Checkmate Rentals Review: Is It Worth It for Hosts?

A vacation rental manager should not only help optimize the performance of your home but also offer competitive fees to boost your profits. Checkmate Rentals is one of the most affordable full-service short-term rental management companies in the US market, but is it worth it for investors and owners?

This Checkmate Rentals review evaluates the services that the company covers, the processes that it applies, the terms and conditions that it imposes on hosts, and the fees that it charges. The article also looks at what owners and guests say about Checkmate Rentals to highlight its main pros and cons. Finally, we close with three top competitors that offer diverse management models for owners with various preferences.

How about a new vacation home management model that provides the benefits of full-service management but keeps you in charge of your home? Check out Fairly. Book a meeting to find out how localized care enhanced with cutting-edge technology and owner control boosts long-term performance.

What Is Checkmate Rentals?

Checkmate Rentals is an end-to-end vacation rental management company that works with different types of properties nationwide. They manage any property from small condos to luxury mansions. The company aims to position itself as an affordable solution for Airbnb investors. One of the most important advantages of working with Checkmate Rentals is that you own your Airbnb, Vrbo, and other listings, so you retain your reviews once you leave. This means that the company works more like a co-host than a traditional property manager.

Chad Phillis founded Checkmate Rentals in 2020, with headquarters in Pittsburg, PA. By 2026, the company has hosted over 10,000 guest stays and had reached Superhost status in more than 25 US states. The vacation rental manager has access to over 12 million guests.

Checkmate Rentals Property Management Services

As a full-service short-term rental management provider, Checkmate Rentals delivers the following services to owners and their properties:

• Property listing on Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google Vacation Rentals, Agoda, and other booking channels. Unlike the majority of Airbnb management companies, Checkmate Rentals lists properties under the owner’s name, so hosts keep all reviews in case they cancel agreements. This is a main distinctive feature of the Airbnb co-hosting model that the company applies.
• Direct bookings through an individual vacation rental website
• Tech-driven dynamic pricing for optimized revenue management by a pricing manager
• Digital marketing featuring photography, listing optimization, and email
• 24/7 guest communication with average response time of 10 minutes
• Guest screening based on specific criteria
• Automated checkpoints setup and management from booking to check-out
• Smart home management including digital locks and noise monitoring for 24/7 property oversight
• Property inspections after every stay to have homes guest-ready
• Accidental guest damage coverage of up to $3,000 per stay
• Housekeeping services including cleaning, restocking, and inventory management
• Maintenance coordination implemented by local vendors
• Host communication via a dedicated phone line
• Real-time performance reporting through an online owner portal
• Direct payment collection by hosts: Owners can collect payments from booking platforms directly for financial transparency. Checkmate Rentals’ fees are paid separately.

In addition to managing short-term rentals end-to-end, Checkmate Rentals also has the capacity to help owners turn their homes into guest-ready rentals. Related services include:

• Property assessment
• Airbnb interior design
• Furnishing
• Staging
• Smart home integrations
• Obtaining necessary short-term rental permits or licenses

All these services allow vacation rental owners to make passive income from their investments, making Checkmate Rentals a good fit for hosts who’d like to hand over responsibilities to a professional manager while continuously keeping track of performance.

Checkmate Rentals Airbnb Management Costs & Fees

In exchange for the services that it provides, Checkmate Rentals charges a single monthly fee starting at 15% of nightly rental revenue. This rate is below the standard range for full-service Airbnb management fees in the US market of 20-45%. This positions Checkmate Rentals as an affordable management solution for owners with relatively straightforward vacation rental  operations.

Still, since this is just the starting rate, it is not clear how much exactly you’ll need to pay before you talk to the Checkmate Rentals team and get a custom quote based on your market and home. It’s important to note that the company doesn’t charge an onboarding fee, and there are no cancellation fees once you decide to leave.

Checkmate Rentals Terms & Conditions

Checkmate Rentals doesn’t work with long-term Airbnb management contracts. The company offers flexible agreements so that owners can stay for as long as they’re happy with the received services and can leave as soon as their satisfaction drops. You don’t have to pay a cancellation fee once you decide to stop using Checkmate Rentals’ short-term rental management services.

With Checkmate Rentals as your home’s manager, you can block your property for personal use as often as you’d like. There are no restrictions in this regard.

Checkmate Rentals Management Process

Having your property managed by Checkmate Rentals starts with a quick onboarding process that aims to get homes listed and booked as soon as possible. If your home is guest-ready and has professional-quality photos, your listing can be up and running in three days. Otherwise, getting started might take up to a week. Based on the co-hosting model offered by the company, your property gets listed under your name, so you keep the profile and the reviews even after you stop working with Checkmate Rentals.

Once your listing’s live, Checkmate Rentals takes over the full management of your home - from dynamic pricing strategy and listing optimization to guest communication and housekeeping coordination. This approach allows owners to generate passive income while outsourcing day-to-day responsibilities. The trade-off is that strategic decisions affecting pricing, listing optimization, and operational priorities remain largely in the hands of the management team although owners can monitor performance through the online portal.

Checkmate Rentals Reviews by Hosts & Guests

Though Checkmate Rentals has been in business for about six years, there are no online reviews of the company by owners or guests. This takes away the opportunity to see what owners and guests think about the services provided by the Airbnb manager and whether they fulfill the promises made on their website.

Moreover, since Airbnb and Vrbo listings are made under the name of individual hosts, it’s not possible to confirm the average rating of Checkmate Rentals-managed listings on these platforms and to identify what guests share about their experiences.

One thing you should keep in mind when deciding whether to hire Checkmate Rentals or look for an alternative is that national property managers who work through local teams - like this one - tend to provide services of varying quality in different markets. This happens because service standards and operational practices may vary from one local market to another.

Is Checkmate Rentals Worth It for Airbnb Investors?

Based on our review of Checkmate Rentals vacation rental management services and processes, it can be a good match for beginner hosts, serial investors, and remote second home owners who’d like to make money from their property without being personally involved in decisions and operations. The company offers industry-low fees, which makes it an affordable option for the owners of standard rental properties who don’t mind having someone else in charge of their property while they oversee performance passively.

At the same time, Checkmate Rentals is not the right choice for owners who’d like to remain involved in strategic decisions affecting their vacation home without having to perform day-to-day tasks. These hosts need to search for an alternative solution.

Checkmate Rentals Pros & Cons

When deciding if Checkmate Rentals is worth it for your STR business, it’s a good idea to look at the summary of the main advantages and disadvantages that come with working with the company.

Checkmate Rentals Pros

The most important benefits of having Checkmate Rentals as your Airbnb co-host are:

• Co-hosting model that means that you keep your listings and your reviews
• Comprehensive services that allow passive investments
• Professional assistance in getting your home guest-ready, if needed
• Nationwide market coverage
• Suitability for different types of short-term rentals (standard and luxury)
• No annual contracts
• Monthly fees below the industry average

Checkmate Rentals Cons

Meanwhile, the key drawbacks that you need to keep in mind include:

• No access to a Checkmate Rentals’ Superhost account
• Unclear fee until you contact the sales team
• Pricing decisions implemented entirely by the property manager (not the owner)
• Possible service discrepancies between markets
• Cleaning and maintenance works implemented by rotating local vendors
• No direct involvement in strategic decisions despite the co-hosting model
• Lack of publicly available reviews to independently verify service quality

Top 3 Checkmate Rentals Alternatives & Competitors

Considering the balance between pros and cons, Checkmate Rentals can work for owners in certain markets who’d like to co-host without actually having to be engaged in the management of their properties in any way. Meanwhile, hosts who’d like some involvement might need to look into other options.

Here are the top three alternatives to Checkmate Rentals for investors with different needs:

Checkmate Rentals vs Fairly

Fairly: Best for owner control without day-to-day operational tasks

Fairly has designed an alternative vacation home management model that works differently from what Checkmate Rentals and other full-service provide. Namely, Fairly combines hyperlocal care with the latest STR technology and owner control to offer exceptional services to hosts, guests, and homes.

Fairly’s philosophy of property management is built on the idea that dedicated local teams ensure outstanding guest experiences, which bring more positive reviews on booking channels. In turn, higher listing ratings result in stronger occupancy rates at higher daily prices, so owners make more revenue in the long term. This can be illustrated simply:

Dedicated localized care → Exceptional guest experiences → Higher ratings on vacation rental platforms → Stronger long-term performance

To put this idea into practice, Fairly offers the following features to homeowners:

• Vacation rental management platform that helps you optimize and facilitate crucial aspects of managing a short-term rental like dynamic pricing, listing, distribution, marketing, communications, and operations coordination. Unlike vacation rental management companies, Fairly doesn’t just let you choose your minimal and maximum daily rates but gives you full control over nightly prices to align them with your strategy and preferences while benefiting from recommendations provided by AI.
• Local caretaker marketplace so that you can choose the right local professional to manage the daily work associated with vacation rental ownership. Instead of having rotating contractors clean and maintain your home, you get to build a long-term partnership with the local caretaker who becomes familiar with your preferences, your property’s needs, and your guests’ expectations to deliver excellent services to all.
• Vacation Rental Experts who help you optimize pricing, listing, or anything else and select the best-fit caretaker, when needed. However, Fairly Vacation Rental Experts are not account managers who simply report on your home’s performance. Rather, they provide strategic guidance to help your property reach its full potential while you remain in control of the final decisions.
• 24/7 back-up support from the Fairly team in case your caretaker is temporarily unavailable to handle guest communications. The team will respond to guest questions on their own or in consultation with you to make sure your guests are always served on time, which is a key aspect of guest support in the hospitality industry.

The average rating of Fairly-managed listings on Airbnb  of 4.89 serves as one indication of the high-quality guest experiences that the company provides. Positive reviews of Fairly by guests highlight the wonderful places that are beautifully decorated, well-maintained, and properly cleaned, the top locations, the friendly teams, and the fast responses to questions. Owners also praise the easy transitions from other management models, the proactive caretakers, the high level of professionalism, and the company’s focus on getting things done.

In terms of pricing, unlike Checkmate Rentals, Fairly charges a uniform Airbnb management commission in all markets and for all homes, equivalent to 20% of nightly revenue. There are no onboarding or cancellation fees and no hidden costs. Local caretakers are paid 5% of nightly rates (taken from Fairly’s share) plus the full amount of cleaning fees, which they set together with owners. This structure inspires them to provide the best possible services to homes as their future income depends directly on your property’s performance.

Additionally, Fairly promises a minimum boost of $5,000 in annual revenue when transferring from another management model, whether self-management or half/full-service management. With Fairly, your participation in the care for your home counts as material. This means that you qualify for the short-term rental tax loophole, which allows you to offset W-2 income.

In conclusion, Fairly is a great fit for owners who’d like to participate in the decisions that lead to optimizing the performance of their vacation home without having to do the legwork. The unique model deployed by the company leads to the alignment of the interests of owners, guests, and homes where all parties receive the care they deserve.

Checkmate Rentals vs Evolve

Evolve: Best for half-service vacation rental management

Evolve provides an alternative to Checkmate Rentals specialized in half-service short-term rental management for owners who already have a local team or who do the operational work themselves. The company focuses on the automation of continuous tasks like dynamic pricing, listing optimization, marketing, guest communication, and coordination. Note that with Evolve, you can set a minimum and maximum nightly rates, but you can’t further intervene in the pricing strategy.

Regarding on-the-ground operations, investors can take care of the work themselves, build a team of local professionals on their own, or work with contractors from Evolve’s network. If you choose to hire vendors from the list recommended by the property manager, it’s your responsibility to agree on the terms and rates directly and to manage payments.

Contrary to Checkmate Rentals, Evolve has thousands of online reviews by hosts and guests on websites such as Manager Review and Trustpilot. Good reviews discuss the efficient onboarding, the strong marketing strategy, the user-friendly software platform, the truthful listing information, and the attentive customer service. Meanwhile, complaints report issues with dynamic pricing that lead to low income, bad reservation management, dismissal of customer requests, last-minute cancellations, and lack of refunds.

Evolve fees start at 10% of gross rental revenue and exceed 15%, depending on the depth of services. The company charges a one-time onboarding fee of $250, and additional fees include legal guidance and taxation assistance where these services are offered.

In sum, Evolve is worth it for investors who already have a solid local team in place and need support in automation. It does not work well for those who want to remain involved in strategic decisions without taking on day-to-day operational responsibilities.

Checkmate Rentals vs Casago

Casago: Best for franchise-based full-service management

Casago offers a Checkmate Rentals alternative for end-to-end management across the US market that works in a different way - through a network of local franchises. For comparison, Casago is significantly more established (operating since 1996) and larger (with 37,000 properties in its portfolio) than Checkmate Rentals. While the longer history in the vacation rental management industry is a positive indicator, the larger scale of operations and the franchise model mean that owners might experience significant differences in the level and quality of services across locations.

With regard to services, Casago offers similar scope like Checkmate Rentals including but not limited to dynamic pricing, listing optimization, marketing, guest support, housekeeping, and owner reporting. Interior design and furnishing are available in certain markets where the local team has the required capabilities.

Although Casago is one of the oldest professional STR managers in the US market, there are only a few hundred reviews of the company on third-party websites, including some on Manager Review and Google Reviews. Positive feedback confirms the reliable enforcement of house rules, the helpful recommendations for performance improvement, the well-stocked and well-cleaned homes, and the prompt solutions to rising issues. At the same time, bad reviews mention ineffective local management practices, dirty properties, presence of mold, unexpected charges, and irresponsive customer support teams.

Casago doesn’t disclose its fees publicly, unlike Checkmate Rentals, but according to third-party sources, they are in the range of 20% to 30% and more. Owners also have to pay a one-time onboarding fee.

All in all, Casago can fit the needs of vacation rental investors looking for comprehensive solutions that don't require their participation in any way. Still, it’s a good idea to search for hosts in your market who have worked with Casago to ask about their experiences as considerable regional differences are present. Meanwhile, the company is not the best option for owners who’d like more flexibility and the opportunity to be involved in strategic decisions.

How to Get Started with Checkmate Rentals

To get started with Checkmate Rentals, you can submit an online form or book a meeting with the team via the company website.

Conclusion

Checkmate Rentals services and fees make it a potentially good option for investors looking for a hybrid between co-hosting and full-service management. While listings get created under your name, you don’t have to do anything to make money from your short-term rental property. However, the lack of Checkmate Rentals reviews on third-party platforms makes it difficult to evaluate the quality of services that the company delivers in reality. Also, this is not the best fit for owners who’d like to participate in the decisions affecting the performance of their vacation home.

How about a new approach to vacation home management that gives you full control without any of the legwork? Fairly brings together dedicated local care with tech support and owner oversight to deliver unforgettable experiences. Get started on your own or schedule a consultation to learn more.

FAQs

Can Checkmate Rentals Help Convert Homes Into Vacation Rentals?

Checkmate Rentals can help you turn your second home into a short-term rental. Related services include property assessment, interior design, furnishing, staging, smart home technology integrations, licensing and permitting, listing, and so on. Once your property is ready to welcome guests, the team proceeds with pricing, optimization, and operational services.

On Which Platforms Does Checkmate Rentals List Properties?

Checkmate Rentals lists properties on a number of leading vacation rental platforms including Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google Vacation Rentals, and Agoda. The company also creates a short-term rental website for each property to drive direct bookings where you don’t have to pay booking channel fees.

Do Owners Own Their Listings When Managed by Checkmate Rentals?

Hosts own the listings of their property on Airbnb, Vrbo, and other booking channels when working with Checkmate Rentals. The company uses this co-hosting model to allow owners to keep their listings with all their reputation and ratings even after the end of the property management agreement.

Can Property Owners Collect Rental Payments Directly from Guests With Checkmate Rentals?

With Checkmate Rentals, homeowners can choose to collect guest payments directly from booking platforms and pay property management commissions separately. This boosts transparency and allows investors to keep track of exactly how much money they make. However, they have to handle payments to Checkmate Rentals.

What Security Measures Does Checkmate Rentals Implement for Managed Properties?

Checkmate Rentals has developed a multi-step approach to security to ensure the safety of homes, owners, guests, and neighbors. They practice standard guest identity verification. Additionally, the local team manages keyless locks, security cameras, and noise monitoring devices to ensure safety and compliance with regulations while following all privacy requirements. Checkmate Rentals also conducts regular property inspections to check for necessary fixes before they turn into major repair works.