Agree the scope before handing over the keys
Start with the property location, layout, current condition and your plans for personal use. We discuss which tasks you want to delegate and put the agreed responsibilities in writing. This can include listing preparation, reservation coordination, guest messages, arrivals, cleaning arrangements and reporting. Building management and common-area maintenance are separate matters to clarify with the complex.
Airbnb and Booking.com coordination
For apartments advertised on Airbnb or Booking.com, agree who maintains the listing, updates availability and answers guest messages. Record owner stays and existing reservations before changing calendar settings. Discuss how platform charges, cancellation rules and payouts will appear in your owner statement. Account access and responsibilities should be documented; advertising on a platform alone does not replace local property care.
Guest operations and property care
A useful management arrangement connects the booking calendar to the work on the ground. Agree who confirms arrivals, checks the apartment after departure, replaces missing essentials and approves repairs. Set a spending limit and an escalation contact so small issues can be handled without losing control of costs. Cleaning, consumables and maintenance should have clearly agreed prices or approval rules.
Understand the owner statement
Ask for a statement separating accommodation receipts, platform deductions, management fees, cleaning and approved property expenses. Gross booking value is not your net income. Our planning calculator helps you explore your own assumptions before a discussion; it is not a rental valuation or a promise of occupancy. A proposal depends on the property and the agreed scope.
Request a property review
Send the town, complex, bedroom count and your main concern. Tell us whether the apartment already has listings and whether you need seasonal or ongoing support. We will discuss suitability and next steps directly. Do not send identity documents, passwords or access codes in the first enquiry.
What a useful property review should cover
A property review starts with facts: where the apartment is, the room arrangement, its current condition and whether there are active listings or reservations. Send recent photographs and tell us which periods you want to keep for yourself. Explain whether you are preparing for a first season or looking to change an existing arrangement. These situations require different handovers.
The next step is a practical task list. Separate guest communication, reservation coordination, cleaning, linen, key access, maintenance approvals and financial reporting. Establish who is responsible for each item and what the owner must supply. An attractive listing cannot compensate for missing keys or unclear cleaning arrangements. Equally, a well-prepared apartment still needs accurate information and a reliable way to answer enquiries. A written scope helps both sides understand the work before discussing the commercial terms.
A repeatable process between guest stays
The change between one departure and the next arrival is a chain of tasks. Someone must know that the previous guest has left, arrange cleaning, identify missing or damaged items and confirm that access is ready. If a repair is needed, there must be a way to decide whether it is urgent and who can approve the cost. Agree that sequence before the busy period, including what happens when a departure or arrival changes.
Photographs and a simple inventory make conversations more specific. Instead of saying that the apartment was not ready, the team can identify a missing item, an unfinished task or a fault that needs attention. The purpose is not to create paperwork for its own sake; it is to make the next action clear. Discuss what evidence and updates you want to receive, and how routine issues should be separated from decisions requiring your approval.
Keep money, approvals and access understandable
Ask how each booking will appear in an owner statement and how related costs are recorded. A useful statement lets you connect the accommodation amount, platform costs, management charges and approved expenses to the relevant period. Clarify when a balance is paid and how refunds or later adjustments appear. The meaning of a headline commission matters as much as its percentage: what amount is it applied to, and which tasks remain separate?
Access deserves the same care. Agree who controls the listing accounts, how calendar changes are communicated and where operational documents are kept. You should not need to send passwords in ordinary messages to discuss a proposal. When an arrangement ends, keys, future reservations, records and access rights need an organised handover. Address those points at the beginning while everyone can make a clear decision.
Compare the work behind the management fee
A percentage or a monthly amount tells you little until the scope is clear. When comparing property management in Sunny Beach, write the proposed tasks beside each offer. Who prepares the listing text, answers guest questions, coordinates access, arranges cleaning and keeps the owner informed? Ask which tasks are included, which depend on another supplier and which are available only by separate agreement. Two apparently similar prices may cover very different work.
Pay attention to the moments between those tasks. A cleaner may report an issue, but somebody still needs to decide whether it affects the next arrival. A guest may request a different arrival time, but the access arrangements must also be checked. Agree who receives the information and who is responsible for the next action. This is particularly useful when the owner, building management and several contractors are involved.
For an apartment already being advertised, explain where bookings currently arrive and who controls the calendar. Do not assume that transferring day-to-day management automatically transfers every platform account or contract. Existing reservations, guest correspondence and payment arrangements need a clear handover. For a property that has not been offered before, start with readiness: accurate photographs, an inventory, working equipment and realistic instructions for arrival.
Bring a short list of questions to the property review. Include the reporting frequency, how expenses are approved, what happens during your own stays and how either side can end the arrangement. If a proposal contains an income estimate, ask which assumptions support it. The number of available nights, achieved price and operating costs should be visible rather than hidden behind one attractive annual figure. Our calculator can help you examine your own scenarios; it is not evidence of future demand. A useful comparison leaves you understanding both the service and your continuing responsibilities as an owner.