Co-Host Agreement Checklist for STRs: Splits, Approvals, Account Access, and Exit Terms
A practical checklist for hosts and co-hosts: revenue split, who approves expenses, platform account access, decision rights, and how to unwind the arrangement. Not legal advice—alignment before money moves.
Key takeaways
- Most co-host fights are ambiguous ownership: who can spend, who can promise guests, who can bind the listing.
- Write decision rights for pricing changes, refunds, disputes, and vendor spend before the first argument.
- Account access should match responsibility: least privilege, with a written list of who can log in where.
- Exit terms matter on day one: notice, handoff of data, and how bookings in flight get handled.
Co-hosting fails quietly first. One person handles guests, the other handles money, and both assume the other saw the same message. Six months later, someone asks why payouts do not match effort, and neither side can reconstruct who approved the last refund.
This checklist helps hosts and co-hosts align before money and reputation move. It is not a substitute for legal advice; it is the set of questions attorneys and accountants will ask anyway, written in operator language.
Money: split, timing, and reserves
Agree in writing:
- Gross vs. net split — Is the percentage on booking revenue before fees, or after platform fees and taxes you remit?
- Who advances cleaning, supplies, and emergency repairs before reimbursement?
- Reserve balance — Minimum cash buffer per listing and who contributes if it dips.
Rule of thumb: If you cannot explain the split on one spreadsheet row, you will fight on spreadsheet rows later.
Decision rights: who can bind the listing
Spell out who may:
- Change nightly rates or minimum stays
- Approve refunds or guest compensation
- File damage claims or dispute resolutions
- Hire or fire cleaners and vendors
| Decision | Common default | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Guest refund under $X | On-call host or co-host | Speed vs. control |
| Major repair | Both approve | Liability and cash |
| Cleaner swap | Ops lead only | Continuity |
Account access and data
List every system: PMS, channel accounts, bank, email, smart lock admin, insurance portal. For each, note role, who holds 2FA, and how access is removed if someone steps back. Least privilege beats one shared login.
Exit: notice, handoff, in-flight bookings
Write down: notice period, how listings transfer, who owns historical messages and financial records, and how in-flight reservations get serviced during transition. Most ugly exits skip this section until checkout day.
Where tools help
Shared visibility reduces “I did not know” fights. When assignments, bookings, and handoffs live in one workflow, fewer decisions depend on who remembered to forward a thread.
Shared ops truth
Oordio gives hosts and co-hosts a single place to see bookings, cleaner status, and handoffs instead of reconciling three apps after the fact.