How do you find a co-host on Airbnb?

There are two ways: invite someone you already trust, or hire a stranger Airbnb has vetted. The first is an email address and an invite. The second runs through the Co-Host Network — Airbnb's own marketplace of experienced hosts who manage other people's listings for a fee, usually a share of the booking revenue. In September 2026 we walked the network's application from the co-host's side and the invite flow on a live listing, so this is written from both doors. Here is what the vetting covers, what it doesn't, and what to settle before you send the invite.

The bar every network co-host has cleared

Airbnb doesn't let just anyone offer co-hosting through the network. The eligibility screen we saw requires, over the past 12 months: an active listing of their own, ten or more hosted stays (or three stays totaling 100+ nights), an overall rating of 4.8 or above, a cancellation rate under 3%, and a verified government ID. That is a real bar. A candidate who clears it has recently and successfully run their own place — kept guests happy, kept commitments, proven who they are.

Supply is thinner than the pitch

From the co-host's side, the application is one short form: your market, a phone number, a legal warranty that your answers are true, and acceptance of the network's additional terms. Then — "stay tuned for an email about any next steps." There is no instant approval; onboarding arrives by email, can take weeks, and in some markets amounts to a waitlist.

For you as the hiring host, that is mostly good news: the list you browse is curated, not gig-economy deep. But it also means the network may show few candidates in your market, or none. If a co-host is part of your plan for a busy season, start looking with lead time. This is not a channel where you hand off a listing by Saturday.

What the vetting doesn't cover

The bar measures how a candidate ran their own listing. It says nothing about how they will run yours. Three questions worth asking in the first message: how fast they typically answer guests, including overnight; how many listings they already co-host; and who covers when they travel. Also pin down which parts of the job they actually do. Some co-hosts handle everything — cleaners, restocking, pricing, the occasional broken lock. Others do messaging only. Hire for the gap you actually have, not the longest service list.

What it costs

Network co-hosts set their own rates. Most price as a percentage of booking revenue, and shares around 20% are a common anchor, moving with scope. Do that math on your own numbers: a listing grossing $4,000 a month pays around $800, every month, in season and out. For full management — someone who meets the plumber and runs the turnovers — that can be fair. If what is drowning you is mainly the message stream, you are paying full-management rates for a messaging problem.

After you choose, the mechanics are the same

The agreement itself — scope, share, start date — happens in conversation; Airbnb's part is the same co-host invite you would send a friend. The access level is chosen when the invite is created, the invite expires in 14 days, and acceptance requires the co-host's identity to be verified — the step that stalls people, so have them verify before they click accept. And agree the day-one rule for the shared inbox: once anyone opens a guest thread in the app, Airbnb may skip the email alert for everyone else, so every thread needs one owner.

Price the job before you price the person

Before committing a fifth of your revenue, it is worth measuring how much of the job is answerable on the spot. Paste your listing into the demo at /try and ask it the last three questions your guests actually sent. What it answers instantly is coverage you can have for a flat monthly price; what remains — the judgment calls, the in-person work — is what a human co-host is really for. Knowing where that line sits for your listing makes you a sharper buyer in the network, whichever way you decide.