"No more steals" for landlords as Stayz raises holiday home rental commission to 10 percent

"No more steals" for landlords as Stayz raises holiday home rental commission to 10 percent
Jonathan ChancellorJanuary 17, 2016

The online holiday home rental site Stayz has switched to a commission-based model with upset owners considering a switch to rival Airbnb.

Stayz is only offering listing renewal contracts with holiday home owners paying a 10 percent commission, rather than $15.90 a night and an annual fee of $164.

The Australian Financial Review notes Airbnb charges the property owner a three per cent commission and also changes the guest an additional six to 12 per cent on making a booking.

The Australian reports Stayz has around 42,000 registered properties.

The business was sold three years ago by Fairfax Media for $220 million. 

Stayz is ultimately owned by US-based online travel Expedia, which bought its parent company HomeAway for $US3.9 billion last year. 

Stayz boss Anton Stanish told the paper the company was now reviewing after feedback from some owners.

But noting some owners will pay more as "they were getting a steal before," he said.

One holiday home owner said her fees had gone up by 600 percent as a result of the changes to the commission structure for her luxury properties. 

Another noted in the peak Christmas period, the commission paid to Stayz on a $5000 booking for a week-long stay at her property would rise to $500 from $125.30 under the old system.

Jonathan Chancellor

Jonathan Chancellor is one of Australia's most respected property journalists, having been at the top of the game since the early 1980s. Jonathan co-founded the property industry website Property Observer and has written for national and international publications.

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