Owner GuideAirbnb's 15.5% Host Fee: What It Means for Your Holiday Home Income in South Africa

Airbnb now charges hosts a single service fee of 15.5% of the booking subtotal, and guests no longer pay a separate Airbnb fee. The fee also applies to your cleaning fee. The last hosts outside Europe were moved onto this model on 15 September 2026, so if your payouts look smaller this spring, this is why.

What exactly changed?

Under the old split-fee model, hosts paid about 3% and guests paid a service fee of roughly 12% to 14% on top of the price. Now the host pays the full 15.5% and the guest sees one all-in price.

Airbnb rolled this out in stages: hosts using property management software from October 2025, most other hosts from 1 December 2025, and the final group outside Europe on 15 September 2026.

How much less will I earn per booking?

Take a 3-night stay at R2,500 a night plus a R600 cleaning fee: a R8,100 booking subtotal. South African hosts also pay 15% VAT on Airbnb's fee.

• Old split fee: R8,100 booking, R279 Airbnb fee incl VAT, R7,821 payout
• New fee, same price: R8,100 booking, R1,444 Airbnb fee incl VAT, R6,656 payout
• New fee, repriced: R9,517 booking, R1,696 Airbnb fee incl VAT, R7,821 payout

Payouts are before management fees and running costs. Leave your price unchanged and the payout drops by about R1,164, or 15%. To earn the same as before, the whole booking needs to be priced about 17.5% higher: roughly R2,940 a night and a R705 cleaning fee. The guest's total ends up close to what they paid before, once the old guest fee is counted.

Should I just raise my prices by 17.5%?

Not across the board. Guests on the Garden Route now compare one all-in price, and the number of listings around George grew by more than 20% in a year. A blanket increase can cost you bookings in quieter weeks.

Three things matter more:

• Price per channel. Airbnb, Booking.com and Lekkeslaap charge differently, so the same nightly rate pays out differently on each. Set rates per platform.
• Watch the cleaning fee on short stays. The average stay in George is 2.7 nights. On Airbnb the cleaning fee now sits inside the price guests see, so a high cleaning fee makes a 2-night stay look expensive next to the listing down the road.
• Reprice by season, not once. In peak season demand carries the full increase. In quiet midweeks, a smaller increase that keeps the calendar full can earn you more.

How Peak Management prices for your net income

We price every Peak-managed home on what you take home, not the headline nightly rate:

• Rates are set per channel, with each platform's fees built in
• Calendars are reviewed every week, because most Wilderness bookings are made less than 3 weeks before arrival
• Peak season rates are set months ahead, when festive and long-weekend guests book

Frequently asked questions

What is Airbnb's host-only fee?
A single 15.5% service fee charged to the host on the booking subtotal. Guests no longer pay a separate Airbnb service fee.

Does the fee apply to the cleaning fee?
Yes. It is charged on the full subtotal, including cleaning and pet fees.

Do South African hosts pay VAT on the fee?
Yes, 15% VAT is added to Airbnb's service fee. Check the fee line on your payout statement.

How much should I raise my prices?
About 17.5% keeps the same payout if you were on the old split fee. Whether the market will carry that depends on the season and your competition.

Figures are illustrative. Last updated October 2026.

Sources: Rove, Smoobu, VisitGeorge Destination Insights Report (July 2026)