Owner guide
Manage it yourself or hire a manager? An honest comparison
We are a management company, so we have an interest in the answer. All the more reason to be precise. Here is what running a short-term let or guesthouse really involves, what a manager costs, and when you are better off doing it all yourself.
By Hichem Mathlouthi, managing director of KasbahostPublished 6 min read
What the work involves, week by week
We found no reliable study putting a number on the hours needed each week; it varies too much with the size of the property and the number of stays. Rather than invent a figure, here are the actual tasks.
Every day:
- Answering enquiries and guest messages on every platform, often in several languages, evenings and weekends included.
- Welcoming arrivals. In our homes check-in is from 2 pm with no cut-off, so someone has to be available late at night.
- Registering foreign guests with the police or National Guard, as Law no. 68-7 of 8 March 1968 requires of anyone who houses a foreign national (text reproduced on legislation-securite.tn).
- Arranging cleaning after each departure and checking it before the next arrival.
- Dealing with the unexpected: lost keys, broken air conditioning, leaks, late or noisy guests.
Every week: reviewing prices for season, demand and events (we do it weekly for our homes); syncing calendars to avoid double bookings; linen and supplies; replying to reviews; and, for a guesthouse, breakfasts, shopping and staff rotas.
Every month: reconciling platform payouts with bookings; collecting, declaring and paying over the tourist tax (see our tourist tax guide); bookkeeping and tax returns; and planning maintenance, which in an old Medina house never stops.
That adds up to several jobs: sales and copywriting, pricing, guest relations in foreign languages, operations, a network of tradespeople, and paperwork. Nobody is good at all of them, but every one has to be done.
What each option costs
Doing it yourself means no management fee, but you still pay everything else: platform commission, cleaning, linen, supplies, maintenance, perhaps someone to check guests in. And your time has a value even if it never shows in the accounts.
Using a manager: there is no regulated rate. These are the public benchmarks we found:
| Market | Benchmark | Source | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunis | 20% excl. VAT of revenue collected | The Landlord, official site | One operator’s published rate |
| Tunisia outside Tunis | 25% excl. VAT | The Landlord, official site | One operator’s published rate |
| Tunisia, other claims | 8–15%, or 15–25% depending on the source | Tunisiapromo and other guides | Unverified, contradictory |
| France (Paris) | Around 20% (15–25%) | GuestReady, Houst | Several consistent sources |
Kasbahost's commission, calculated on revenue achieved, is given at the viewing. We also offer a lease option with a fixed monthly rent, however full the property is. A percentage alone is not enough to compare: ask what it covers. A low fee with many extras can cost more than a higher all-in fee.
The risks
If you manage it yourself: the let does not stop when you are unavailable; missed obligations (unregistered guests, uncollected tourist tax) are your responsibility; a few bad stays can push a listing down the rankings; and many owners start keen and tire after one busy season.
If you hand it over: without a detailed statement you cannot see what was sold, at what price, or what was spent; if the listing sits on the manager's account, you lose its reviews when you leave; an overstretched manager lets quality slip. And for guesthouses, as reported in the press (WebManagerCenter, 2013), the order of 29 July 2013 expects the host to live in the house with guests: before handing a guesthouse to a third party, check with the national tourist office (ONTT) or a lawyer.
When self-management makes sense
To be straight with you: in several situations you need neither us nor anyone else.
- A small flat, studio or one-bedroom, with no breakfast or reception.
- You live nearby, ideally in or close to the Medina, and can get there at any hour.
- Your schedule is flexible and you enjoy hosting and sorting out problems.
- You let occasionally, a few weeks a year, and income is not the priority.
- You have someone reliable for cleaning and linen.
If that is you, invest in good photos, a synced calendar and a clear admin routine. Our page on short-term rentals in Tunisia sets out the framework.
When a manager makes sense
- You live far away, abroad or in another city.
- The property is large: several rooms, several arrivals a day, a team to organise.
- It is a guesthouse: breakfast every morning, day and night reception, upkeep of an old house. It is a small hotel.
- You want income: weekly pricing, several platforms, direct bookings.
- You want clean accounts: monthly statement, invoices, declarations done.
In the Medina of Tunis, Kasbahost runs guesthouses and apartments with day reception, a night receptionist, housekeeping, maintenance and a driver. Find out more on our property owners page or our Airbnb management in Tunis service.
Hybrid options
- Co-host. Airbnb lets you add a co-host to a listing. According to TechCrunch (October 2024), Tunisia was not among the launch countries of its paid co-host network. A relative or local professional can still play the role.
- Cleaning only. You keep the listings and guest contact and outsource cleaning and linen.
- Check-ins only. Someone on site hands over keys; you run the rest remotely.
- Fixed-rent lease. At the other end, a manager pays you a fixed monthly rent and takes the occupancy risk. It is one of our two options.
Hybrids cut costs but leave the coordination and the legal responsibility with you.
Comparison table
| Criterion | Yourself | Hybrid | Full management |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time needed | High, daily | Medium | Low: decisions and oversight |
| Management fee | None | Pay per task | Percentage of revenue (public benchmark: 20% excl. VAT in Tunis) |
| On-site presence | You | A contractor, partly | The manager's team |
| Pricing reviews | When you have time | When you have time | Ongoing (weekly with us) |
| Legal obligations | Yours | Yours | Handled, depending on the contract |
| Control | Total | High | Through statements and the owner area |
| Best for | Studio, owner on site | Small flat, organised owner | Guesthouse, large property, remote owner |
How to choose a manager: questions to ask
Whether you choose Kasbahost or someone else, ask these before signing, and get the answers in the contract.
- Statements: will I get a detailed monthly statement (each booking, price, platform, commission, expenses), backed by invoices, with online access?
- Money: do platforms pay into my account or the manager’s? On what date is my balance paid? Who holds deposits and how are damages settled?
- Accounts: are listings created in my name or the manager’s? What happens to listings, reviews and photos if I leave?
- Legal obligations: who registers guests with the police, who collects and pays the tourist tax, who issues invoices, and does withholding tax appear on my statements?
- Exit terms: how long is the contract, what is the notice period, what happens to confirmed bookings, and can I block dates for my own use?
At Kasbahost: a detailed monthly statement and online owner area, guests registered with the police, tourist tax collected, invoices issued, withholding tax on statements, and dates that owners can block.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an Airbnb management company charge in Tunisia?
There is no official scale. As a public benchmark, The Landlord advertises 20% excluding VAT of revenue collected in Tunis and 25% elsewhere in Tunisia. In France the usual rate is around 20%. Always compare what the fee covers: cleaning, linen, maintenance and breakfast are sometimes charged on top.
Can I run a short-term let myself while living abroad?
You can handle the online side (listings, messages, pricing), but not check-ins, cleaning, breakdowns or on-site obligations such as registering foreign guests with the police. You then need someone you trust on the spot, which amounts to building a small team.
Who holds the money when I use a manager?
It depends on the contract. Either the platforms pay into the owner’s account and the manager invoices its fee, or they pay the manager, who passes on the balance with a statement. In the second case, insist on a detailed statement, a fixed payment date and access to your booking history.
Can a management company run a guesthouse?
The framework calls for caution. As reported in the press in 2013, the order of 29 July 2013 on guesthouses expects the host to live in the house with guests. Before handing over the running of a guesthouse, check your property's situation with the national tourist office (ONTT). Our guide to opening a guesthouse in Tunisia sets out the rules. See also our page on guesthouse management.
Can I take back management of my property later?
Yes, if the contract allows it. Before signing, check the notice period, what happens to bookings already taken, and who owns the listings and platform accounts.
Sources
Sources consulted on 13 October 2026. Several pages could not be opened directly by our research tool because of network restrictions; their content was taken from search-engine extracts.
- The Landlord, Airbnb property management in Tunisia, published fees (20% excl. VAT in Tunis, 25% elsewhere).
- GuestReady, comparison of Airbnb management companies (2025–26).
- Houst, management fee comparison for Paris and Marseille.
- Tunisiapromo, holiday letting in Tunisia 2026 guide (commercial source).
- TechCrunch, Airbnb launches its co-host network (16 October 2024).
- WebManagerCenter, order of 29 July 2013 on guesthouses (16 August 2013).
- Law no. 68-7 of 8 March 1968 on the status of foreign nationals, Articles 21–22, reproduced on legislation-securite.tn.
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