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Choosing a manager

How to choose a property management company in Phuket

Everyone in this business will tell you they are the right choice. Here is how to tell, without taking anyone’s word for it, including ours.

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Four questions that separate managers quickly.

You can get most of the way through this list on a first call. If any answer is vague, that is the answer.

  • How many properties do you manage, and how many people look after them?

    The ratio matters more than either number. Five hundred properties with forty staff means eyes on your villa a few times a year. Ask both figures, and ask how many new properties they took on last year. A company growing fast is a company whose service is thinning.

  • How far are you from my property, and how often will someone be there?

    Phuket is small on a map and slow to cross. A company based in Rawai will not be at your Layan villa in an hour, whatever the website says. Ask for the actual travel time and the actual visit frequency, in writing.

  • Can I see a real owner statement, with the numbers blanked out?

    This is the fastest test in the whole process. A manager who reports properly will show you the format in thirty seconds. One who summarises will explain why they cannot. What you are looking for: every booking listed, every expense itemised, receipts available on request.

  • What happens if I want to leave?

    Notice period, who owns the listing, who holds the guest history, what happens to the staff. A company that needs a long lock-in to keep you is telling you what it thinks of its own service.

Warning signs

Answers that should give you pause.

None of these mean a company is dishonest. All of them mean you should ask a second question.

  • “We guarantee X% return”

    A guarantee is priced. Either it is set low enough that the company keeps the upside in a good year, or it is a number someone hopes to hit and will renegotiate when they cannot. Ask what happens in the year the guarantee is not met, and who absorbs it. The answer is usually in a clause you have not read yet.

  • “We cover the whole island”

    Everybody says it. Ask where their staff actually sleep. Coverage means a cleaner and a maintenance person who can be at your property today, not a company willing to accept your property on the map.

  • Commission quoted without saying gross or net

    Twenty percent of gross booking value and twenty percent after platform fees, cleaning and payment charges are very different numbers. Ask which one, and ask what is deducted before the percentage is applied.

  • No mention of the Hotel Act

    If a manager is happy to list your villa for three-night stays and never raises the licensing question, they are either unaware of it or comfortable letting you carry the risk. Neither is what you want.

  • Photos of properties they do not manage

    Stock imagery on a management website is common and not damning on its own, but ask to see three properties they currently manage, and to speak to one of those owners.

The paperwork

What to read before you sign.

  • The commission clause

    What percentage, on what base, and what is deducted first. Get one worked example on a real booking: guest pays X, platform takes Y, you receive Z.

  • The spending threshold

    The amount above which the manager must ask you before spending. Without one, small repairs become invisible line items. With one set too low, you get asked about lightbulbs.

  • Owner stays

    How much notice, how many nights, and whether you are charged a cleaning or turnaround fee for using your own property.

  • Termination

    Notice period both ways, and what transfers back to you: listings, reviews, guest history, calendars, staff contracts, keys.

  • Who holds the money

    Whether rental income passes through the manager’s account or yours, when it is paid out, and what happens to deposits held against damage.

Being fair about it

When a big company is the better choice.

We are a small manager and we will say the obvious thing: small is not always right.

  • You own several properties across the island

    A portfolio spread from Mai Khao to Rawai needs staff spread the same way. That is a scale business, and a boutique manager who tells you otherwise is selling.

  • You want a hotel-style operation

    Branded residences, front desk, room service, a rental pool that averages returns across units. Those are real products and we do not offer them.

  • You value process over people

    A large company gives you a system that survives staff turnover. A small one gives you the same person for years. Until that person leaves. Both are real trade-offs.

Straight answers

Questions owners ask us at this stage.

What do property managers in Phuket typically charge?
Long-term rental management is usually a lower percentage than short-term, because the work is lighter once a tenant is in place. Short-term is materially higher: there is a cleaning, a check-in and a guest to look after every few nights. The number that matters is not the headline percentage but what it is applied to and what is deducted first. Ask for a worked example on one real booking before you compare two companies.
Should I choose the cheapest commission?
Not on its own. A lower percentage of a poorly run property earns you less than a higher percentage of a well run one, and the gap is usually larger than the difference in fee. Compare what each manager projects you will actually receive, net, over a year. And ask them to show you why.
How long does it take to switch managers?
Usually a few weeks, governed by your notice period. The practical work takes days: transferring listings, reviews, calendars, keys and staff arrangements. Most of the delay is contractual, not operational.
Can I speak to one of your owners?
Yes, and you should ask that of every company you are considering. A manager who cannot produce a single owner willing to take a call has told you something.

Reviewed . We update these pages when the practice on the ground changes, not on a schedule.

Where to go next

Talk to the person who would look after your property.

No call centre, no sales team. We keep the portfolio small on purpose.

Get in touchWhatsApp+66 61 516 3486