For many years, growth in the short-term rental sector followed a simple maxim: to achieve scale and professionalism, property owners would engage a property management company (PMC), assemble a team, and relinquish direct control. PMCs and institutional operators became synonymous with consistency, efficiency, and revenue growth. At the same time, independent hosts were frequently pigeon-holed as hobbyists or part-timers despite making up the vast majority of listings and often attaining equally high guest-satisfaction scores.
Eighty per cent of hosts have no plans to appoint a PMC during the next 12 months, with 82% citing cost as a significant factor and 58% emphasising their desire to remain directly involved in the guest experience and operational decision-making. More than one in eight current self-managers once engaged a PMC and subsequently reverted to solo operation. Far from signalling frustration, this pattern reflects host confidence in the growing number of advanced tech tools and a strategic reassessment of the traditional management model.
The infrastructure that was once out of reach has now arrived. Automation platforms enable instant, personalised messaging based on property details and past guest interactions, matching the responsiveness of a staffed call centre. Subscription-based pricing services leverage local event calendars, booking velocity, and market data to adjust nightly rates automatically, effectively mirroring the yield-management algorithms once exclusive to large operators.
Automated tax calculation and collection, digital rental-agreement generation, and integrated ID-verification workflows now lift significant compliance burdens from hosts’ shoulders. Meanwhile, off-the-shelf solutions allow hosts to launch direct booking websites with real-time availability, upsell options, and analytics dashboards, reducing reliance on OTAs and helping owners build guest loyalty under their own brand.
In the field, operations apps coordinate cleaning schedules, assign detailed checklists, and log maintenance tasks with the same precision dashboards used by large full-service teams.
Standardised smart home devices – keyless locks, noise sensors, and thermostats – deliver contactless check-in and proactive property monitoring at a per-unit cost previously unattainable for individual operators. Together, these capabilities underpin genuine end-to-end operational excellence, enabling hosts to optimise occupancy, streamline turnovers, and uphold consistent service standards without outsourcing their core functions.
Crucially, independent hosts often achieve higher guest-satisfaction scores than professionally managed portfolios. Owners are inherently more invested in each stay, responding immediately to guest requests, remedying issues, and tailoring the experience in real time. This heightened attentiveness is the single greatest driver of positive reviews and repeat bookings – something that PMCs, despite their scale, routinely struggle to replicate when managing hundreds of properties simultaneously.
That said, PMCs continue to serve an important role. They achieve scale-only efficiencies through bulk procurement and enterprise-grade distribution partnerships; they maintain bespoke technology stacks – such as in-house revenue management systems – that can edge out generic SaaS in customisation and data depth; and they deliver high-touch hospitality services, including 24/7 local support and concierge-level guest experiences that exceed the capacity of most independent hosts. For investors with very large portfolios, multi-jurisdictional compliance requirements, or a strict hands-off mandate, professional management remains the optimal solution.
Yet the assumption that “growth equals PMC engagement” no longer reflects host sentiment or the technological landscape. In our 2025 industry report, 96.8% of hosts agreed that technology is essential to competitiveness – it is no longer optional but the backbone of any serious rental business, whether managed by a single individual or a firm of hundreds.
Today’s most successful operators, large or small, share three key attributes: agility in responding to market shifts; data-driven decision-making powered by real-time analytics; and guest-centric execution that blends automation with personal touches.
Self-managing hosts are not a passing phenomenon but exemplify the sector’s evolution towards leaner, more informed, and equally professional operations. The future of short-term rentals will belong to those who combine technology with strategic intent, regardless of whether they outsource or retain in-house control.
