Running a profitable Airbnb business does not end with purchasing a top property in a good market. The next step is finding the best property management solution for this property in order to attract bookings, provide superior guest experiences, and maximize revenue while minimizing expenses. In recent years, Awning has gained popularity in the short term rental management industry in the US. But is Awning property management worth it for hosts and investors? The short answer is: Not really.
Summer, the top ranked vacation rental management company, is doing something different in the vacation rental management industry. The company is selective about the properties it signs based on its ability to operate a specific home. This results in a smaller portfolio of very valuable homes that consistently outperform both host and guest expectations.
Awning Company Overview
Awning is a full-service property management company that works with both short term and long term rental properties across the US market.
Shri Ganeshram and Danaus Chang founded the company in 2020, with headquarters in San Francisco, CA. The company mission is to be a one-stop-shop for real estate investors to search for, analyze, purchase, furnish, and operate rental properties.
Awning manages over 100 vacation rentals in multiple locations via local teams of professionals.
In early 2024, Awning was acquired by RedAwning, another vacation rental property management company.
Overview of Awning Property Management
Awning provides full-service property management services for vacation rental properties which are somewhat customizable based on the needs of owners and properties. The company aims to help investors make passive income from their short term rentals.
The main advantages that the company website highlights compared to competitors are:
- Fast guest communication with an average response time of 5-15 minutes, compared to an industry average of one hour
- Fast host communication with no on-hold time
- Robust dwelling and liability coverage with each reservation
- No contract lock-in and no cancellation fees for hosts
According to Awning data, owners experience a 10-30% increase in gross revenue when hiring the company.
Awning Property Management Markets
According to the Awning website, Airbnb management services are available in all 50 US states. However, because of the relatively small size of the company, it’s unlikely that coverage includes small, remote locations which sometimes constitute the top short term rental markets as a result of high demand and low supply.
Overall, Awning is able to manage properties in diverse markets by setting up local teams of vetted experts in each operations market.
Awning Property Type Coverage
Awning works with different types of residential properties including both single family and multifamily homes. Some eligible property types include townhomes, condos, apartments, cabins, retreats, and small hotels.
The Airbnb property manager is able to take on both properties that are already equipped to be short term rentals and new investment properties that still need to be furnished and prepared for listing.
Awning manages both short term and long term rentals, but vacation rental management is at the core of the company business.
Awning Property Management Services
Being a full-service vacation rental property management company, Awning offers a wide range of services. While some of them are part of the standard package, others are offered separately, based on host needs.
Main Awning Property Management Services
The standard short term rental property management services provided by Awning include:
- Home automation
- Linen service
- Guest guidebooks
- Rental listing on popular distribution channels
- Listing optimization including Airbnb SEO and professional photography
- Marketing and advertising
- Dynamic pricing based on proprietary technology
- Booking calendar management
- Guest screening
- 24/7 guest support and communication with an average response time of 5-15 minutes
- Host communications via a dedicated phone and text line
- Check-in and check-out support
- Cleaning, laundry, and supply restocking between guests
- Hot tub maintenance
- Swimming pool maintenance
- Lawn maintenance
- Property maintenance
- Property repairs
Additional Awning Property Management Services
In addition to the core services covered above, Awning offers some extra property management services to owners who need them, including:
- Airbnb design and furnishing: Awning provides flexible vacation rental interior design and furnishing services which can include either partial furnishing or full furnishing. Design and furnishing services are tailored to the needs of each property and the preferences and budget of each host. Smart home devices and Airbnb amenities can be included in the package. Awning-furnished homes are reported to bring 15-50% higher revenue than comps in the same market.
- Airbnb insurance: Through its partnership with Obie, Awning is able to provide short term rental insurance. Policy coverage includes damages to the main building and other structures, general liability, host’s personal property, and loss of rental income.
While these services are offered on top of the standard property management packages, they are absolutely necessary for operating a short term rental business. Thus, property owners need to take into account the associated costs, discussed below, when calculating the total Awning fees.
Where Awning Property Management Falls Short
While Awning takes care of the majority of tasks expected from a professional property manager, a few services that are not mentioned in their portfolio include:
- Legal help with short term rental licenses and permits: Acquiring the short term rental permits or licenses required by local authorities and renewing them on an annual basis is a major part of running a vacation rental business. The requirements vary by location and can get pretty demanding and time-consuming in some US markets. However, Awning does not mention providing support in this regard.
- Help with collecting and filing taxes: Airbnb hosts have to collect and pay multiple taxes, such as transient occupancy tax, sales tax, and income tax, at the city, county, and state level. While the Airbnb platform collects and remits some of these taxes on behalf of hosts in some locations, in general hosts need to take care of a number of different taxes on their own. Some property managers help with this, but there is no mention of such a service on the Awning website.
These services are a must to ensure that you are running a legally compliant business, so hosts who opt for Awning need to handle them directly or seek assistance from local legal and tax professionals, which further complicates the Airbnb management process.
Getting Started with Awning Property Management
To get started with Awning, Airbnb rental property owners can schedule a call via the company website or call/text directly. During the introductory call, the host and the Awning team will discuss the property as well as the host’s requirements and expectations. Awning will be able to provide a property management fee quote after evaluating the property, including the expected annual revenue.
Once a property management agreement has been signed, Awning can list guest-ready properties in a few days. Rentals that need professional photography services might take up to a week to get listed. Meanwhile, homes that require interior design and furnishing typically get ready within 6 weeks.
Awning Fees and Costs
Awning property management fees start at 10% of monthly revenue. While this sounds like an industry-low rate, it’s not clear what exactly is included in the fee or how high the percentage can reach.
The exact pricing for each property is determined by multiple factors including:
- Property size
- Property type
- Unique property features
- Location
- Annual revenue
- Level of service
Additionally, Airbnb design and furnishing services are charged separately. The pricing starts at $15,000 for small properties with simple needs. The cost goes up based on property type, number of bedrooms and other rooms, furniture quality, additional decor, host preferences, and local trends and demand and can easily exceed $50,000 for larger, luxury properties.
Another extra cost is the Airbnb insurance. The pricing is customizable, and the Awning website does not quote a starting cost or a cost range. According to the provided information, hosts are able to save an average of 25% of their policy.
It’s important for vacation rental property owners to get precise estimates on all these costs before deciding whether to hire Awning. All one-time and recurring costs affect cash flow and return on investment, so they need to be included in investor’s analysis.
Awning Property Management Terms and Conditions
Working with Awning requires signing a written property management agreement. However, no long-term commitment is needed. Hosts can cancel their contract with a 90-day notice.
While Awning manages a property, the owner is free to block the property for personal use as frequently and for as long as they wish. Personal use needs to not conflict with any guest reservations and scheduled maintenance work and needs to be clearly indicated on the booking calendar.
Of course, the fewer guest bookings a rental gets due to personal use by the owner, the lower the monthly revenue and profit. Also, most property management companies require owners to pay the standard professional cleaning fee after personal use for hospitality-level services, and Awning is likely to do the same.
When evaluating Awning, interested short term rental property investors should ask for a copy of the property management contract which they can read and analyze before signing.
Awning Reviews
There are very few online reviews of Awning on third-party websites.
Awning customer reviews are available on:
- Trustpilot: 3.3/5 stars based on 22 reviews
Awning reviews on Trustpilot show an average rating as a result of mixed host experiences.
Positive reviews by hosts focus on the high-quality services, the quick processes, the smooth work, the staff professionalism, the friendly attitude, and the good communication practices.
At the same time, negative reviews by investors highlight subpar performance, missing owner payouts, false charges (like cleaning fees), bad cleaning services, stolen sheets and towels, and lack of communication.
Due to the low number of online Awning reviews, it’s a good idea for interested hosts to speak to owners who have used Awning to get more details about their vacation rental management services. This can be done via online real estate forums or local real estate meetups.
Awning Alternatives and Competitors
An Awning review points out that the company might be a good fit for some hosts due to the comprehensive services. However, the few online customer reviews, the unclear final pricing, and the potentially limited market coverage will cause other hosts to look elsewhere.
Here is a list of other best Airbnb management companies for diverse properties and hosts:
Awning vs Summer
Summer is the best short term rental property management company operating in the US market. They provide truly full-service property management services for select rentals that make a minimum of $50,000 in annual revenue. Summer is able to offer top services via the right balance between real estate technology and expert knowledge and experience in local markets.
Unlike other Awning competitors, Summer is highly selective about the properties that it works with in order to guarantee best-in-class services and 95-percentile performance in the local market. While Summer operates nationwide, they might refuse to onboard properties in markets where they cannot bring the expected level of professionalism and quality, which is the top priority for the Summer team.
Summer vacation rental property management services include everything from rental listing and optimization, all the way to preventive maintenance and emergency repairs. Vacation rental furnishing and design services are also available and are headed by an experienced New York-based interior designer.
Summer charges a single fee that starts at 20% of monthly revenue, compared to an industry average of 25%. Moreover, the Summer commission is calculated based on booking revenue excluding cleaning fees, while other companies calculate their fees including cleaning fees, which further inflates the rates. The only services charged separately are smart home device installation, interior design, and furnishing, in line with general practices in the industry. Airbnb design and furnishing services start at $10,000 for small properties and go up with the property size, number of rooms, and needs.
Awning vs Vacasa
Another popular Awning alternative is Vacasa, the largest short term rental manager in North America. The company operates in 400 markets and has over 44,000 properties in its portfolio, which is likely to be negatively affecting the level of personalization and the quality of services.
The standard Vacasa property management services include listing, dynamic pricing, marketing, guest communication and support, preparing properties for guests, amenity management, maintenance, repairs, and home protection. There are no interior design and furnishing services, so eligible properties need to be ready to operate as a vacation rental before they can be onboarded. Additionally, the company offers half-service property management too, under Vacasa Guestworks, which focuses on the automation of tasks like listing, pricing, guest screening, communication, and check-ins and check-outs.
Vacasa services are available in multiple locations in over 30 US states. The monthly fee depends on the market and the property. While the Vacasa website does not specify the range, host reviews report rates frequently exceeding 35% of monthly revenue. Moreover, some services, such as smart home device installation, linen program, hot tub maintenance, and damage protection are charged separately.
Awning vs Evolve
Yet another well-known Awning competitor is Evolve. Unlike the other companies discussed above, this is a half-service short term rental property management company. Currently, Evolve manages the properties of more than 30,000 hosts in multiple US markets.
Evolve services are concentrated on the automation of the property management process and cover listing creation and optimization, distribution, dynamic pricing, guest communication, review management, and property damage and liability protection. In addition, Evolve can connect owners with local vendors for other services like cleaning, restocking, maintenance, and repairs, but hosts still need to keep an eye on their property and coordinate the work of the team. Thus, Evolve could be a viable Awning alternative for investors who own a property close to home and who would like to retain control over their investment.
Evolve works in 750 markets that include most tourist destinations and top vacation rental spots. The Evolve property management fee is 10% of monthly income, which is comparable to what other half-service providers charge.
Bottom Line
Our Awning review shows that there are vacation rental property owners and hosts who might be able to benefit from the management services offered by Awning. Nevertheless, due to the few online reviews, some missing services, and unclear fee range, Awning does not seem to be worth it, in general.
Airbnb hosts expecting top-quality, full-service property management services for their rentals can check out Summer instead. The company takes care of everything needed to operate a short term rental business, from getting properties ready and listing them on top platforms, all the way to supporting guests and maintaining rentals. The monthly fee starts at only 20% of revenue (excluding cleaning fees) and includes all ongoing services.
