Vacation Rental Functional Inspection: The Amenities Your Turnover Checks Miss

Turnover checklists confirm an amenity is present, not that it works. The hot tub that won't heat, the lock whose code expired, the AC blowing warm air. A reference table and framework for verifying amenities actually function before guests arrive.

A functional inspection verifies that an amenity works, not just that it exists. Most vacation rental turnover checklists are presence checks: they confirm the coffee maker is on the counter, the hot tub is filled, the smart lock is installed. The failures that actually generate one-star reviews and refund requests are functional, a hot tub that won't heat, a lock code that expired, an AC unit blowing warm air, WiFi that is down. These do not show up in a photo of a clean, staged room. According to Airbnb's Rebooking and Refund Policy, a non-functional pool, hot tub, major appliance, heating, or air conditioning system is a refundable Reservation Issue. And according to Zingle's 2019 Guest Service Report, only 25% of guests will report a problem, so the rest never give you the chance to fix it before it becomes a review.

## Presence is not function

Walk through any turnover checklist and count the verbs. Confirm. Check. Verify present. Stage. Photograph. Nearly every item asks the same underlying question: is the thing there, and does it look right? That question is answerable from a glance or a photo, which is exactly why turnover checklists are built around it. It is fast, it is teachable, and it is what a cleaner can confirm in the ninety seconds they spend in each room.

The problem is that the question is incomplete. An amenity can be perfectly present and completely non-functional at the same time, and the two states look identical in a photo.

#### Is it there, and does it look right?

Answerable from a glance or a photo. The hot tub is filled and covered. The coffee maker is on the counter. The smart lock is mounted on the door. The TV is on the wall with a remote beside it.

#### Does it actually work, right now, for this guest?

Requires testing, measurement, or a state that changes between guests. The water reads 102 degrees. The brewer produces coffee. The incoming reservation's access code is active. The remote is paired and the inputs are correct.

According to [Breezeway](https://shorttermrentalz.com/news/breezeway-safety-program/), over 90% of vacation rental inspections were not checking important elements like slip-and-fall hazards, a finding that points at the same structural gap: inspections drift toward what is easy to see and away from what requires testing. Breezeway's own framework splits inspection into tiers precisely so that functional and safety checks are not collapsed into the cosmetic turnover pass.

## The economics of a silent failure

Here is the trap that makes functional failures so expensive. When an amenity is broken, the operator's best-case outcome is that the guest tells them, because a reported problem can be fixed mid-stay, comped, or recovered. But guests overwhelmingly do not tell you.

According to [Zingle's 2019 Guest Service Report](https://www.medallia.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/zingle/Zingle-Guest-Survey-Report-2019-FINAL.pdf) (a survey of more than 1,100 U.S. consumers), only 25% of guests say they will report any issue that impacts their experience. Gen Z and Millennials are the least likely to report, at 17% and 18% respectively. The single most common reason guests give for staying silent is that there is "not an easy or quick way to do so."

The 75% who do not report a cold hot tub or dead WiFi are not satisfied. They are quietly recalculating your rating. According to the same Zingle report, 51% of guests say online reviews "greatly" impact their decision about where to stay. And the cost is measurable: a 2026 academic study by Florian Dendorfer and Regina Seibel, modeling roughly 7,800 one-bedroom Manhattan listings from 2016 to 2019, found that [a single good review increases a listing's occupancy by 3.4%](https://reginaseibel.github.io/publication/ratings/ratings.pdf), with the effect 50% larger for listings that have few reviews. A functional failure does not just cost you one refund. It moves the review score that compounds across every future booking.

This is why functional verification belongs at turnover, before the guest arrives. It is the only point in the timeline where the failure is still cheap to fix.

## The reference table: what "present" confirms vs. what "functional" requires

This is the artifact most amenity checklists skip. For each high-impact amenity, the presence check and the functional check are genuinely different actions, and the failure mode in the third column is the one that reaches the guest. Use it to upgrade a presence checklist into a functional one.

| Amenity | "Present" check (what most checklists do) | Functional check (what the guest needs) | How it fails silently |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hot tub | Filled, clean, covered, looks inviting | Water reads 100–104°F; heater holds temp; jets cycle; chemistry balanced | Looks pristine at turnover but is at 90°F because it is mid-recovery from a refill |
| Smart lock | Installed, mounted, keypad lights up | Incoming reservation's code is active and dated correctly; battery above threshold | Last guest's code still active, new code never synced, guest locked out at 11pm |
| Air conditioning | Unit mounted; thermostat display on | Supply air measurably colder than room; reaches setpoint; no error codes | Blows air but not cold; failure only obvious once the house heats up midday |
| WiFi | Router present; network name posted | Network is up; password on placard matches; speed adequate for streaming/work | ISP outage or a router that needs a reboot; invisible until the guest tries to connect |
| TV / streaming | TV on wall; remote present | Powers on; remote paired with batteries; correct input; apps still logged in | Previous guest logged out of Netflix or changed the input; remote battery dead |
| Coffee maker | On the counter; clean | Brews a cycle; descaled; correct pods/filters stocked | Scaled up and brews lukewarm trickle, or the pod type does not match the machine |
| Grill | On the patio; clean grates | Propane tank has fuel; igniter sparks; burners light evenly | Empty propane tank next to a grill listed as an amenity, a guaranteed review mention |
| Fireplace | Present; mantel staged | Gas valve open and lights, or flue operable; serviced; no CO risk | Pilot out or flue stuck; a winter guest's headline amenity is unusable |
| Pool | Filled, clean, clear water | Heater reaches temp; pump circulates; gate self-latches | Heater off or undersized; "heated pool" listing arrives at 68°F |
| Major appliances | Present; wiped down | Dishwasher drains; washer/dryer cycle; ice maker producing; oven heats | Looks spotless; the failure only appears when a guest runs a full cycle |

The pattern across every row is the same: the presence check is a noun (the thing exists) and the functional check is a verb (the thing does its job). The silent-failure column is almost always a state that changed since the last guest, a code that did not sync, a tank that ran empty, an input that got switched, a temperature that has not recovered. Those are precisely the states a static turnover photo cannot capture, because the photo looks identical whether the amenity works or not.

## The hot tub is the canonical case

No amenity illustrates the presence-function gap better than a hot tub, and none is more expensive to get wrong. Hot tubs are among the highest-demand amenities in the vacation rental market and command a meaningful nightly premium, which means a guest who booked specifically for the hot tub and finds it lukewarm feels the failure acutely.

The trap is time. A hot tub that has been drained and refilled during turnover, standard practice for hygiene, does not heat instantly. Spa manufacturers note that a typical residential hot tub heats at roughly 3 to 6 degrees per hour, so a cold refill can take 8 to 12 hours to reach a usable 100 to 104 degrees. That means a tub can be spotless, filled, and covered at the 11am turnover, pass every presence check, and still be sitting at 90 degrees when the guest checks in at 4pm. The cleaner did nothing wrong. The checklist did its job. The amenity still failed, because the checklist measured presence and the guest experiences temperature.

A functional check closes this by recording the actual water temperature and confirming the heater is cycling, not just that the tub is filled. It also surfaces the slow failures, a clogged filter that caps the temperature a few degrees short, a heater relay that is starting to fail, that a visual pass will never catch until a guest reports a cold tub days later.

## What guests can get refunded for

Functional failures are not just a review risk. They are a direct refund liability, and the platforms have codified exactly which amenities count.

According to [Airbnb's Rebooking and Refund Policy](https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2868), a missing or non-functional amenity is a covered "Reservation Issue." The policy explicitly names these systems:

Guests must report the issue within **72 hours of discovery** and support the claim with **photographs, videos, or host confirmation**. Airbnb can issue a full or partial refund depending on severity and how much of the stay was affected, and this policy takes precedence over the listing's cancellation policy.

The catch for operators is that the burden of proof cuts both ways. Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott documented [a case where a guest's bedroom AC blew only warm air](https://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/no-air-conditioning-in-my-rental-does-airbnbs-refund-policy-apply/), leaving the unit above 80 degrees for a three-night stay. Airbnb initially offered just a 20% refund ($63 of $480) because the host claimed a technician had visited and found no problem but provided no documentation. The guest received a near-full refund only after a journalist intervened. The lesson is symmetrical: documented functional verification at turnover is the operator's best defense in exactly these disputes, and the absence of it is what lets a "we sent someone, it was fine" claim collapse.

## Access failures are the most common arrival problem

If functional verification has a single highest-priority target, it is access. According to [Touchstay's analysis](https://touchstay.com/blog/self-check-in-rental-problems) of 37,359 guest chatbot conversations across active vacation rentals, 3,822, roughly one in ten, were about check-in, making it the second most-asked topic overall. And within negative-sentiment conversations, the single top friction point was a lockbox or fob that would not open.

A smart lock is the textbook presence-vs-function amenity. It is mounted, the keypad lights up, it photographs as "installed and working." But the functional state, whether the incoming reservation's access code is actually synced and active for the correct dates, is invisible at the door. A code that never propagated from the PMS, or a battery that has quietly drained below threshold, produces a guest standing outside at night with no way in, the worst possible first impression and one that frequently ends in a refund request and a review that leads with "we got locked out."

## How to verify function at turnover

Functional verification does not require a second visit or a specialist. It requires changing what gets recorded. The shift is from confirming presence to capturing a state, a temperature, a test result, a code status, in a way that is documented and reviewable.

This is where photo-based turnover documentation and AI baseline comparison become genuinely useful for functional verification, not just damage detection. When the same amenity is photographed from the same angle every turnover, with the temperature display or the lock status in frame, gradual functional drift becomes visible: a pool temp trending down, a fridge running warmer each week, a grill that has not been lit in five turnovers. The human eye misses slow change between consecutive stays. Software comparing the same frame across fifty turnovers does not.

## Frequently asked questions

### Related guides

- [The Structural Safety Hazards Your Inspectors Are Missing](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/vacation-rental-safety-hazards-inspectors-miss/) Gradual structural failures that binary checklists miss

- [AI Baseline Comparison Catches What Inspections Miss](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/ai-baseline-comparison-catches-what-inspections-miss/) Detecting missing items, staging changes, and gradual wear

- [Post-Cleaning Inspection Checklist](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/vacation-rental-cleaning-inspection-checklist/) QA verification at turnover

- [Vacation Rental Maintenance Schedule](https://rapideyeinspections.com/tools/maintenance-schedule/) Month-by-month maintenance including amenity servicing

## Sources


Vacation Rental Hot Tub Safety: What Property Managers Are Liable For

Hot tub lawsuits against vacation rental operators have reached $4.5M verdicts. Regulations vary by state and most PMs don't know which ones apply to them. Complete liability guide for STR operators.

# Vacation Rental Hot Tub Safety: What Property Managers Are **Actually Liable For**

Verdicts have reached $4.5 million. Two guests contracted Legionnaires' disease from a single vacation rental hot tub in late 2024, and the CDC published a case report in June 2026. The federal law governing drain safety still hasn't clarified whether it applies to short-term rentals. Here is what you need to know.

As a vacation rental property manager, you face premises liability for hot tub injuries to paying guests. Courts generally classify vacation rental guests as invitees, the category owed the highest duty of care: you must actively inspect for hazards, maintain safe conditions, and warn of known risks. According to the CPSC, spas and hot tubs account for 64% of all suction entrapment incidents among children, and according to the CDC, 70% of recreational water outbreaks at hotels and resorts are associated with hot tubs. Your exposure is real, your insurance may have gaps, and the regulations vary dramatically by state.

## Your Legal Exposure: Premises Liability for Hot Tubs

When a guest pays to stay at your vacation rental, the law imposes a duty of care on you as the property owner or manager. The central question is how courts classify you: as an **innkeeper** (higher duty) or a **landlord** (lower duty).

According to the Virginia Supreme Court in *Haynes-Garrett v. Dunn* (2018), the determining factor is whether the guest received "exclusive possession and control," not the length of the stay. However, most vacation rental guests are treated as **invitees**, the visitor category owed the highest standard of care. According to the [Terry Law Firm](https://www.terry-lawfirm.com/blog/liable-hot-tub-smoky-mountain-cabin/), which specializes in hot tub injury cases in vacation rental markets, property owners must "actively inspect for dangers, make prompt repairs, and warn of hazards."

Multiple parties can be held liable for a single hot tub incident. According to [Proper Insurance](https://www.proper.insure/blog/should-i-have-a-hot-tub-at-my-airbnb/), liability can extend to property owners, property management companies, hot tub maintenance contractors, and manufacturers. Online platforms like Airbnb are typically shielded by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, as established in *Smith v. Airbnb* (Oregon Court of Appeals, 2021).

### The Attractive Nuisance Doctrine

Hot tubs can qualify as an "attractive nuisance" under the [Restatement (Second) of Torts, Section 339](https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/attractive_nuisance_doctrine). This means you may be liable for injuries to trespassing children if the hot tub is likely to attract them, presents an unreasonable risk, and children cannot appreciate the danger. An unsecured hot tub in a residential vacation rental setting is particularly vulnerable to this doctrine.

### Waivers Do Not Eliminate Liability

Many property managers use guest waivers as a liability shield. According to [Proper Insurance](https://www.proper.insure/blog/vacation-rental-liability/), "Negligence cannot be waived. Signed waivers can help set expectations and support a defense, but they do not stop lawsuits. Courts routinely allow claims to proceed when negligence is alleged, regardless of what a guest signed." An Alabama jury returned an [$11.6 million verdict](https://www.proper.insure/blog/11-6-million-verdict-against-short-term-rental-owner/) against a short-term rental owner after an intoxicated guest dove into a shallow pool and became quadriplegic, despite the guest having signed a waiver.

## What Hot Tub Lawsuits Actually Look Like

These are real cases involving hot tubs at vacation rentals and hospitality properties. The dollar amounts are documented in court records, settlement announcements, and legal reporting.

#### Handley & Howard v. DEVI LLC (Wingate Inn)

Two guests contracted Legionnaires' disease from a hotel hot tub. The jury deliberated only 50 minutes before returning a $4.5 million verdict. According to the case record reported by McGehee, Hansberger & Halverson, the hotel had destroyed evidence by cleaning the hot tub against health department orders.

#### Winfield v. Best Western Plus

An 87-year-old guest inhaled Legionella from a hotel spa without even entering the water, and died. According to [Panish Shea Boyle](https://www.panish.law/2021/05/psb-obtains-3-million-settlement-for-family-of-man-killed-by-legionnaires-disease/), the family settled for $3 million. The guest was infected simply by breathing near the hot tub's aerosol mist.

#### Guillen/Zambrano v. Casago (Sonoran Sea Resort)

A 43-year-old guest was electrocuted in a vacation rental hot tub at a Mexican beach resort. His wife was shocked during the rescue attempt. According to [12News](https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/arizona-based-company-sued-after-man-died-hot-tub-electrocution-mexican-beach-resort/75-3df3353c-58ed-4a56-a13f-0fa670eeaf6e), the pending wrongful death lawsuit seeks $1 million or more from the Arizona-based management company.

#### Alabama Pool Diving Injury

An intoxicated guest dove into a shallow pool at a short-term rental and became quadriplegic. According to [Proper Insurance](https://www.proper.insure/blog/11-6-million-verdict-against-short-term-rental-owner/), the jury returned an $11.6 million verdict despite the guest having signed a liability waiver. The waiver did not prevent the lawsuit.

#### Davis-Ealy v. Great Escape Lakeside (Clermont, FL)

A child drowned at a resort-style short-term rental property in Florida. According to [Haggard Law Firm](https://haggardlawfirm.com/2-million-settlement-in-fatal-child-drowning-case-at-florida-resort-style-short-term-rental-property/), the case settled for $2 million, the full policy limits. Filed July 2025.

## The Federal Law That May (or May Not) Apply to You

The **Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act** (VGB Act) is the primary federal law governing hot tub drain safety. It was enacted in December 2007 after Virginia Graeme Baker, age 7, drowned when she was trapped by suction from a hot tub drain.

The VGB Act requires all pool and spa drain covers sold in the United States to conform to ANSI/APSP/ICC-16 2017 standards. For "public pools and spas," it also requires secondary anti-entrapment devices (safety vacuum release systems, suction-limiting vents, or automatic pump shut-offs). Violations carry penalties up to $17.15 million for a related series of violations, according to the [Federal Register](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/12/01/2021-26082/civil-penalties-notice-of-adjusted-maximum-amounts).

The critical ambiguity: **the CPSC has never finalized whether vacation rentals count as "public."** According to [Mintz (2014)](https://www.mintz.com/insights-center/viewpoints/2171/2014-08-21-are-airbnb-hosts-regulated-cpsc-short-term-rental), the CPSC proposed a broader definition in October 2010 that would have explicitly included "rental units rented on a bi-weekly or weekly basis," but the rulemaking was never completed and dropped off the CPSC's regulatory agenda. Many states and localities have filled this gap with their own codes that do explicitly cover vacation rentals.

The safest legal position: comply with VGB operational requirements regardless of your classification. The cost of compliant drain covers and a secondary anti-entrapment device is trivial compared to the liability exposure.

## State-by-State Regulations

Hot tub regulations vary dramatically across the major short-term rental markets. Here is what applies in the five states with the largest vacation rental hot tub footprints.

#### Florida

#### Colorado

#### Tennessee

#### Arizona

#### California

One pattern is universal across all five states: **104 degrees F maximum water temperature**. And every state reviewed provides an exemption from barrier requirements for hot tubs with a lockable [ASTM F1346-compliant safety cover](https://store.astm.org/f1346-23.html). If you do nothing else, a compliant locking cover is the single highest-leverage safety investment for most vacation rental hot tubs.

## The Insurance Gap Most Property Managers Don't Know About

Standard homeowners insurance and platform-provided coverage leave significant gaps for vacation rental hot tub liability. According to [Proper Insurance](https://www.proper.insure/blog/does-homeowners-cover-short-term-rentals/), homeowners policies routinely deny claims once a property accepts paying guests under the "business activity exclusion."

#### Typically Covered (STR Policy)

- Bodily injury liability (slips, burns, drowning)

- Legal defense costs

- Equipment breakdown (mechanical/electrical failure)

- Communicable disease (Legionella, Pseudomonas)

- Lost business revenue if hot tub goes offline

#### Common Gaps & Exclusions

- Homeowners policy: business activity exclusion denies all STR claims

- AirCover: communicable diseases explicitly excluded

- Umbrella policies: "follow-form," adopt base policy exclusions

- Owner negligence: poor chemistry, failure to winterize

- Intentional acts and assault

The Legionella gap deserves particular attention. According to [Proper Insurance](https://www.proper.insure/blog/prevent-legionnaires-disease-in-str-hot-tub/), most homeowners policies and "short-term rental endorsements may not extend to cover bacteria like Legionella." Meanwhile, Airbnb's AirCover policy explicitly excludes communicable diseases. A dedicated STR-specific policy from a provider like [Proper Insurance](https://www.proper.insure/blog/should-i-have-a-hot-tub-at-my-airbnb/) (which explicitly covers communicable disease claims) or [CBIZ](https://vacationrentalinsurance.cbiz.com/solutions) closes this gap. Typical coverage: $1 million per occurrence, with the option to increase to $2 million.

According to Proper Insurance, amenity-related claims "meet or exceed $500K demands." The $4.5 million Wingate Inn verdict and $11.6 million pool injury verdict demonstrate that worst-case exposure can far exceed standard policy limits.

### Legionella: The Invisible Hot Tub Threat

Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. According to the CDC, about **1 in 10 people who get Legionnaires' disease die from it**. Hot tubs are uniquely dangerous because they operate at 100-104 degrees F, which is within Legionella's optimal growth range of 77-113 degrees F. Unlike pools, hot tub water cannot be heated above 104 degrees F for bather safety, making [chemical disinfection the only effective control](https://www.cdc.gov/control-legionella/php/toolkit/hot-tub-module.html).

Vacation rentals face elevated risk because hot tubs may sit unused between bookings, allowing bacteria to multiply in stagnant water with declining disinfectant levels. A [June 2026 CDC MMWR report](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/75/wr/mm7522a1.htm) documented two confirmed Legionnaires' cases from a single vacation rental hot tub in western New York. Testing found Legionella pneumophila at concentrations of 134 to 13,677 MPN/mL. The property owner had reopened the hot tub without health department approval after a previous closure.

According to the CDC's supplementary surveillance data, nearly **1 in 7 Legionnaires' disease patients reported staying overnight at hotels, private homes, or vacation rental properties**. About half of those who reported travel and vacation rental stays also reported hot tub use.

People do not even need to enter the water to get sick. An 87-year-old guest at a Best Western hotel inhaled Legionella from the spa's aerosol mist without entering the water, and died. The family settled for $3 million.

## Water Chemistry and Temperature: The Basics That Prevent Lawsuits

According to the [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-swimming/safety/what-you-can-do-to-stay-healthy-in-hot-tubs.html), hot tub water should maintain free chlorine of at least 3 ppm (or bromine 4-8 ppm) and pH of 7.0-7.8. The [CDC's Legionella toolkit](https://www.cdc.gov/control-legionella/php/toolkit/hot-tub-module.html) specifies a tighter range for Legionella control: free chlorine 3-10 ppm, pH 7.2-7.8. The [Pool & Hot Tub Alliance](https://www.phta.org/consumer/safety/hot-tub-safety/) recommends the ideal range of 3.0-5.0 ppm for spas.

When chemistry fails, the consequences are measurable. According to the [CDC's chemical injury surveillance (2015-2017)](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6819a2.htm), an estimated 13,508 emergency department visits resulted from pool and hot tub chemical injuries over that period, roughly 4,500 per year. Children under 18 accounted for 36.4% of cases.

The maximum safe temperature is 104 degrees F (40 degrees C), a standard set by the [CPSC](https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/1980/CPSC-Warns-Of-Hot-Tub-Temperatures), the CDC, and every state health code reviewed. The CPSC considers 100 degrees F safe for a healthy adult. The CDC recommends that [children under 5 should not use hot tubs at all](https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-swimming/safety/what-you-can-do-to-stay-healthy-in-hot-tubs.html), and ACOG recommends pregnant women keep core body temperature below 102.2 degrees F.

A [peer-reviewed study (CMAJ)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1405706/) of 158 spa and hot tub deaths found that alcohol was a risk factor in 38% of cases, heart disease in 31%, seizure disorders in 17%, and cocaine use in 14%. Your guest safety signage should address these risk factors directly.

### Hot Tub Safety Checklist: Every Turnover

Verify these items between every guest stay. Documenting completion creates a liability defense record.

The documentation items matter as much as the safety items. In the Wingate Inn case, the hotel destroyed evidence by cleaning the hot tub against health department orders, which likely contributed to the speed and severity of the $4.5 million verdict. Systematic documentation of every turnover creates a defensible maintenance record.

## CPSC Recall Data: What Breaks

According to the [CPSC](https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2024/About-866000-AirJet-and-HydroJet-Spa-Pumps-Recalled-Due-to-Fire-Hazard-One-Death-Reported-Manufactured-by-Bestway-and-Sold-with-SaluSpa-Coleman-and-Hydro-Force-Spa-Liners), the largest recent hot tub recall involved 866,000 spa pumps from Bestway (brands: SaluSpa, Coleman, Hydro-Force) recalled in September 2024 for fire hazard. The overheating pumps caused three fires, including one fatal house fire in Kansas City. These spas were sold at Amazon, Costco, Walmart, and Sam's Club for $400-$790.

In February 2026, [Watkins Manufacturing recalled 32,900 Hot Spring Highlife Collection spas](https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026/Watkins-Manufacturing-Recalls-Hydromassage-Rotary-Jets-in-Highlife-Collection-Spas-Due-to-Entanglement-and-Drowning-Hazards) ($16,000-$24,000 each) because rotary jets could entangle hair underwater, creating a drowning hazard. As recently as June 2026, the CPSC recalled spa drain covers sold on Amazon that [violated the VGB Act](https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026/Spa-Drain-Covers-Recalled-Due-to-Risk-of-Serious-Injury-or-Death-from-Entrapment-and-Drowning-Hazards-Violate-Virginia-Graeme-Baker-Pool-Spa-Safety-Act-Sold-on-Amazon-by-Arrogantf) by missing required markings.

Fire hazard from overheating pumps, motors, and electronic controls is the most common recall reason by both unit count and frequency. If your vacation rental hot tubs use portable or inflatable models (SaluSpa, Coleman, Intex), check the [CPSC recall database](https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls) for your specific model.

## What Airbnb and Vrbo Actually Cover

According to [Airbnb's safety requirements](https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2904), hosts must "disclose any safety hazards inherent to the listing" (hot tubs are cited as a specific example), provide usage instructions, and address "poorly maintained appliances (ex: hot tubs)" before accepting reservations. Airbnb does not mandate specific operational standards like water chemistry levels or inspection frequency.

AirCover for Hosts provides up to [$1 million in liability insurance per stay](https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/3142) for bodily injury, underwritten by Generali US Branch. According to [Airbnb's coverage details](https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/3145), communicable diseases are explicitly excluded. This means Legionnaires' disease from your hot tub is likely not covered by AirCover.

Vrbo provides [$1 million liability insurance per occurrence](https://www.vrbo.com/tlp/liability-insurance) per rental agreement, underwritten by Generali Global Assistance, plus up to $5,000 for medical payments.

According to a [Scripps News investigation (May 2025)](https://www.scrippsnews.com/investigations/exclusive-airbnb-targets-two-states-highlighted-in-scripps-news-investigation-for-pool-safety), "more than 50 children had drowned in vacation rental pool incidents in Florida alone since 2021". This investigation prompted Airbnb to launch targeted outreach to Florida and Arizona hosts with pools and hot tubs, partnering with Life Saver Pool Fence on discounted safety equipment.

## Connecting Safety to Turnover Operations

Every turnover is a safety checkpoint. When your cleaner or inspector walks through the property, they are not just verifying cleanliness. They are verifying that a hot tub with 104-degree water, pressurized jets creating Legionella-carrying aerosol, and electrical components is safe for the next family that checks in.

The challenge is that cleaners are focused on cleaning. Safety verification requires a different lens: checking drain covers, testing water chemistry, inspecting the surrounding area for broken glass or loose railings, and confirming the safety cover locks properly. These items need to be explicit in the turnover workflow, not assumed.

Systematic photo or video documentation of the hot tub at every turnover creates two kinds of value. First, it builds a timestamped liability defense record showing consistent maintenance. Second, it catches the issues that visual inspection alone misses: a drain cover that has shifted slightly, a crack in the shell, discoloration that signals chemistry problems, or a safety cover hinge that is failing.

## Frequently Asked Questions

The drain cover manufacturing requirements apply universally to all hot tubs. The operational requirements (installing compliant covers and secondary anti-entrapment devices) apply to "public pools and spas." The CPSC proposed a broader definition in 2010 that would have explicitly included "rental units rented on a bi-weekly or weekly basis," but never finalized the rule. Many state and local jurisdictions have their own codes that do explicitly cover vacation rental hot tubs. The safest legal position is to comply with VGB operational requirements regardless of classification.

AirCover for Hosts includes up to $1 million in liability insurance per stay for bodily injury, which would cover most hot tub injury claims like slips, burns, or drowning. However, AirCover explicitly excludes communicable diseases, which means Legionnaires' disease contracted from a poorly maintained hot tub is likely not covered. AirCover for Guests explicitly does not cover injuries from amenities. Most STR insurance advisors recommend dedicated vacation rental liability insurance rather than relying on platform coverage alone.

The maximum safe temperature is 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius), a standard set by the CPSC, CDC, and every state health code reviewed. The CPSC considers 100 degrees F safe for healthy adults. Children under 5 should not use hot tubs at all according to the CDC, and pregnant women should keep their core body temperature below 102.2 degrees F per ACOG guidelines, which means limiting hot tub use to under 10 minutes at lower temperatures.

Waivers have significant limitations. According to Proper Insurance, "Negligence cannot be waived. Signed waivers can help set expectations and support a defense, but they do not stop lawsuits." Courts routinely allow claims to proceed when negligence is alleged, regardless of what a guest signed. An Alabama case resulted in an $11.6 million verdict against a short-term rental owner despite the guest having signed a waiver. Waivers are worth having but should never be your primary liability strategy.

The CDC provides a formula: divide the spa volume in gallons by 3, then divide by the average number of daily users. For a typical 400-gallon vacation rental hot tub with 2-3 guests per day, that means draining every 44 to 67 days. The Pool and Hot Tub Alliance recommends draining every 3 to 4 months. For vacation rentals with high guest turnover, more frequent draining is prudent. Between guests, shock treatment and water chemistry verification are essential at every turnover.

Legionella is a bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease, a severe form of pneumonia that kills about 1 in 10 people who contract it according to the CDC. Hot tubs are especially risky because they operate at 100-104 degrees F, which is within Legionella's optimal growth range of 77-113 degrees F. Unlike pools, hot tub water cannot be heated above 104 degrees F for bather safety, making chemical disinfection the only effective control. Vacation rentals face elevated risk because hot tubs may sit unused between bookings, allowing bacteria to multiply in stagnant water with declining disinfectant levels. A June 2026 CDC report documented two confirmed Legionnaires' cases from a single vacation rental hot tub in New York.

### Sources

### Related reading

#### Vacation Rental Functional Inspection: Amenities

What to verify at every turnover beyond cleaning: appliances, safety equipment, and guest-facing systems.

#### Safety Hazards Your Inspectors Are Missing

The structural failures, railing gaps, and fire safety issues that slip past visual inspections.

#### Vacation Rental Cleaning Inspection Checklist

38-item post-clean QA verification checklist for the inspector role.


Among Professional Vacation Rental Managers, 10 Companies Control 58% of All Units

Lorenz curve analysis of 1,779 VRMA member companies that reported portfolio size. Gini coefficient: 0.885. The median professional manager runs 30 units. The top 10 report 235,000. The real industry is even more skewed.

# Among professional vacation rental managers, 10 companies control *58%* of all units. The bottom half controls *1.9%.*

We computed a Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient using self-reported portfolio data from 1,779 VRMA member companies. This is just the professionalized slice of the industry: companies that joined a trade association and disclosed their size. The hundreds of thousands of individual Airbnb and Vrbo hosts aren't in this data at all, which means the real industry is even more concentrated than what you see here.

## 62% of companies manage 50 or fewer units. They control *4%* of the total.

The median VRMA member manages 30 units. The mean is 229. That 7.6x gap between median and mean is itself a measure of how skewed the distribution is. And remember: these are companies that joined a professional trade association. The typical Airbnb host with 1-3 listings isn't in this dataset at all. When industry reports cite "the average vacation rental company," they are describing a company that barely exists.

## Where the units actually sit

The distribution bars show two different stories. Measured by company count, the industry is dominated by small operators. Measured by units under management, a handful of mega-operators account for the overwhelming majority.

Green bars = share of companies. Right column = number of companies and their share of total units. The bottom row: 11 companies (0.6% of the total) control 59.2% of all reported units.

## Who holds *57.8%* of the units

According to VRMA's public member directory, these 10 companies self-reported the largest portfolios. Together they account for 234,971 of the 406,516 total units reported across all 1,779 members who disclosed their size.

| # | Company | HQ | Units |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Awaze Vacation Rentals | UK | 89,400 (22.0%) |
| 2 | Vacasa | OR | 38,000 (9.3%) |
| 3 | Marina Hawaii Vacations | HI | 35,840 (8.8%) |
| 4 | Sykes Holiday Cottages | UK | 20,000 (4.9%) |
| 5 | Travel Chapter | UK | 15,000 (3.7%) |
| 6 | Wyndham Vacation Rentals | NJ | 10,031 (2.5%) |
| 7 | North American Vacation Homes | UK | 9,000 (2.2%) |
| 8 | Avari Management | UT | 6,200 (1.5%) |
| 9 | TurnKey Vacation Rentals | TX | 6,000 (1.5%) |
| 10 | Monarch Collective | IL | 5,500 (1.4%) |
|  | Top 10 total |  | 234,971 (57.8%) |

Four of the top 10 are UK-based companies. Awaze alone (which operates Hoseasons, cottages.com, and Landal GreenParks across Europe) reports 89,400 units. These numbers are self-reported to VRMA. Some may include non-traditional STR inventory. See the methodology section for caveats.

## How the VRMA Gini compares

The Gini coefficient is a standard inequality measure used by economists to compare distributions. The Federal Reserve publishes US wealth Gini data in its Survey of Consumer Finances. The World Bank publishes income Gini by country. Here is where professional vacation rental management falls, keeping in mind this only captures the VRMA membership slice.

The comparison is not between wealth and rental units as asset classes. It illustrates the shape of the distribution. When 10 companies hold 58% and the bottom 50% hold 1.9%, the curve looks like wealth concentration. This is structural, not incidental.

## Industry "averages" are describing a company that *barely exists*

When a vendor pitches you "the average property manager has 229 units," they are citing a mean inflated by a dozen mega-operators. **The median VRMA member manages 30 units.** Half manage 30 or fewer. And these are the professional managers who paid to join a trade association. The broader industry, where most operators are individual hosts with 1-3 listings, is far more bottom-heavy. Software, pricing, and benchmarks designed for a 229-unit company are built for a customer that barely exists.

The top 20% of VRMA members (355 operators) hold **89.8% of all reported units**. That exceeds the classic 80/20 Pareto distribution. The bottom 80% share the remaining 10.2%.

This is not a new trend. The top of the VRMA directory includes companies founded in the 1970s and 1980s (Awaze, Marina Hawaii, Sykes, Travel Chapter). The concentration predates the VC-fueled consolidation wave of the 2010s. Vacasa made it visible. The structure was already there.

## How we computed this

**Caveats worth noting.** These are self-reported numbers from VRMA membership forms, not audited financials. Some companies may report total property associations or condo units rather than individually managed STR listings. Awaze's 89,400 likely includes European holiday parks and cottage networks that differ from a US-style STR portfolio. Marina Hawaii's 35,840 may include HOA or condo association doors. Removing the top 3 outliers would lower the Gini but the structural concentration remains extreme: even among the 1,776 remaining companies, the top 10 would still control a disproportionate share.

**This is a floor, not a ceiling.** The VRMA directory captures professional management companies. It does not include the vast majority of individual Airbnb and Vrbo hosts who manage 1-3 properties without joining a trade association. According to AirDNA, there are over 1.3 million short-term rental listings in the US alone. Adding those individual operators to this analysis would push the Gini well above 0.885. Additionally, 65% of VRMA members did not report a unit count. If non-reporters are systematically smaller (likely, since smaller companies are less motivated to disclose portfolio size), the concentration among even this professional cohort may be understated.

RapidEye builds AI-powered inspection intelligence for vacation rental managers. We analyze turnover photos to catch damages and issues that manual review misses.

### Sources

- VRMA (Vacation Rental Management Association) Public Member Directory. Self-reported company data including unit counts, PMS, founding year, and operating states. Compiled March 2026.
 https://www.vrma.org/directories/vacation-rental-managers

- Federal Reserve Board. "Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2019 to 2022: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances." Federal Reserve Bulletin, October 2023. US wealth Gini coefficient of approximately 0.85.
 https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/scf23.pdf

- World Bank. "Gini Index." World Development Indicators. US income Gini of 0.49; South Africa income Gini of 0.63 (highest measured country).
 https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI


Vacation Rental Inspection Statistics (2026): Detection Rates, Failure Benchmarks, and QC Data

Vacation rental inspection statistics: in-person vs remote detection rates, ops failure rates, turnover disruption costs, cleanliness complaints, and AI adoption data.

Industry Data
Vacation Rental Inspection Statistics (2026)
Detection rates for in-person vs remote inspections, operational failure benchmarks, turnover disruption costs, and quality control data.
8 sources verified
Primary data only
Updated May 2026
12.5%
of turnovers have a measurable operational failure
Opago, 7,000+ properties
98%
of mistakes caught by in-person inspection
Properly
45%
of disappointed guests cite cleanliness first
Wander, 1,000+ travelers
Operational Failure Rates
The industry-average ops failure rate is approximately
, meaning 1 in 8 turnovers experiences a measurable operational failure. Professional portfolios target below
5%
, and best-in-class operators achieve
2-3%
.
According to
Opago
, managing over 7,000 London properties.
An estimated
8%
of turnovers experience a disruption due to scheduling errors, no-shows, or communication breakdowns.
ResortCleaning
, 2025 Housekeeping Efficiency Report (estimate).
A single missed turnover can cost up to
$3,500
in refunds ($200-$800), alternate accommodations ($150-$300), emergency re-cleaning ($50-$150), and lost future bookings ($1,000-$3,500).
, 2025 (estimate).
For a 100-property portfolio, turnover disruptions quietly lead to
$10,000-$25,000
in annual losses.
Detection Rates
In-person walk-through inspections eliminate
of all mistakes made during turnover. Remote photo-based inspection catches
87%
, an 11 percentage point gap.
Breezeway has tracked over
300,000 issues
reported by inspectors, cleaners, and field staff through their mobile app. Top categories: kitchen appliances, bathrooms, bedrooms, hot tubs, outdoor grills.
Breezeway
14%
of hot tub inspections found maintenance issues requiring repair. Grills were cleaned after
of stays. Ceiling fans were dusted in only
9%
of stays.
, internal data.
Guest Cleanliness Complaints
of travelers who had a disappointing vacation rental stay cited cleanliness as the primary issue.
Wander
, survey of 1,000+ US travelers, January 2026.
52%
of vacation rental guests experienced trip disruptions due to rental issues.
31%
reported maintenance problems (broken appliances, plumbing, HVAC).
, same survey.
33%
of STR guests list lack of cleanliness among their top five complaints (ranked third behind poor internet at 39% and poor maintenance at 38%).
ConsumerAffairs
Listings scoring below 4.7 stars in cleanliness lose up to
30%
of potential revenue.
, 2026 (estimate, citing industry data).
Technology Adoption
Fewer than
15%
of STR operators have fully adopted modern housekeeping management tools, despite over
70%
identifying technology as a priority.
, 2026.
AI adoption in vacation rentals jumped to
84%
in 2025, up from 60% in 2024.
Hostfully 2025 Vacation Rental Industry Report
Breezeway has powered
75+ million tasks
across 90 countries.
, 2025.
Sources
Opago.
Operational failure rate benchmarks. 7,000+ London properties.
https://www.opago.co.uk/
Properly.
Remote Inspection: Pros and Cons.
https://www.getproperly.com/remote-inspection-vacation-rental-pros-cons/
Breezeway.
Top Vacation Rental Issues. 300,000+ issues tracked.
https://www.breezeway.io/blog/top-vacation-rental-issues
Property Care by the Numbers.
https://www.breezeway.io/blog/property-care-by-the-numbers
ResortCleaning.
2025 Housekeeping Efficiency Report.
https://www.resortcleaning.com/blog/2025-housekeeping-efficiency-report
Wander.
Why Vacation Rentals Disappoint. 1,000+ US travelers. January 2026.
https://www.wander.com/article/why-vacation-rentals-disappoint
ConsumerAffairs.
Short-Term Rental Statistics.
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/movers/short-term-rental-statistics.html
Hostfully.
2025 Vacation Rental Industry & Hospitality Report.
https://www.hostfully.com/reports/2025-hospitality-industry-study/
Related Statistics
Airbnb Damage Claim Statistics (2026)
Vacation Rental Staffing Statistics (2026)
Airbnb Cleaning Fee Statistics (2026)
State of Vacation Rental Operations 2026


How many vacation rental management companies operate in each US state, ranked. We mapped the full VRMA member directory of 5,091 companies: Florida leads with 688, then California, Texas, North Carolina. Primary-source data, cleaned of franchise and HOA outliers.

# Vacation Rental Management Companies by State (2026 Data Map)

We compiled the entire VRMA member directory — 5,091 vacation rental management companies — and mapped it by state. Here is where the professional short-term rental industry actually lives.

**Florida has the most vacation rental management companies of any US state with 688 VRMA members**, followed by California, Texas, and North Carolina. In total, the VRMA public member directory lists 5,091 management companies; 3,521 of them are headquartered in a US state and analyzed here.

Vacation rental management is overwhelmingly a coastal-and-mountain business. The markets that dominate by unit count are beach destinations (the Gulf Coast, the Carolinas, the Grand Strand) and ski towns (Colorado, Utah), not the largest metro areas, where short-term rental rules are tightest.

## 01The national picture

## 02Every state, ranked

VRMA member vacation rental management companies by headquarters state. States with deep-dive reports are linked.

| State | Companies | Reported units | Units reported |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Florida](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/florida-vacation-rental-landscape/) | 688 | 322 | 28,057 |
| [California](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/california-vacation-rental-landscape/) | 432 | 175 | 8,536 |
| [Texas](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/texas-vacation-rental-landscape/) | 234 | 111 | 6,443 |
| [North Carolina](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/north-carolina-vacation-rental-landscape/) | 192 | 106 | 14,987 |
| [Colorado](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/colorado-vacation-rental-landscape/) | 189 | 73 | 12,084 |
| [South Carolina](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/south-carolina-vacation-rental-landscape/) | 160 | 82 | 12,367 |
| [Georgia](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/georgia-vacation-rental-landscape/) | 117 | 56 | 3,663 |
| [Tennessee](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/tennessee-vacation-rental-landscape/) | 107 | 48 | 3,284 |
| [Hawaii](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/hawaii-vacation-rental-landscape/) | 106 | 45 | 6,077 |
| Washington | 100 | 32 | 3,969 |
| New York | 99 | 31 | 1,758 |
| Arizona | 97 | 48 | 4,253 |
| Utah | 77 | 34 | 4,311 |
| Oregon | 66 | 28 | 3,931 |
| [Michigan](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/michigan-vacation-rental-landscape/) | 61 | 32 | 2,092 |
| [Alabama](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/alabama-vacation-rental-landscape/) | 54 | 27 | 3,128 |
| Illinois | 53 | 18 | 1,206 |
| [Virginia](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/virginia-vacation-rental-landscape/) | 52 | 29 | 5,026 |
| [Massachusetts](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/massachusetts-vacation-rental-landscape/) | 50 | 20 | 3,115 |
| Maryland | 41 | 19 | 2,376 |
| New Jersey | 39 | 12 | 3,130 |
| Ohio | 38 | 17 | 208 |
| Nevada | 35 | 14 | 294 |
| Missouri | 33 | 22 | 859 |
| Maine | 30 | 15 | 1,054 |
| New Hampshire | 30 | 10 | 729 |
| Pennsylvania | 30 | 13 | 477 |
| Louisiana | 27 | 20 | 907 |
| Idaho | 26 | 11 | 461 |
| Minnesota | 24 | 13 | 438 |
| Montana | 24 | 13 | 388 |
| Vermont | 22 | 11 | 377 |
| Indiana | 20 | 10 | 228 |
| Wisconsin | 20 | 14 | 930 |
| District of Columbia | 18 | 6 | 1,035 |
| New Mexico | 17 | 8 | 425 |
| Connecticut | 14 | 8 | 56 |
| Delaware | 12 | 2 | 49 |
| Kansas | 9 | 4 | 32 |
| Kentucky | 9 | 4 | 177 |
| Oklahoma | 9 | 5 | 110 |
| South Dakota | 9 | 3 | 97 |
| Alaska | 8 | 4 | 99 |
| Arkansas | 8 | 6 | 199 |
| West Virginia | 8 | 2 | 67 |
| Wyoming | 8 | 7 | 641 |
| Mississippi | 6 | 3 | 577 |
| Iowa | 5 | 3 | 49 |

## 03State deep dives

Full market reports, cleaned of franchise and HOA outliers.

## 04What the map shows

According to the VRMA directory, vacation rental management is a coastal-and-mountain industry. Florida (688 companies) leads on raw company count, but the markets divide by character: Florida is extraordinarily fragmented, North Carolina runs on decades-old Outer Banks realty firms, and Colorado is dominated by a handful of ski-resort operators. We unpack each in the state reports above, and we cover the national leaders in [The Largest Short-Term Rental Management Companies](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/largest-short-term-rental-management-companies/).

Source: RapidEye's analysis of the **VRMA public member directory**, compiled March 2026. Company counts are de-duplicated by brand. Unit counts are **self-reported**, and only a subset of members disclose one, so the “units reported” column is a floor for each state, not a count of every short-term rental there.

We excluded entries whose self-reported totals reflect national franchise networks (iTrip), timeshare or HOA portfolios (Marina Hawaii), or brands since absorbed into a national operator (TurnKey, Wyndham Vacation Rentals, and Vacasa's own corporate figure), because attributing those to a single state HQ would badly distort the map.

## 05Sources

- VRMA (Vacation Rental Management Association) — Public Member Directory, compiled March 2026.https://www.vrma.org/search/newsearch.asp

- RapidEye — The Largest Short-Term Rental Management Companies (2026).https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/largest-short-term-rental-management-companies/

- RapidEye — Only 17% of Vacation Rental Management Companies Operate in More Than One State.https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/vacation-rental-management-single-state-analysis/

## 06Frequently asked

### How many vacation rental management companies are there in the United States?

The VRMA public member directory lists 5,091 vacation rental management companies as of March 2026. Of those, 3,521 list a US state headquarters. This counts association members, not every operator in the country, so it is best read as a map of the professional core of the industry.

### Which state has the most vacation rental management companies?

Florida has the most, with 688 VRMA-member management companies, more than any other state. California, Texas, and North Carolina follow. Vacation rental management concentrates in coastal and mountain destinations rather than large metro areas.

### Where does this data come from?

Every figure is drawn from RapidEye's analysis of the VRMA public member directory, compiled March 2026. Unit counts are self-reported and de-duplicated; national-franchise, timeshare, and HOA totals are excluded so they do not distort individual state figures.


Only 17% of Vacation Rental Management Companies Operate in More Than One State

Analysis of VRMA member companies that disclosed their operating footprint. Of the 373 that reported, 64 run in more than one state. The vacation rental management industry is vastly more local than the Vacasa-era narrative suggests.

# Only *17%* of vacation rental management companies that disclosed their operating footprint run in more than one state.

We pulled the VRMA member directory and counted states for every company that reported its operating geography. The industry everyone talks about (multi-state platforms consolidating the category) and the industry that actually exists are very different things.

Among the 373 vacation rental management companies in the Vacation Rental Management Association member directory that voluntarily disclosed the states they operate in, 64 (17.2%) run in two or more states. The other 309 (82.8%) operate in just one state. Multi-state operations are a minority story even inside the cohort most likely to report it, since broader geographic reach is typically something operators highlight as a selling point.

The consolidation narrative of the last decade (Vacasa, Casago, the era of the regional platform) has trained the industry to think vacation rental management is becoming a national business. The data says the opposite. The most common reporting VRMA member is a small local operator in one state, running dozens of homes, using a PMS built in the 2000s.

## How multi-state the multi-state operators actually are

Most "multi-state" operators are only multi-state by a hair. The 36 two-state operators make up more than half of the list. True national operators with 6+ states are rare.

## The five most geographically diverse operators in VRMA

These are the companies genuinely building national footprints. Their geographic reach is the exception, not the rule.

### Top of the list, by state count

Independent vacation rental managers reaching across the widest swath of the US.

## Every multi-state operator in VRMA

All 64 companies, ranked by number of states operated in, then by unit count where disclosed. If a company does not appear here, the VRMA member directory says they operate in one state or does not record a multi-state footprint.

| Company | HQ | Founded | Units | States |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SkyRun Vacation Rentals | CO | 2004 | 1,562 | 12 |
| Casago Property Management | AZ | 1999 | 2,000 | 11 |
| Monarch Collective | IL | 2022 | 5,500 | 10 |
| Portoro | FL | 2022 | 364 | 8 |
| Avari Management | UT | — | 6,200 | 7 |
| CoralTree Residence Collection | CO | 1973 | 1,100 | 6 |
| Towne Vacations | VA | 2015 | 2,800 | 5 |
| Luxus Vacation Properties | Alberta, CA | 2023 | 21 | 5 |
| Kasu Capital | Ontario, CA | 2022 | 8 | 5 |
| Continuum Management Group | SC | 2017 | 1,400 | 4 |
| Cabins For You | TN | 2004 | 608 | 4 |
| Juniper Holiday + Home | MI | 2020 | 140 | 4 |
| A Stay Above The Rest | TX | 2015 | 58 | 4 |
| Hill Franklin Estates | FL | 2022 | 3 | 4 |
| Long & Foster Vacation Rentals | NJ | 1968 | 2,400 | 3 |
| Nocturne Luxury Villas | FL | 2021 | 1,500 | 3 |
| KEES Vacations | NC | 2008 | 320 | 3 |
| Seacoast 2 Summit | NH | 2018 | 120 | 3 |
| Stakeholders VR | SC | 2023 | 65 | 3 |
| 5 Star STR | NV | 2016 | 31 | 3 |
| Vacation Rental Management Services | UT | 2021 | 18 | 3 |
| StayBettr Vacation Rentals | NY | 2015 | 18 | 3 |
| Mogi Stays | DE | — | 9 | 3 |
| Woodford Properties, Inc | NC | 2018 | 6 | 3 |
| Beech and Sand L.L.C. | FL | 2020 | 4 | 3 |
| DNSMYTHERS Asset Management | VA | 2023 | 4 | 3 |
| VacationHomeRetreats | VA | 2004 | 4 | 3 |
| DCRoadTrips.com | MD | 2023 | 1 | 3 |
| Brittain Resorts | SC | 1943 | 1,000 | 2 |
| Castle Resorts & Hotels | HI | 1993 | 1,000 | 2 |
| Beach Getaways | AL | 2011 | 575 | 2 |
| Arrived | OR | 2003 | 310 | 2 |
| Porter | AZ | 2020 | 260 | 2 |
| Absolute Charm | TX | 2007 | 245 | 2 |
| Ocean City Vacation Homes | MD | — | 200 | 2 |
| Beachside Vacation Rentals | FL | 2022 | 200 | 2 |
| Lake Tahoe Accommodations | CA | 1979 | 125 | 2 |
| Bella Beach Properties | AL | 2012 | 110 | 2 |
| Neat Suites | KY | 2018 | 100 | 2 |
| Heirloom Vacation Rentals | MN | 2016 | 99 | 2 |
| Salty Dog Vacations | FL | 2021 | 90 | 2 |
| SPJ Hosting | AZ | 2005 | 70 | 2 |
| Freedom Vacation Rental | CO | 2018 | 70 | 2 |
| Beach Haus Vacations LLC | MD | 2023 | 65 | 2 |
| Funtierland | CA | 2013 | 55 | 2 |
| Luxury Getaways LLC | WA | 2008 | 53 | 2 |
| BourbonRentals.com | KY | 2018 | 40 | 2 |
| The Sanctuary Co. | TN | 2019 | 32 | 2 |
| Bear Lake Luxury Rentals | ID | 2014 | 31 | 2 |
| PMI Southeast CT | CT | 2021 | 22 | 2 |
| Dream in the Smokies LLC | TN | 2015 | 22 | 2 |
| Stay-A-While / Sam's Estates LLC | IA | 2021 | 20 | 2 |
| CRC Property Management | VA | 1990 | 10 | 2 |
| Vines and Villa Rentals | CA | — | 9 | 2 |
| AM Property Management | AZ | — | 9 | 2 |
| Tybee Seaside Rentals, LLC | FL | 2022 | 9 | 2 |
| STAY Cohosting Partners | MN | — | 4 | 2 |
| America's BnB | CO | 2020 | 4 | 2 |
| Cherokee Property Partners | TN | 2024 | 3 | 2 |
| Oak Street Traders | FL | 2021 | 2 | 2 |
| Rainbow Retreats | CA | 2019 | 2 | 2 |
| HLS Property Group LLC | FL | 2024 | 1 | 2 |
| JLAK | FL | — | 1 | 2 |

## Why this matters for the industry

The gap between how the industry is talked about and how it actually operates is bigger than most people realize. Three implications follow from the 17% multi-state number, a minority share even inside the cohort most likely to report it.

### The consolidation story is overstated

Most industry coverage frames vacation rental management as a space being rolled up by large national platforms. The data shows a long tail of single-state local operators who are not being acquired. A 2,000-unit Vacasa story is loud; hundreds of single-state operators running dozens of homes each are quiet and still exist.

### Software is bought by local operators

If 83% of reporting VRMA members operate in one state, the software they buy is optimized for local operations: one team, one cleaning crew, one owner-relationship playbook. Multi-state enterprise capability ranks far below "does this work for a 40-home portfolio in one market" for most buyers.

### Regional expertise still dominates

The largest independent operators on the multi-state list are regional specialists (SkyRun in mountain markets, Casago in sun markets, CoralTree in resort settings), not cross-country generalists. Going wide rarely wins. Going deep in a region wins, then carefully expanding to adjacent regions.

## Methodology

**Data source.** VRMA (Vacation Rental Management Association) public member directory, compiled April 2026. The directory lists 5,091 vacation rental management (VRM) member companies with self-reported profile fields including HQ city and state, unit count, year founded, property management software (PMS), and states operated in.

**The reporting base.** Every number on this page is computed against the 373 member companies that filled out the "states operated in" directory field. The other 4,718 members left that field blank, so we cannot say with certainty how many states they operate in and we exclude them from the ratio. Among those 373 reporters, 64 (17.16%) list two or more states and 309 (82.84%) list a single state.

**How we counted multi-state operators.** A company is classified as multi-state if it lists two or more comma-separated states in the "states operated in" directory field. All 64 meeting this definition are shown in the table above with the exact state count from their profile. State names written out or abbreviated are both counted as long as the entries are clearly separated.

**Why the reporting cohort is the right denominator.** Multi-state operations are typically something operators highlight as a selling point in their public profile, so companies with broader footprints are if anything overrepresented among reporters. The 17.2% multi-state share therefore is likely an upper-bound on the true industry figure. Inside the cohort most motivated to disclose it, multi-state operations still come in as a minority.

**Not covered.** The analysis does not include subsidiaries that may roll up to a non-VRMA-member parent, nor franchise-style structures where local operators operate under a multi-state brand (Casago is the closest case). VRMA membership is not universal among vacation rental managers, so the 5,091 total is an industry lower-bound, not a total.

## Related reading on the industry landscape

More RapidEye research on vacation rental management industry structure, operations, and technology.

### See RapidEye running on your turnover photos

AI damage detection and cleaning verification for vacation rental managers. Plugs directly into Breezeway, Guesty, and Streamline. 15 minutes to see it on your actual properties.

## Sources

- Vacation Rental Management Association. [VRMA Member Directory](https://www.vrma.org/). Full directory of 5,091 VRM member companies compiled from the public-facing member listings, April 2026.
 https://www.vrma.org/

- RapidEye Inspections. [The Largest Short-Term Rental Management Companies (2026)](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/largest-short-term-rental-management-companies/). Deep-dive analysis of the top 12 operators with M&A history, archetype framework, and Sonder-collapse postmortem. Context for how the consolidation narrative has been reported.
 https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/largest-short-term-rental-management-companies/


The 12 operational KPIs that 100+ unit vacation rental managers actually track. Verified benchmarks for Ops Failure Rate, Inspection Pass Rate, Turnover Time, Damage Recovery Rate, and more.

# Vacation Rental Operational KPIs: The Ops Scorecard for 100+ Unit Portfolios

The 12 operational KPIs a vacation rental manager should track are Inspection Pass Rate, Turnover Time, Damage Detection Rate, Response Time, Ops Failure Rate, Photo Compliance Rate, Cleaner Performance Score, Same-Day Turnover Success Rate, Damage Recovery Rate, Review Rating Trend, Maintenance Ticket Density, and Task Completion Lag. Revenue KPIs like RevPAR and ADR are necessary but insufficient once a portfolio crosses roughly 50 units, because the bottleneck shifts from pricing to execution. This page defines each metric with a formula, a verified benchmark, and the leverage points that move it.

## Three tiers, keyed to portfolio size

### Must track (50+ units)

The floor. Inspection Pass Rate, Turnover Time, Damage Detection Rate, Response Time. Without these four you are flying blind once the operations manager can no longer personally see every turnover.

### Should track (100+ units)

Ops Failure Rate, Photo Compliance Rate, Cleaner Performance Score, Same-Day Turnover Success Rate. These are the metrics a COO or ops director starts putting on a weekly dashboard.

### Elite (200+ units)

Damage Recovery Rate, Review Rating Trend, Maintenance Ticket Density, Task Completion Lag. Leading indicators. The signals that separate portfolios that compound from portfolios that plateau.

### Inspection Pass Rate

The percentage of turnovers that pass quality control on the first inspection, without rework. The cleanest single indicator of cleaning-team reliability.

Cleaner-onboarding target per [our QC scaling framework](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/how-to-scale-vacation-rental-quality-control/): consistent 95%+ earns reduced inspection frequency.

#### Drives it up

- Checklist-based cleaning

- Photo verification per task

- Cleaner onboarding period

#### Drives it down

- Same-day B2B time pressure

- Substitute cleaners

- Checklist drift

### Turnover Time

Median clean-completion time from cleaner start to guest-ready status, by property size. The input to same-day B2B feasibility and cleaning-labor cost.

According to [CleanBnB](https://getcleanbnb.com/blog/how-long-should-it-take-an-airbnb-cleaner-to-clean/) and [Uplisting](https://www.uplisting.io/blog/airbnb-turnover-cleaning); top operators per [ResortCleaning](https://www.resortcleaning.com/blog/strategies-efficient-airbnb-turnover-time-management) hit 90 minutes on smaller units. See our [turnover-time reference](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/how-long-does-vacation-rental-turnover-take/).

#### Drives it up (faster)

- Pre-staged linen & supply caddies

- 2-person parallel teams

- Standardized room order

#### Drives it down

- Laundry bottleneck (60–90 min)

- High-occupancy heavy cleans

- Pet-friendly properties

### Damage Detection Rate

The count of damages caught per 100 turnovers. Distinct from damage *claim* rate: detection is what you find, claim rate is what you file with the platform.

Claim rates from an [Avada Properties analysis of 20,000+ bookings](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/average-guest-damage-cost-vacation-rental/). True damage rate runs higher because minor damages go uncaught or unbilled.

#### Drives it up

- Photo-based baseline comparison

- Pre-check vs post-check photo diff

- AI inspection review at scale

#### Drives it down (misses)

- Rushed cleans on B2B nights

- No baseline photos on file

- Cleaner-driven inspection only

### Response Time

Median time from guest message to first human reply. Directly tied to Superhost eligibility, search ranking, and booking conversion.

According to [Airbnb Help Center](https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/829), Superhost requires a 90% response rate, 4.8 rating, 10+ stays, and <1% cancellation — evaluated quarterly.

#### Drives it up

- 24/7 messaging rotation

- Templated first-touch replies

- AI-assisted inbox triage

#### Drives it down

- Overnight inquiry volume

- Single inbox across channels

- Unstaffed shoulder hours

### Ops Failure Rate

The percentage of turnovers in which any measurable operational failure occurs: late clean, missed supplies, maintenance miss, or guest-reported issue in the first 24 hours. The single most important ops-health metric according to Opago.

According to [Opago](https://www.opago.co/blog/5-kpis-that-short-term-rental-ceos-track---and-the-1-they-almost-always-miss) analysis of their 7,000+ London portfolio.

#### Drives it down

- Pre-arrival checklists

- Photo-verified turnover

- Dedicated QC inspection

#### Drives it up

- Same-day B2B volume

- Peak-season staffing gaps

- New cleaners without onboarding

### Photo Compliance Rate

The percentage of turnovers where all required verification photos were submitted per the checklist. A leading indicator for Inspection Pass Rate and Damage Detection Rate.

According to [Breezeway](https://www.breezeway.io/blog/vacation-rental-cleaning-practices), operators use task-based photo uploads; typical checklists run 20–60 photos per turnover. See our [photos-per-turnover reference](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/how-many-photos-per-vacation-rental-turnover/).

#### Drives it up

- App-gated task completion

- Reference photos per task

- Cleaner incentive tied to compliance

#### Drives it down

- Lengthy checklists (>60 tasks)

- Poor cell service at property

- No enforcement on incomplete

### Cleaner Performance Score

A rolling 30- or 90-day composite of each cleaner's pass rate across inspected turnovers. The data-driven basis for reducing inspection frequency, assigning high-revenue properties, and escalation decisions.

Thresholds from [our QC scaling framework](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/how-to-scale-vacation-rental-quality-control/). 25–30% spot-check rate is the convergence of J-PAL research recommendations and property-management practice.

#### Drives it up

- Structured onboarding

- Same cleaner, same property

- Real-time pass/fail feedback

#### Drives it down

- Frequent cleaner substitution

- Property rotation without SOPs

- Delayed inspection feedback

### Same-Day Turnover Success Rate

The percentage of back-to-back turnovers completed and passing QC within the check-out-to-check-in window. The stress test for the entire ops stack.

See our [back-to-back turnovers framework](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/how-to-manage-back-to-back-vacation-rental-turnovers/). A missed same-day forces guest re-accommodation or a refund, usually both.

#### Drives it up

- Pre-staged linen & supplies

- Zone-based team splits

- 11am checkout / 4pm check-in

#### Drives it down

- Late checkout grants

- Laundry at property (not pre-staged)

- Peak-season cleaner shortage

### Damage Recovery Rate

The percentage of detected damage that is successfully billed to the guest or recovered through AirCover, the Vrbo damage policy, or a damage waiver. Detection without recovery is documentation theater.

According to [Avada Properties analysis of 20,000+ bookings](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/average-guest-damage-cost-vacation-rental/). Recovery rate scales with pre/post baseline photos and filing speed.

#### Drives it up

- Pre-arrival baseline photos

- Same-day claim filing

- Cited item values (replacement cost)

#### Drives it down

- No baseline / no attribution

- Late filing past deadlines

- Wear-and-tear misclassification

### Review Rating Trend

The rolling 90-day average per listing, not the lifetime snapshot. Lifetime rating is a lagging vanity metric; trend is actionable.

A 0.2-star drop correlates with 5–10% fewer listing page views, per [Opago](https://www.opago.co/blog/5-kpis-that-short-term-rental-ceos-track---and-the-1-they-almost-always-miss). Airbnb Superhost floor: 4.8+.

#### Drives it up

- Cleanliness consistency

- Sub-1hr message response

- Proactive pre-check-in outreach

#### Drives it down

- Cleanliness misses

- Unresolved maintenance issues

- Listing-reality mismatch

### Maintenance Ticket Density

Maintenance tickets opened per property per month. Both too-low and too-high are signals: too low means issues are being missed; too high means the property stock is deteriorating or inspection is generating noise.

According to the [Breezeway 2025 State of Work Report](https://www.breezeway.io/2025-state-of-work-report) (350+ hospitality professionals), 73% of operators complete more than 50 tasks per week, and nearly half face last-minute issues daily.

#### Drives it up (more tickets)

- Turnover-linked inspection

- Low cleaner-to-inspector reporting friction

- Older property stock

#### Drives it down (fewer)

- Preventive maintenance schedule

- Newer-build portfolio

- Underreporting (bad)

### Task Completion Lag

Median hours between task assignment and completion, bucketed by urgency. The metric that catches a silent ops organization quietly falling behind.

Per the Breezeway report, 90% of ops professionals describe their work as constant coordination — untracked lag is where coordination breaks down.

#### Drives it up (longer lag)

- Single-assignee bottlenecks

- Tickets without deadlines

- No on-call rotation

#### Drives it down

- Auto-escalation rules

- Urgency-tiered SLAs

- Vendor network pre-approval

## The Ops Failure Rate is the single KPI most short-term rental CEOs miss

Revenue metrics get reported weekly. Ops metrics often don't. According to [Opago](https://www.opago.co/blog/5-kpis-that-short-term-rental-ceos-track---and-the-1-they-almost-always-miss), the STR operator behind more than 7,000 London properties, the single most under-tracked KPI across their network is what they call the Ops Failure Rate: the share of turnovers where any measurable failure occurs.

The reason it is rarely tracked is that it requires a failure taxonomy. Most portfolios know *that* turnovers fail. Few have a shared vocabulary for *how*. The fix is a one-page failure-category list (late, missed supplies, missed maintenance, damage missed, guest-reported issue in first 24 hours) applied consistently to every turnover for 30 days. Once you have the baseline, every Tier 1 and Tier 2 KPI on this page becomes a lever that moves it.

## What to actually put on your scorecard

The right dashboard depends on portfolio size. Below 50 units, the operations manager is the dashboard and the metrics are latent in their head. Above 50, that stops scaling. Start with the Tier 1 four; earn the rest.

### Weekly ops standup

Operations manager reviews four numbers every Monday. Cleaners with a score drop below 85 get flagged. Any Ops Failure Rate spike gets a root-cause note.

- Inspection Pass Rate

- Turnover Time (by size)

- Damage Detection Rate

- Response Time

### Ops director dashboard

Eight metrics on a weekly dashboard. Cleaner performance scorecards go monthly. Ops Failure Rate becomes the north-star ops metric reviewed weekly with the GM.

- All Tier 1 metrics

- Ops Failure Rate

- Photo Compliance Rate

- Cleaner Performance Score

- Same-Day Turnover Success Rate

### Executive scorecard

Twelve metrics with tier-level ownership. CEO sees Ops Failure Rate and Review Rating Trend weekly. COO owns the full twelve. Damage Recovery Rate reviewed monthly with finance.

- All Tier 1 & Tier 2 metrics

- Damage Recovery Rate

- Review Rating Trend (90d)

- Maintenance Ticket Density

- Task Completion Lag by urgency

## Frequently asked questions

### What operational KPIs should a vacation rental manager track?

The core ops KPIs are Inspection Pass Rate, Turnover Time, Damage Detection Rate, Response Time, Ops Failure Rate, Photo Compliance Rate, Cleaner Performance Score, Same-Day Turnover Success Rate, Damage Recovery Rate, Review Rating Trend, Maintenance Ticket Density, and Task Completion Lag. Revenue KPIs like RevPAR and ADR are necessary but insufficient once a portfolio passes roughly 50 units.

### What is Ops Failure Rate for short-term rentals?

Ops Failure Rate is the percentage of turnovers where a measurable failure occurs, including late cleans, missed maintenance, supplies missing, or guest-facing issues reported in the first 24 hours. According to [Opago](https://www.opago.co/blog/5-kpis-that-short-term-rental-ceos-track---and-the-1-they-almost-always-miss), a short-term rental operator managing over 7,000 London properties, the industry average is roughly 12.5 percent (1 in 8 turnovers), the target for professionally managed portfolios is below 5 percent, and best-in-class operators consistently hit 2 to 3 percent.

### What is a good Inspection Pass Rate for a vacation rental portfolio?

A portfolio in good operational health runs an Inspection Pass Rate of 90 percent or higher on the first inspection. Elite operators run above 95 percent. When the rate drops below 85 percent, either the cleaning process or the inspection process is misconfigured, and the fix is usually upstream in cleaner onboarding rather than downstream in more inspections.

### How is Damage Recovery Rate different from Damage Detection Rate?

Detection Rate measures how much damage you catch per 100 turnovers. Recovery Rate measures the percentage of caught damage you successfully bill to the responsible guest or claim through AirCover or Vrbo. According to an Avada Properties analysis of 20,000+ bookings, Airbnb damage claims are approved at 56.75 percent and Vrbo at 68.29 percent. A portfolio can have a strong detection rate but a weak recovery rate if documentation is thin or filed outside platform deadlines.

### Why are operational KPIs different from revenue KPIs like RevPAR and ADR?

Revenue KPIs measure pricing and demand. Operational KPIs measure execution. A portfolio with strong revenue metrics can still bleed margin and guest trust through failed turnovers. A 0.2-star rating drop from operational failures correlates with a 5 to 10 percent reduction in listing page views, which directly collapses RevPAR. The two sets of metrics are complementary.

## Inspection Pass Rate, Damage Detection Rate, and Photo Compliance Rate are things RapidEye produces as a byproduct

Our AI reviews every turnover photo against the baseline and flags the damages cleaners miss. Three of the twelve metrics on this page get computed automatically. See the [real detections showcase](https://rapideyeinspections.com/showcase) for what the AI catches that inspectors don't.

## Related operations references

## Sources

- [Opago, "5 KPIs That Short Term Rental CEOs Track — And the 1 They Almost Always Miss" (April 2026)](https://www.opago.co/blog/5-kpis-that-short-term-rental-ceos-track---and-the-1-they-almost-always-miss)
https://www.opago.co/blog/5-kpis-that-short-term-rental-ceos-track---and-the-1-they-almost-always-miss

- [Breezeway, "2025 State of Work Report" (350+ hospitality professionals surveyed)](https://www.breezeway.io/2025-state-of-work-report)
https://www.breezeway.io/2025-state-of-work-report

- [Breezeway, "Vacation Rental Cleaning Practices" (task-based photo approach)](https://www.breezeway.io/blog/vacation-rental-cleaning-practices)
https://www.breezeway.io/blog/vacation-rental-cleaning-practices

- [Airbnb, "How to Qualify for Superhost Status" (Help Center article 829)](https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/829)
https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/829

- [CleanBnB, "How Long Should It Take an Airbnb Cleaner to Clean?"](https://getcleanbnb.com/blog/how-long-should-it-take-an-airbnb-cleaner-to-clean/)
https://getcleanbnb.com/blog/how-long-should-it-take-an-airbnb-cleaner-to-clean/

- [Uplisting, "Airbnb Turnover Cleaning Guide"](https://www.uplisting.io/blog/airbnb-turnover-cleaning)
https://www.uplisting.io/blog/airbnb-turnover-cleaning

- [ResortCleaning, "Strategies for Efficient Airbnb Turnover Time Management"](https://www.resortcleaning.com/blog/strategies-efficient-airbnb-turnover-time-management)
https://www.resortcleaning.com/blog/strategies-efficient-airbnb-turnover-time-management

- Avada Properties, damage-claim rate analysis of 20,000+ bookings (as cited in our [guest damage frequency reference](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/average-guest-damage-cost-vacation-rental/)).


Vacation Rental Party Statistics (2026): Frequency, Damage Costs, and Prevention

Airbnb and vacation rental party statistics: how often parties happen, average damage costs, Airbnb's anti-party technology results, and prevention tool adoption rates.

Industry Data
Vacation Rental Party Statistics (2026)
How often unauthorized parties happen, what they cost property owners, and how Airbnb's anti-party technology has changed the landscape.
6 sources verified
Primary data only
Updated May 2026
53.1%
of hosts experienced an unauthorized party in 2 years
Lodgify, 170+ hosts
$1,560
average damage per party incident
860K+
guests blocked by Airbnb anti-party screening in one year
Airbnb Newsroom, 2024
Party Frequency
of hosts experienced at least one unauthorized party in the previous two years.
According to
Lodgify
, survey of 170+ hosts managing 2,242 properties.
In 2024, fewer than
0.035%
of stays worldwide led to a party allegation on Airbnb.
Airbnb Newsroom
, 2024.
In 2022,
0.039%
of global Airbnb reservations resulted in an allegation of a party.
, June 2022.
In the US specifically, fewer than
0.06%
of reservations resulted in a party report in 2024.
Party Damage Costs
Unauthorized parties cause an average of
$1,560 in damages
per incident. Combined damages from surveyed hosts exceeded
$270,000
.
, 170+ hosts.
Some hosts reported
$5,000 to $25,000+
in party-related damages, not including legal fees and lost revenue.
, same survey.
Airbnb Anti-Party Technology
55% global drop
in parties reported on Airbnb between August 2020 and August 2022.
CNBC
, September 2023.
Over
860,000 guests
worldwide were blocked or redirected from booking in the first year of reservation screening (May 2023 to May 2024).
In 2021, over
6,600 guests
were suspended from Airbnb for attempting to violate the party ban.
, 2022.
Prevention Tool Adoption
Only
42%
of hosts use any party prevention tools. Of those,
84%
use security cameras and only
14%
use noise detectors.
31.6%
of hosts surveyed had no short-term rental insurance at all.
Before COVID, house parties occurred in about
1 in every 200 reservations
. Since the pandemic, there has been almost a
47% increase
in noise events across North America.
NoiseAware
, via Rental Scale-Up, 2021.
Sources
Lodgify.
Unauthorized Parties Survey. 170+ hosts, 2,242 properties. 2023.
https://www.lodgify.com/blog/unauthorized-parties-survey/
Airbnb Newsroom.
Cracking Down on Summer Holiday Parties. 2024.
https://news.airbnb.com/cracking-down-on-summer-holiday-parties-with-anti-party-technology/
Official Codification of Party Ban. June 2022.
https://news.airbnb.com/official-codification-of-party-ban/
CNBC.
Airbnb Party Preventer Reduced Parties 55% in Two Years. September 2023.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/19/airbnb-party-preventer-naba-banerjee-reduced-parties-55percent-in-two-years.html
Airbnb Cracks Down on Holiday Weekend Parties. 2024.
https://news.airbnb.com/airbnb-cracks-down-on-holiday-weekend-parties-with-anti-party-technology/
NoiseAware / Rental Scale-Up.
Noise Monitoring for Rentals. 2021.
https://www.rentalscaleup.com/noiseaware-noise-monitoring-rentals/
Related Statistics
Airbnb Damage Claim Statistics (2026)
Short-Term Rental Insurance Statistics (2026)
Airbnb Security Deposit Statistics (2026)
Vacation Rental Staffing Statistics (2026)


The Vacation Rental PMS Market Just Flipped: 40 Years of Software Choice in One Chart

We analyzed the property management software choice of every VRMA member company by founding year. Streamline and Escapia owned the market for 30 years. In the 2020s cohort, Hostaway and Guesty displaced them in five years.

# The median founding year of each PMS's VRMA members, from Barefoot (2004) to Hospitable (2022).

## The same finding, in percentages by founding decade

Below, the fossil-record story expressed as share-of-PMS-choice inside each decade's cohort. Streamline and Escapia held combined 47%+ share from the 1990s through the 2010s. In the 2020s, Hostaway and Guesty combined for 40%.

#### Legacy PMS (on-prem origins, 1990s–2000s)

#### Cloud-native PMS (post-2015)

Each bar is the PMS share among VRMA member companies founded in that decade who list a named PMS in their public directory profile. "Other / Proprietary" responses excluded from the percentages shown. Research: RapidEye Inspections.

## From the 1990s through the 2010s, **Streamline and Escapia together never held less than 47% of named PMS share** among VRMA members founded that decade. In the 2020s cohort, their combined share fell to 18.5%.

Over the same period, Hostaway went from 4% to 21% and Guesty went from 8% to 19%. A combined 40% of VRMA members founded in the 2020s run Hostaway or Guesty. Zero VRMA members founded in the 1990s run either, because neither existed yet.

Operators pick whatever is the default when they enter the business and they rarely switch. Market share at any moment is a rolling average of every cohort's original choice, weighted by how many companies from that cohort are still in business.

## Who serves what size? The PMS ladder.

Median unit count per customer, by PMS. Legacy PMSes dominate the enterprise tier. Cloud-native tools cluster at the small-and-growing end. There is a 50-fold gap between the top and bottom of the ladder.

Track, the enterprise PMS, sits at 161 median units. Hospitable, the solo-host tool, sits at 3. These are different software categories serving fundamentally different buyers, all showing up in the same "property management software" bucket in industry coverage.

## The forgotten third: 162 operators still running Escapia

Vrbo consolidated HomeAway's vacation rental software products in 2020, and active development on the HomeAway-era Escapia and V12.NET wound down. Despite that, 162 VRMA members (the third-largest PMS user base in the directory) still list Escapia / HomeAway as their PMS. Together they report 14,391 units.

### The third-largest PMS user base in VRMA runs a platform whose active development ended years ago.

Industry coverage focuses on the high-growth cloud PMSes. Meanwhile the largest pocket of stuck-in-place operators is hiding in plain sight.

## Methodology

**Data source.** VRMA (Vacation Rental Management Association) public member directory, compiled April 2026. 5,091 vacation rental management companies with self-reported PMS and founding-year fields.

**Field coverage.** 30% of companies report a PMS, 49% report a founding year. Decade bars reflect only companies that reported both fields. Sample sizes per decade: Pre-1990 n=67, 1990s n=60, 2000s n=191, 2010s n=248 (excluding 2017 artifact below), 2020s n=168. Total N = 734.

**PMS normalization.** Raw PMS values contained misspellings, capitalization variants, and multi-vendor responses. "Track," "Track PM," "Track Pulse," and "TrackPMS" are counted as Track. "Ownerrez," "Owner Rez," and "OwnerRez" are all OwnerRez. "Streamline VRS" is Streamline. "HomeAway Software products," "V12.NET," and "Escapia" are grouped as Escapia / HomeAway because HomeAway consolidated them. Responses containing commas (indicating multiple PMSes) or "Other (please specify)" were excluded from the decade bars.

**The 2017 spike.** 385 VRMA members list 2017 as their founding year (15.6% of all dated records) while neighboring years hover at 28 to 142. This is almost certainly a form-default artifact from a VRMA onboarding change rather than an actual founding wave. We excluded 2017 from the 2010s bar to avoid skewing the decade comparison. Including it does not change the 2020s story.

**What this chart does not measure.** Total PMS market share across the entire vacation rental industry (VRMA members are a subset), unit-weighted share (a large Track customer counts once just like a small Hospitable customer), or switching behavior (we see each company's current PMS, not their history). The "fossil record" framing assumes low switching, which matches the operator pattern of picking a PMS early and sticking with it, but is not directly measured here.

## Related reading

### See RapidEye running on your turnover photos

AI damage detection and cleaning verification for vacation rental managers. Plugs into Breezeway, Guesty, and Streamline. 15 minutes to see it on your actual properties.

## Sources

- Vacation Rental Management Association. [VRMA Member Directory](https://www.vrma.org/). Full directory of 5,091 VRM member companies compiled from the public-facing member listings, April 2026. Self-reported PMS and founding-year fields are the basis for all analysis on this page.
 https://www.vrma.org/

- RapidEye Inspections. [Only 17% of Vacation Rental Management Companies Operate in More Than One State](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/vacation-rental-management-single-state-analysis/). Companion analysis of the same VRMA dataset focused on geographic footprint.
 https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/vacation-rental-management-single-state-analysis/

- RapidEye Inspections. [The Largest Short-Term Rental Management Companies (2026)](https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/largest-short-term-rental-management-companies/). Industry context on the top operators and the M&A timeline that reshaped the vacation rental management category between 2020 and 2026.
 https://rapideyeinspections.com/blog/largest-short-term-rental-management-companies/