Why the agreement matters

Adding a co-host on Airbnb grants access. It settles nothing about money, scope or what happens when the arrangement ends. If it goes wrong, there is nothing on Airbnb's side to fall back on, because the platform is not a party to the deal.

That gap is where most co-host disputes live. Rarely fraud. Usually detail nobody wrote down. Who pays when the washing machine dies. Whether commission comes off the gross booking value or the payout after Airbnb's fee. What happens to bookings already on the calendar when someone walks away mid-season.

A co-host agreement is a short commercial document, usually two to four pages. It does not need a solicitor to draft from scratch, though it is worth having one read it before you use the same template across several properties.

The clauses that matter most

Scope of work. List what the co-host does and, more usefully, what they do not. Guest messaging, calendar, pricing, cleaning coordination, maintenance callouts, restocking, listing updates. Anything not on the list stays with the owner.

The fee and what it is calculated on. The percentage is the easy part. The base is where arguments start. State whether commission is on gross booking value or on the payout after Airbnb's host service fee, which is around 15.5 percent on most UK single-fee listings. The gap between those two bases is real money on every booking.

Payment timing and method. Airbnb can split payouts to a co-host automatically, or the owner can pay on invoice. Say which, say when, and say what happens with stays that straddle a month end.

Term and notice. Thirty days either way is standard. Add what happens to reservations already booked beyond the end date, because that is the clause people wish they had written.

Our breakdown of what co-hosts earn covers the fee models in more detail.

The clauses people forget

Expenses. Who buys consumables, who pays for repairs, and what the co-host can spend without asking. A figure such as 150 pounds works better than the word reasonable.

Cleaning. State that the cleaning fee passes to the cleaner and sits outside commission, unless it does not. This is the most common source of confusion in the whole arrangement.

Insurance. Both sides should name what they hold. The owner needs short-let cover, because standard home insurance usually excludes paying guests. The co-host should hold public liability and professional indemnity. Airbnb requires anyone offering co-hosting services to hold whatever permits, licences and insurance their services need.

Account access. An owner can remove a co-host from their account at any time. Say what notice is expected before that happens and what handover looks like.

Guest data. A co-host handles guest personal data on the owner's behalf, which brings UK GDPR into scope. A short clause on confidentiality and what happens to data when the arrangement ends covers most setups.

Damage and liability. Who submits an AirCover claim, who carries the cost of negligence, and what happens if a guest damages the property on the co-host's watch.

What an agreement cannot do

Three limits worth knowing before anyone signs.

It cannot override Airbnb's terms. The listing sits in the owner's account and the platform rules apply regardless of what the two parties agreed between themselves.

It cannot move regulatory responsibility. Licensing, registration, planning and safety obligations sit with the property owner. A contract can say the co-host will handle the paperwork, but it does not change who the council holds responsible.

It cannot decide tax treatment. Co-host commission is trading income and the owner's share is property income. Describing it differently in a contract does not change how HMRC treats it, because HMRC looks at the substance of the arrangement.

The difference between working inside an owner's account and running listings under your own is set out in our comparison of co-hosts and property managers.

Once you are running several properties

One agreement is a document. Ten is a system, and the things that were fine to leave loose start to cost money.

Standardise first. One template with a schedule per property, so scope and fee vary while the terms stay identical. Chasing five different notice periods across five owners is how a quarter disappears.

Then watch the money. Once you are holding owner funds rather than invoicing a fee, you are into client money territory, and that carries obligations most co-hosts have not considered. Have an accountant look at it before it becomes a problem.

At that point the paperwork itself becomes a reason to reconsider the model. Contracts, insurance, compliance and client money handling are the back office of a management company, and building that alone is the step most co-hosts stall on. Partnering with a company that already runs it removes the build without removing the local operation. Our guide on becoming a co-host covers the route in, and the ceiling arrives sooner than most people expect.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Always speak to a qualified adviser about your situation.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a contract with my Airbnb co-host?

Yes, in practice. Airbnb's co-host feature grants access to a listing but creates no legal agreement between the two parties, and Airbnb's terms treat the relationship as independent of the platform. Without a written agreement there is no agreed position on fees, scope, expenses or notice, which is where almost every co-host dispute starts.

Does Airbnb provide a co-host agreement template?

No. Airbnb provides the co-host feature, permission settings and an optional payout split, plus terms governing use of the platform. The commercial agreement between owner and co-host sits outside all of that. Third-party templates are widely available and most are written for the US market, so check the terms against UK law before using one.

What should an Airbnb co-host agreement include?

At minimum: scope of work, the fee and whether it is calculated on gross booking value or the post-fee payout, payment timing and method, expense limits, who handles cleaning and whether the cleaning fee sits outside commission, insurance held by each side, notice period, and what happens to bookings already on the calendar when the arrangement ends.

Can an owner remove a co-host from their Airbnb account?

Yes, at any time and without notice, because access sits entirely with the account holder. A written agreement cannot prevent removal, but it can set an expected notice period and a handover process, and it can establish what the co-host is owed for bookings already secured. That is the practical protection available to a co-host.

Who is liable if a guest damages the property?

Normally the owner claims, since the listing and the AirCover protection sit with their account. A co-host is not automatically liable for guest damage, but can be liable for their own negligence, such as failing to screen a booking against agreed rules. The agreement should say who submits claims, who covers any shortfall, and what standard the co-host is held to.