In late August 2025, Airbnb announced a big update to how they charge fees.

They’re moving from a split-fee system (where both hosts and guests pay) to a host-only fee of 15.5%, or 16% in Brazil.

This is for hosts using property management software (PMS) like BrightSide.

Airbnb has always offered the single, host-only, fee option, and some BrightSide users already use it.

The difference is that you are now being required to move to the 15.5% fee when using any property management system.

The goal is to make billing simpler, but it means rental managers need to rethink their prices and profits.

The impact varies by location.

Key Rollout Dates

The change rolls out in stages:

• Starting August 25, 2025: New hosts connecting via PMS jump right into the new single-fee setup.
• By October 27, 2025: Most current PMS users worldwide switch to 15.5% (or 16% in Brazil).
• From December 1, 2025: Hosts not using PMS but already on a single-fee plan move to the 15.5% standard (16% in Brazil).

Some hotel properties with special Airbnb deals are exempt.

Fees drop for stays over 28 nights, and choosing a “Super Strict” cancellation policy adds 2% to the fee.

Adjusting Your Pricing Strategy

Let’s break this down simply. In the old system, you added a 10% markup to the base rent (the starting rent amount used to calculate the owner’s share).

This markup helped cover Airbnb’s 3% host fee charged on the subtotal.

When payment came in, you kept that markup to pay the Airbnb fee, and any extra was yours.

Then, from the base rent, you deducted your management fee (usually 10-30%) and paid the rest to the owner.

Now, Airbnb charges hosts 15.5% on the full amount (rent plus add-ons like cleaning fees).

Since you can’t increase add-on fees specifically for Airbnb in BrightSide, you need to raise the markup on the rent to cover this bigger fee for the whole subtotal.

The goal? Keep everyone’s take-home the same: the owner gets base rent minus your management fee, and you keep your management fee plus the markup (after covering Airbnb’s fee, with any leftover as profit).

Calculating the New Airbnb Markup

Here’s a simple way to calculate the new markup:

Let B = base rent (e.g., $100).
Let C = fixed add-ons (e.g., $50 for cleaning).

Old way: Listed rent = B × 1.10 (e.g., $110). Subtotal = listed rent + C (e.g., $160). After 3% fee, net payout ≈ $155.20.

New way: To match that net payout, new subtotal = old net / 0.845 (since you keep 84.5% after 15.5% fee). So, new subtotal ≈ $155.20 / 0.845 ≈ $183.67.
New listed rent = new subtotal – C ≈ $183.67 – $50 = $133.67.
New markup % = (new listed rent – B) / B × 100% ≈ ($133.67 – $100) / $100 × 100% = 33.7%.

A quick formula for new markup %: [0.2627 + 0.1479 × (C / B)] × 100%.

Examples based on C/B (add-ons divided by base rent):
– If C = 0 (no add-ons), markup ≈ 26.3%.
– If C = 0.2 × B (add-ons 20% of base), markup ≈ 29.2%.
– If C = 0.5 × B (add-ons 50% of base), markup ≈ 33.7%.
– If C = 2.23 × B (add-ons much higher), markup ≈ 59.6%.

Real example: Base B = $100/night, C = $50.
Old: Listed rent $110, subtotal $160, net $155.20. Markup $10 kept by you to cover fee (leftover profit). With 20% management fee, owner gets $80 ($100 – $20), you get $75.20 total (management fee + add-ons net + markup leftover).

New: Listed rent $133.67, subtotal $183.67, after 15.5% fee net $155.20 (same as old). New markup $33.67 kept by you to cover higher fee (leftover profit). Owner still gets $80, you still get $75.20.

If you don’t want prices to rise much, use a smaller markup, but that cuts your profit.

Test with your usual add-ons-to-base ratios to find a balance.

How This Affects Different Hosts

The change hits different hosts in different ways, based on your setup and location:

• U.S. Based PMS Users: You’re moving from a 3% host fee (plus what guests paid) to 15.5% all on you, starting October 27. This raises costs. Start from your old 10% markup and adjust higher based on add-ons. The aim: Keep the net the same so owners get base rent minus management fee (10-30%), and you keep the markup to cover Airbnb fees (with any extra as your profit).
• Hosts Outside the U.S. (e.g., Europe): If you’ve already been paying about 15% as host-only since 2020-2021, this is just a small bump to 15.5% (or 16% in Brazil). Tweak your rent markups from what you used before, keeping add-ons in mind.

Handling Add-Ons Like Cleaning and Extra Fees

Airbnb takes their 15.5% from the total subtotal, which includes add-ons like cleaning fees.

You can’t raise these fees just for Airbnb in tools like BrightSide, so your rent markup has to cover the fee on everything.

If add-ons are a big part of the total, your markup needs to be even higher.

Since they are fixed, use the rent formula from above to keep your net steady, covering Airbnb fees with the markup (extra for you) while owners get base minus management fee.

Host’s Charges for Guest Refunds

If a guest has a problem during their stay and asks for a refund after leaving, via Airbnb’s Resolution Center, you need to be ready for how it affects your money.

Guests must report big issues (like a dirty or unsafe place, or something not matching the listing) within 72 hours of noticing.

If Airbnb agrees it ruined the stay, they might give the guest a full or partial refund, depending on how bad it was, the impact, and proof.

In these cases, you (the host) pay for the refund, the amount comes straight out of your payout for that booking.

Airbnb doesn’t cover it for you usually. You can fight it by sending your own proof to Airbnb, which might stop or reduce the hit.

With the new 15.5% setup, refunds happen before fees are calculated, so you don’t pay commission on the refunded part.

But the main loss is the missing income. As a manager, build in some buffer to your markups to handle these risks and protect your profits.

Addressing Common Worries

• Will this hurt how competitive I am? It might, but since spring 2025, Airbnb shows total prices (without taxes) in searches, hiding fee breakdowns. Pay attention to what guests see overall—higher rent markups can blend in, especially with big add-ons.
• Does Airbnb seem pricier now? Your fee goes from 3% to 15.5%, but by boosting the rent markup from 10%, you pass the cost on without extra guest fees showing. Owners still get base minus management fee (10-30%), and you keep the markup to offset Airbnb costs (with leftovers as profit).

How It Stacks Up Against Rivals

Here’s a quick comparison to other platforms:

• Vrbo: Hosts pay about 5% commission (processing fee is paid to your processor), while guests pay 6-15%. Easier on hosts, but guests see varying fees.
• Booking.com: Starts at 15% from hosts, often up to 18-20% with add-ons like Payments by Booking or promo boosts, could end up higher than Airbnb.
• Airbnb’s New Model: 15.5% all from hosts makes it simple for guests (no fees on their end), but you need to update from your old 10% markup to a higher one based on add-ons.

Future Considerations

Keep an eye on:

• How other hosts adjust prices: Will they fully bump up, or cut to stay competitive?
• Shifts between platforms: Vrbo might pull in more hosts; Airbnb could win more guests with straightforward totals.
• What guests think: No-fee checkouts might lead to more bookings.

This update makes Airbnb’s behind-the-scenes simpler, but it means managers like you need to carefully tweak rent markups, starting from 10% and factoring in fixed add-ons.

Use your usual subtotal breakdowns and add-ons-to-base ratios to adjust.

This way, you keep owners happy with base minus management fee (10-30%), and you hold onto your net from the markup after Airbnb fees (with extras as profit).