Fees and costs / Owner guide
Holiday home management fees explained, line by line
What a management fee pays for, what sits outside it, and how GST and Victoria’s levy fit in. In plain words.
How Peachy manages homes
By Tom Antonie, CEO and co-founderUpdated 7 min readCasa del Sol, Sorrento
- Victorian levy on stays under 28 nights
- 7.5%
- GST on a fee quoted plus GST
- 10%
- Questions to ask before you sign
- 5
The short answer
A management fee is what you pay a manager to run your home. Compare three things: what the fee is worked out on, whether GST is included, and which costs sit outside it, like cleaning, linen and repairs. Your Peachy proposal sets out all three before you decide.
01 / What the fee pays for
What a Peachy management fee pays for
A fee is only good value if you can see the work behind it. Ours covers the whole job, from the day the home is ready to the day you read your statement, with a portfolio manager who knows the home tying it together. Here is what that looks like across one guest’s stay, start to finish.
- 1
Before guests arrive
Getting the home ready, photography, the listing, marketing and a price for every night.
- 2
While they stay
Guest questions, screening, house rules and help during the stay.
- 3
Between stays
Cleaning, linen, inspections, maintenance and your portal.
02 / Costs outside the fee
The running costs that sit outside the fee
Some costs belong to the home, not the manager. Think of cleaning and linen for each stay, guest supplies like coffee and soap, repairs, the garden, the pool, power, water, internet, insurance and council rates.
Ask every manager which of these they arrange, which they pass on at cost, and which stay with you. A quote that says “full service” can still leave some of these with the owner. Your Peachy proposal lists them for your home, and each one shows up later on its own line, with the invoice where we hold it.
03 / The fee basis
Why two fees with the same percentage can cost different amounts
A percentage means little until you know what it is a percentage of. One manager might work out the fee on the accommodation only. Another might use everything the guest paid, cleaning included. Same percentage, bigger bill.
A set monthly fee is different again: it stays the same in a quiet month and a busy one. Ask too how a fee treats cancelled bookings and your own stays, because those are easy to miss. Then write the basis next to each rate before you decide which quote is cheaper.
04 / GST and the levy
GST and Victoria’s 7.5% short stay levy, in plain words
GST first. A fee quoted “plus GST” costs 10% more than the number you see. A fee quoted “including GST” already has it in.
Then the levy. From 1 January 2025, Victoria charges a short stay levy on stays of less than 28 nights. It is worked out on the total booking fee, and the booking platform or the host collects it. It is a government charge, not part of anyone’s management fee, and it should never be hidden inside one.
7.5%
Victoria’s short stay levy
On the total booking fee, for stays under 28 nights, from 1 January 2025.
05 / Booking sites
Booking sites add their own charges, and that’s separate again
We set a nightly price in our calendar. When a guest books through a site like Airbnb, the site adds its own charges, so that guest may see a higher total than someone booking direct on our website.
Those charges are the booking site’s, not ours. When you compare managers, ask how each site is handled and where it shows on your statement. In your Peachy portal you see what guests paid for every booking, and the nightly rate behind it. We always tell you which sites your home is on, and why.
06 / Your statement
Five questions to ask before you sign with any manager
Take these to every conversation, including ours. A good manager answers each one in writing, using your home and its numbers, not a brochure. If an answer is vague, ask again.
- 1
What is the fee worked out on?
And is GST in it?
- 2
What does it include?
Ask who does each job.
- 3
What sits outside it?
Setup costs and running costs.
- 4
How do booking sites show up?
On the statement, line by line.
- 5
How will I see it?
Statements, invoices and a portal.
Comfortable beds, well set up kitchen, very clean! They thought of everything.
What the fee looks after
The homes themselves, between every stay
Talk to the team
Bring your current quote. We’ll go through it with you.
Send us the home and any quote you have. We’ll explain our proposal line by line, so you can compare like with like.
Aurelia, Dromana
Questions owners ask about fees
Is GST included in a management fee?
It depends on how the fee is quoted. “Plus GST” means 10% is added to the number you see, so a quote that looks cheaper can end up costing the same as one that already includes it. “Including GST” means it is already in. Your Peachy proposal says which, in plain words, right next to the fee.
Who pays Victoria’s short stay levy?
From 1 January 2025, Victoria charges a 7.5% levy on stays shorter than 28 nights. It is worked out on the total booking fee, and the State Revenue Office says it is collected by booking platforms or hosts. It is a government charge, separate from any manager’s fee, so it should never be hidden inside one.
Is cleaning part of the management fee?
Cleaning and linen for each stay are usually a running cost of the home rather than part of the management fee, and guests often pay a cleaning fee towards them. Your proposal sets out how cleaning works for your home, and every clean shows on your statement, so you can see what was done.
Do booking sites charge on top of the fee?
Booking sites add their own charges for guests, and some charge hosts as well. Those are separate from our fee and set by each site, not by us. Ask any manager how each site is handled, what it costs you, and where it appears on your statement, then compare the answers side by side.
Why don’t you publish one fee for every home?
Homes differ in size, setup and the work they need: a two-bedroom cottage and a six-bedroom home with a pool are very different jobs. We set out the fee and every other cost in your home’s proposal, so the number you see is the one that applies to you, not an average.
Can I see costs as they happen?
Yes. Your owner portal shows each cost by month and category, with the invoice behind it where we hold one, and the cost per booked night if you want to compare months. Your monthly statement lists every cost line by line, so nothing is buried in a total.
What should I bring to compare quotes?
Bring every quote you have, and ask each manager the five questions in this guide. Write the fee basis and GST next to each rate, list the costs outside the fee, and note how each manager reports to you. Then the cheapest-looking quote and the cheapest real one are easy to tell apart.
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What a home needs before its first holiday guests arrive.How we worked this out
The short stay levy details come from the State Revenue Office Victoria, checked on 11 November 2026: it applies from 1 January 2025, to stays under 28 nights, on the total booking fee, and is collected by booking platforms or hosts. The 7.5% rate is the State Revenue Office’s published rate. GST in Australia is 10%.
We wrote this guide because fees are the question owners ask us first, and the hardest to compare between managers. Every figure here was checked on the date shown, and the arrangement for your own home is confirmed in your proposal.
What management includes is the list on our owner page. Booking sites set their own charges, and these can change, so we don’t quote them here. Portal screens are the real Peachy owner portal with an example home and sample figures, not anyone’s real results.
Limits: This guide is general. It is not tax advice and it doesn’t give a fee for your home; your proposal does.
Written by Tom and the Peachy team. Updated 11 November 2026.