Self-manage your holiday rental or use a manager?

Make a realistic weekly task list

List guest messages, calendar changes, pricing reviews, cleaner coordination, supplies, repairs and payment checks. Next to each task, write how often it happens and whether it can wait. A question about next month's stay and a guest unable to enter the property need different response arrangements. Include travel time to the home, not just time spent on your phone.

Compare how the work gets covered

1. 01

   Self-management

   You make the daily decisions and arrange suppliers. This can suit an owner with time, local access and reliable cover. You also retain the work of checking that each task is complete.

2. 02

   Partial assistance

   Some providers offer help with selected tasks. Define what remains yours, who coordinates between suppliers, and who handles a problem that crosses those boundaries. Do not assume Mellow offers an admin-only package.

3. 03

   Full management

   A manager coordinates the agreed service. You still need to approve some decisions, maintain the property and meet owner costs. Read the scope to understand the handover points.

Test the plan against a busy changeover

Imagine a departing guest reports a broken appliance while the cleaner finds missing bedding. Another guest is arriving later. Who decides whether the appliance needs a contractor, who supplies replacement bedding, and who tells the incoming guest? If every answer comes back to you, your plan still depends on your availability.

Agree the owner decisions in advance

Mellow's published service includes guest communication, cleaning coordination, maintenance arrangements and reporting. Ask what requires your approval, how emergencies are handled and how updates reach you. Prepare your preferred contact, an alternate contact and a list of items you want discussed before replacement. Compare that arrangement with the time you can reliably give self-management.