthly statements, home information, taxpayer information, maintenance requests, and personalized settings.
• Smart home program: Vacasa offers to place smart locks, noise monitors, and Vacasa-branded Wi-Fi routers while helping property owners save $500.
• Interior design: Vacasa has guided interior design services for $99 and curated design services for $599-$1,199, including introduction, reservation, design, collaboration, cooperation, and installation.
• Linen program: Vacasa provides Airbnb rentals with sheets and towels, changes and washes them between guests, and replaces them when needed.
• Short-term rental property insurance: Vacasa ensures up to $1 million in liability coverage, $1 million in damage coverage, and $15,000 in bed bug coverage, for a fee of $7-$9 per booking.
• Hot tub management and maintenance: Vacasa can take care of things like water testing, chemical levels balancing, water draining and refilling, cover checking, and arranging repairs for a water tub to enhance guest experiences. The company reports that vacation homes featuring a hot tub get 15%-20% more in revenue.

The list of services offered by Vacasa seems very comprehensive, including the two services that it is not clear whether AvantStay provides. But it is important to understand how much the standard fee charged by Vacasa is and how much each of the extra services costs.

AvantStay vs Vacasa: Terms

To qualify to be managed by AvantStay, a property has to feature a minimum of four bedrooms and to be rented out in full. The reason for this eligibility requirement is that the company caters specifically to the needs of group travelers, whether families, friends, or colleagues.

Meanwhile, the terms and conditions of hiring their Airbnb management services is one more area where AvantStay lacks enough transparency to be trusted. There is no mention of written agreements, contracts, or cancelation policies. You can have a single-year or multi-year commitment. This is in contrast with the practice of most competitors who do not ask for long-term commitment and allow hosts to cancel whenever they decide.

Unlike AvantStay, Vacasa does not have eligibility requirements, and they manage virtually all property types. To get started, an investor needs to contact them, after which they will communicate with a Homeowner Consultant to decide if the property and the company are a good fit.

Airbnb hosts who hire Vacasa need to sign an agreement or a contract, but there is no long-term commitment requirement. You can cancel the agreements, and the cancellation will be effective in 90 days. You must honor existing reservations within these 90 days.

AvantStay and Vacasa own the listings on their website and the short-term rental property marketplaces where they market. This strategy gives their listings an advantage as both companies are large hosts, which are favored by the marketplace algorithms, so rentals get more views and more bookings.

The flip side is that if you decide to opt out of their services, you will lose the listings and the reviews that guests have written. This makes it hard as you have to start from scratch.

AvantStay vs Vacasa: Host Reviews

AvantStay has an excellent reputation on customer review websites. The company has a TrustScore of 4.7 (excellent), based on 566 reviews, while it has an average score of 4.85/5 on BBB.org, out of 271 reviews. This is a relatively low number of reviews compared to alternatives, but it makes sense since AvantStay manages only a few properties. Guests has written the vast majority of online reviews, not hosts.

The few available positive host reviews discuss the differences in the level, depth, and quality of services provided by AvantStay and competitors like Vacasa. Investors agree they are a truly full-service vacation rental property management company.

Here is what one happy property owner wrote on Reddit, comparing Vacasa and Avantstay:

“Like alot of owners I was using vacasa for property management but it has driven down my home reviews on VRBO and Airbnb. I was contacted by Avantstay and signed with them and difference has been night and day they literally have a total hands off approach. I took their Master Lease option which pays me the same amount every month regardless of occupancy. I highly recommend if any owners need a switch.”

Meanwhile, the negative AvantStay reviews provided by hosts talk about lack of commitment, poor effort, suboptimal performance, and even dishonesty.

Following is a critical review by an investor posted on BBB.org:

“AvantStay bought our prior management company and we decided to give them an opportunity with our short term rental. It has been exhausting. They didn't actively advertise our home on websites and we had low tenant response. They billed us or overcharged us to help them have an income. I fired them and they stole all my bed linens as well as towels and bed bug pillow cases. They completed the last cleaning and left stains all over the bath mat and a yellow sticky substance in our utility drawer. Please beware. Find someone you trust. Not a team.”

Vacasa has less impressive online rankings than AvantStay though the averages are still very good. Their TrustScore is 4.1 ( great), based on 8,917 reviews, and they have an average score of 4.1 on the BBB.org website, based on 2,457 reviews. There are over 1,000 complaints as well. Guests provide the overwhelming majority of Vacasa reviews.

Good reviews from hosts focus on the engagement of the Vacasa team and the quality of the services which they offer to short-term rental owners and their properties.

A satisfied real estate investor left the following review on Yelp:

“We own 3 short-stay rentals in Anacortes, WA that have been managed by VACASA since we set them up in 2018. We read the reviews of the company before deciding how to proceed with management, chose them anyway and we're so glad we did. They've done a wonderful job cleaning and maintaining the properties as well as keeping them rented. That isn't to say there haven't been hiccups, this being the Covid and all, but local VACASA management has always done everything in their power to preserve our investment and keep it profitable.

That said, I realize this is a newish company providing ALL services related to keeping these rentals occupied and there's a lot that could go wrong. They do all the booking, advertising, providing directions to the house, answering questions and more questions, cleaning, making the beds, cleaning the grills, filling gas canisters, doing minor repairs to coffee makers, even teaching guests how to turn on the heat, and on and on and on. None are things I'm able to do myself and I'm pleased to say they do all and do them well. I have to say I'd be just as comfortable with their care of these properties if I lived on the other side of the country, not up the street as we do.

I realize a lot depends on local management and we definitely have an exceptional team, but we also do our part as owners to furnish and maintain the properties in a way that inspires our guests to take care of them and I'm sure that makes a difference. VACASA has experienced some growing pains even in the 3 years we've been with them, but we think they're doing great!”

At the same time, bad reviews show the opposite, highlighting major mismatches between advertised vs delivered services, poor communication with both hosts and guests, and no commitment to insurance policies.

Following is a negative review from a host written on TrustPilot:

“I am an owner who hired Vacasa to manage our condo in Florida . Worst mistake I have ever made. They sit on your money and charge bogus fees.

They do not answer questions and do not provide detail statements . They also wont provide receipts for the taxes they paid. This is the most unprofessional bunch of people I have ever dealt with . Beware dont make the same mistake I did.”

Best Alternatives to AvantStay and Vacasa

While Vacasa is the biggest name in the vacation rental property management industry in the US, AvantStay is a leader in providing group travel experiences. But this doesn’t mean that these are the top choices for short-term rental property owners.

Next, we will have a look at five of the top competitors of AvantStay and Vacasa to check what similarities and differences exist between them.

Here is a quick side-by-side comparison of the biggest AvantStay and Vacasa alternatives:

Awning

Similar to both AvantStay and Vacasa, Awning provides full-service Airbnb management. An important benefit is that Awning operates in all 50 US states. The company is not simply a property manager as it can also optimize searching for top short-term rental properties in the best states to buy rental property. Awning deploys a method that combines big data with insights from local market experts to bring optimal ROI while purchasing and managing a vacation rental.

Awning also assists in the vacation rental furnishing process to ensure compliance with local demand and trends. Awning helps with getting the required licenses and permits too. Their other services include listing, marketing, cleaning, restocking, getting and writing reviews, communicating with and supporting guests, and hot tub, pool, and lawn maintenance. Awning’s portfolio of services guarantees that investors who opt to work with them will enjoy a fully passive income from their Airbnb rental.

In terms of fees, Awning has a very transparent pricing model where it charges 15% of monthly revenue, regardless of the market and the property type. This is an industry-low rate among full-service property management companies.

Evolve

In contrast with AvantStay and Vacasa, Evolve property management is only half-service. While they take care of many aspects of running an Airbnb business, they are absent in other vital areas. For instance, Evolve only works with properties that are ready for listing and renting. They don’t offer services related to interior design, legal regulation compliance, cleaning, stocking, maintenance, and repairs. Instead, they can connect investors with their local partners, but all these services will come at an extra fee. This means that Evolve provides services limited to vacation rental property marketing, albeit optimized for SEO and other channels.

Evolve is comparable in size with Vacasa as it manages 24,000+ that can be of any type and size. Regarding market coverage, Evolve is present only in North America, specifically in the US and Mexico.

Evolve is fully transparent in its fee structure, charging 10% of monthly revenue. While this seems like a really low fee in the industry, it reflects the fact that you cannot benefit from passive income if you work with them. You will still do a lot of the tasks yourself or coordinating between different teams.

Air Concierge

Air Concierge is a full-service property management company. Unlike AvantStay and Vacasa, Air Concierge does not manage short-term rentals only but also luxury rentals and Airbnb long-term rentals lasting for 30, 60, 90, or more days.

As a full-service property manager, they help with everything from preparing properties for listing and welcoming guests, through managing listings and marketing, to guest communication and support. In this sense, it is comparable to AvantStay and Vacasa and other full-service companies.

What makes Air Concierge stand out from the crowd is its adaptive pricing structure. Air Concierge charges a standard fee of 25% of monthly revenue when signing a three-month contract, which goes down to 22% if you sign an annual contract. If you have a luxury rental, the service fee decreases to 20%. For reservations of 30, 60, and 90 days the fee declines even further to 18%, 15%, and 12%, respectively. The rates are yet lower for annual contracts. Like AvantStay and unlike Vacasa, Air Concierge requires long-term commitment, which is suboptimal unless you are absolutely sure that it’s the right short-term rental property management company for your needs as an investor.

SkyRun Vacation Rentals

SkyRun Vacation Rentals is yet another one of the full-service top Airbnb management companies on our list. Similar to competitors, it operates in 28 markets in 10 US states, Canada, and Mexico. At the moment they manage around 900 vacation rentals, which makes them comparable to AvantStay.

SkyRun Vacation Rentals provides all the property management services that other alternatives do, like listing, marketing, cleaning, restocking, maintenance, and guest support. What makes it different from the rest though is that it allows investors to buy into the business to become property managers themselves. In all services that it offers, it combines national reach, experience, and data with local business ownership.

The fees which SkyRun Vacation Rentals charges vary, starting at 15%. While this is a relatively low rate in the industry, investors need to check how much their exact fee will be.

Casago

Unlike AvantStay and Vacasa, Casago manages different investment properties such as short-term rentals, long-term rentals, furnished rentals, single-family homes, and corporate housing. In terms of market coverage, they are present in 21 US states plus DC and Mexico.

Similar to AvantStay and Vacasa, Casago provides full-services including creating a listing, rental marketing, managing check-ins and check-outs, cleaning and restocking between stays, property maintenance, and guest communication and support. They promise to increase rental revenue by up to 30%, which is more than what other competitors boast.

Casago charges a universal fee of 18% of rental income, which is below the industry average. This is a very transparent and straightforward pricing system.

AvantStay vs Vacasa Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Following are the questions that investors ask most frequently about AvantStay and Vacasa:

What is AvantStay?

AvantStay is a full-service short-term rental property management company specializing in providing the ultimate experiences to group travelers including families, relatives, friends, and coworkers. They operate in 13 US states and one market in Mexico and manage entire properties with a minimum of four bedrooms.

How does AvantStay work?

As a full-service vacation rental property management company, AvantStay does everything from getting the property ready for listing and welcoming guests, through marketing, maintenance, and repairs, to guest communication and support. They ask for one-year or multi-year commitment. AvantStay boosts rental revenue by an average of 20%.

What is Vacasa?

Vacasa is a full-service Airbnb rental management company which is present in 35 US states, Canada, Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica. Managing over 35,000 short-term rentals makes Vacasa the largest vacation rental property manager in North America.

How much does Vacasa charge?

Vacasa does not provide public information on its pricing structure. According to the company website, fees vary based on the market and the property type and size. In reviews, investors working with Vacasa mention fees between 20% and 35% of revenue plus extra costs for additional services like linen. This is within the standard in the industry.

How much do Airbnb management companies charge?

Airbnb property management companies charge a wide range of fees, usually based on a percentage of monthly revenue. The exact amount differs according to the level of service they provide, the exact services included, the company size, and other factors. In general, fees are set between 20% and 30% of revenue, whereas some property managers charge only 15% while providing high-quality full-service management. Some companies charge separately for additional services.

What is the best Airbnb property management company?

Our analysis of the top vacation rental property managers in the US market reveals that Awning provides the best services at the best price. The company covers the entire US market, offers comprehensive services, and charges only 15% of monthly income.

Takeaway

AvantStay and Vacasa are no doubt two of the most popular Airbnb management companies in the US. Both have important strengths and weaknesses. Overall, Vacasa is the better general property manager as it covers more property types and more markets and has more experience. Meanwhile, AvantStay is an optimal choice for larger properties catering to group rentals. Both companies raising some red flags in our analysis, so we recommend that Airbnb hosts look elsewhere too.

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