Airbnb, Booking.com & Stayz Fees in Australia: 2026 Host Guide

Comparing hosting fees in Australia takes more than finding the lowest percentage. Airbnb, Booking.com, and Stayz each structure their fees differently, and the differences show up in your nightly rate, in how many guests book, and in what lands in your account.

So ask a few more questions than “what is the fee?” Who pays it? What does it cover? Does it change with your setup, and what total does the guest see at checkout? Those answers matter more now that Victoria and the ACT charge levies on top of platform costs, and states including Western Australia require every short-term rental to be registered.

This guide covers how each platform charges Australian hosts, what each state and territory requires, and how to set prices so platform costs don’t eat into your returns without you noticing.

Quick Comparison: Airbnb vs Booking.com vs Stayz

Platform	Common fee model	Typical rate	Best fit
Airbnb	Host-only fee	15.5%	Broad short-term rental demand across Australia
Booking.com	Commission per booking	~12–15% (varies by contract)	International travel demand and hotel-style booking behaviour
Stayz / Vrbo	Pay-per-booking commission	5.5% standard (5% + GST); 12–15% for PMS-connected listings	Family homes, holiday houses, and longer leisure stays

These platforms don’t charge the same kind of fee. Two channels can look alike on paper and still leave you with different payouts, and show the guest different prices.

Airbnb Fees in Australia

Most Australian Hosts Now Pay a 15.5% Host-Only Fee

Airbnb is moving all home hosts to a single host-only service fee, which it deducts from your payout. It started moving hosts who use property management software off the old split fee and onto 15.5% in October 2025 (Q3 2025 shareholder letter). In December 2025, most other hosts already on the single fee moved to 15.5% (Q4 2025 shareholder letter).

Airbnb’s help centre says most hosts now pay 15.5% and the remaining hosts typically pay 14–16%. It also says the transition is still in progress, but gives no completion date. Hostfully reported in July 2026 that the final waves for independent hosts were scheduled for 15 September 2026 outside the EU and 13 October 2026 in the EU. Whichever source turns out to be more current, the service fee shown in your own hosting account is the one to price from.

On the host-only model, guests see the price you set. Airbnb does not add a separate guest service fee at checkout.

The fee is charged on the booking subtotal: nightly rates, cleaning fees, pet fees, and other mandatory charges. Taxes and security deposits are excluded.

What This Means for Pricing

On the old split-fee model, you paid around 3% and your guests paid a separate Airbnb service fee of 14–16.5%. Moving to 15.5% is a big change. If you left your rates alone after the switch, each booking now pays you about 13% less, because you keep 84.5% of the subtotal instead of 97%.

How much to raise your prices depends on your starting point:

• If you’re comparing with your old split-fee payout, you used to keep about 97% of the subtotal and now keep 84.5%. Raising your nightly rate by about 14–16% holds your net payout steady (0.97 ÷ 0.845 = 1.148).
• If you’re working from a zero-fee base rate in a PMS or channel manager, where the base rate is what you want to receive in full, apply an Airbnb markup of about 18.34%. That fully offsets a 15.5% fee, because you keep 84.5% of the subtotal and 1 ÷ 0.845 = 1.1834.

Take a booking subtotal of $420, made up of a $300 nightly total and a $120 cleaning fee:

• Host fee at 15.5% on $420 = $65.10
• Estimated host payout before other costs = $354.90

Our guide to Airbnb pricing strategies covers more ways to protect your margin after fees.

Booking.com Fees in Australia

Booking.com has no fixed published rate. Each host pays a commission per booking, set in their own Accommodation Agreement.

What the Rate Looks Like in Practice

Booking.com does not publish one Australian commission percentage. Your rate depends on property type, location, cancellation policy, and whether you join any marketing programmes. Its registration FAQ says the commission percentage appears at the Agreement step of registration. For existing hosts, its partner documentation points to the accommodation agreement or the Finance tab of the Extranet.

You’ll often see 12–15% quoted for the Australian market, but Booking.com does not confirm that range. Price from the contracted rate in your Extranet.

Factors That Can Push the Effective Rate Higher

Programme	Extra commission	What you get
Preferred Partner	A small commission increase (exact rate shown in the Extranet)	Booking.com says Preferred Partners average 65% more search views and 20% more bookings
Genius	None. Commission is charged on the discounted price	Visibility to Genius members; you fund a 10% discount on your cheapest, most popular room type (15% and 20% options at Levels 2 and 3)
Visibility Booster	Flexible	Temporary ranking boost for selected dates
Payments by Booking.com	Processing fee that depends on your property’s location	Payment handling and chargeback protection

Two Practical Consequences

First, be wary of articles that give Booking.com one standard Australian rate. Figures like 12% or 15% are what hosts commonly report, and Booking.com does not publish either one as a rate that applies to every host.

Second, a higher commission doesn’t rule a platform out. Booking.com reaches a large international audience and suits travellers who like to book the way they would book a hotel. A channel earns its place when it brings the right bookings at a margin that works for your property.

Compare channels on net revenue per booking. The fee percentage on its own won’t tell you which one pays better.

Stayz Fees in Australia

Stayz is part of Vrbo, and it matters most for Australian holiday homes, larger family properties, and leisure destinations.

Standard Pay-Per-Booking Setup

For Australian hosts on the standard owner dashboard, Vrbo’s official help documentation sets out three parts:

• 5% commission on the rental amount and extra fees such as cleaning, pet, and boat fees
• No payment processing fee for properties in Australia. Vrbo charges a 3% processing fee in other regions, but Australia, Japan, and New Zealand are excluded
• GST at 10% of the commission, which adds 0.5%. Hosts who enter a valid GST ID in the Owner Dashboard don’t pay it

That puts the host-side cost at 5.5% in the standard setup, or 5.0% with a valid GST ID. Vrbo’s traveller service fee at checkout comes on top of that.

Guest Service Fee

Vrbo charges travellers a service fee at checkout. It is a percentage of the reservation total, and the percentage varies with the amount. A modest host fee can still sit behind a guest total that is higher than your base rate suggests.

PMS-Managed Listings

Vrbo’s documentation says hosts using property management software may be charged differently in some regions, including Australia. Here, PMS-connected listings may be charged 12% to 15%, and the Vrbo dashboard shows the rate that applies.

Airbnb works the same way. Your fee can change a lot depending on whether you run the listing from the platform’s own dashboard or through software that connects several channels.

Side-by-Side Pricing Example

Take this booking:

• Nightly rate total: $300
• Cleaning fee: $120
• Booking subtotal before taxes: $420

Platform	Fee rate	Fee amount	Host payout (before other costs)
Airbnb	15.5%	$65.10	$354.90
Booking.com	12–15% (contracted)	$50.40–$63.00	$357.00–$369.60
Stayz (standard)	5.5% (5% + GST)	$23.10	$396.90
Stayz (PMS-managed)	12–15%	$50.40–$63.00	$357.00–$369.60

If you don’t know the commission rate in your Booking.com agreement, you can’t build a reliable margin model yet. Check the agreement before you set rates or compare channels.

Additional Costs Australian Hosts Should Not Ignore

Platform fees are one layer of short-term rental cost. Others include:

• Cleaning fees and consumables
• Linen and laundry
• Payment handling or banking costs
• Channel manager or PMS subscriptions
• Dynamic pricing tools
• Noise monitoring equipment (see: why Airbnb noise monitors are essential for short-term rental properties)
• Professional management fees
• Damage, maintenance, and restocking allowances

More states are also adding levies and compliance rules for short-term rentals, and those feed into your total costs too.

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State-by-State: Levies and Compliance Requirements

Australia has no national framework for short-term rentals. Each state and territory sets its own rules, and some leave parts of them to local councils. Here is where each jurisdiction stands.

Western Australia: Registration Mandatory, No Levy

Western Australia made STRA registration mandatory from 1 January 2025 under the Short-Term Rental Accommodation Act 2024. Every hosted and unhosted short-term rental must be on the state-wide STRA Register, however many nights it operates.

What Perth and WA hosts need to know:

• All properties, hosted and unhosted, must register on the WA STRA Register. Registration costs $250, then $100 for each annual renewal
• From 1 January 2026, an unhosted property in the Perth metropolitan area needs development approval from the local council if it is let for more than 90 nights (non-consecutive) within a 12-month period, counted from the date of registration. Perth metro properties at or under 90 nights can operate without approval, but must still be registered
• Outside the Perth metropolitan area, including Mandurah and the Peel region, the 90-night exemption does not automatically apply. Each local government decides whether you need development approval, and it may be required from the first night
• Hosted properties, where the owner lives on site during guest stays, don’t need development approval anywhere in the state
• Advertising an unregistered property, or giving false information when registering, can bring fines of up to $20,000 for individuals and $100,000 for bodies corporate
• WA has no state tourist levy. Unlike Victoria and the ACT, it doesn’t charge a percentage-based levy on bookings

For Perth owners, the 90-night threshold is the rule most likely to change how you operate. If you plan to let an unhosted Perth metro property for more than 90 nights in your 12-month registration period, your development approval should already be granted or under way. Outside Perth metro, check with your local government before you take your first booking.

Victoria: 7.5% Short Stay Levy

Victoria’s short stay levy has applied since 1 January 2025 to stays of less than 28 consecutive days. It is 7.5% of the total booking fees, including cleaning fees and any GST but not credit card fees. A host’s principal place of residence is exempt. When the booking comes through a platform, the platform pays the levy. Owners or tenants who take bookings directly must register for the levy with the State Revenue Office and pay it themselves.

Since 2025, owners corporations (strata bodies) can also ban short-term rental accommodation in their buildings with a 75% special resolution. A ban can’t apply to hosts renting out their principal place of residence.

ACT: 5% Short-Term Rental Accommodation Levy

The ACT’s short-term rental accommodation levy applies to bookings made from 1 July 2025. It is 5% of the total the guest pays and covers bookings of 28 continuous days or fewer.

The booking platform is liable for the levy. Direct bookings with an owner or occupier aren’t subject to it, and neither is hosted accommodation, where the owner or occupant stays in the property at the same time. There is no specific exemption for a principal place of residence. The levy rises to 7.5% on 1 July 2027.

New South Wales: Mandatory Registration and Night Caps

NSW runs a mandatory STRA Register. Registration costs $65, with a $25 annual renewal, and every short-term rental must show its registration number on its listings.

The main rules for NSW hosts:

• Non-hosted properties in Greater Sydney, and in parts of the Ballina, Clarence Valley, and Muswellbrook areas, are capped at 180 nights
• Byron Shire caps non-hosted properties at 60 nights (from 23 September 2024). Two 365-day mapped precincts, around the Byron Bay town centre and Brunswick Heads, are exempt
• Both caps run on the registration year, the 12 months from the initial registration date, and bookings of 21 consecutive days or more don’t count towards them
• Hosted properties, where the owner lives on site, have no night cap
• Properties must meet fire safety standards, including interconnected smoke alarms, and follow the STRA Code of Conduct
• Breaching the Code of Conduct can bring penalties of up to $110,000 for corporations and $22,000 for individuals under the Fair Trading Act 1987 (NSW)

NSW has no statewide tourist levy.

Queensland: Local Council Rules, No State Levy

Queensland has no statewide STRA register or tourist levy. Local councils set the rules, and they differ a lot from one area to the next.

What Queensland hosts should know:

• Brisbane City Council consulted on a proposed permit system but has decided not to go ahead with it for now. Brisbane has no permit requirement in place
• Noosa runs one of Queensland’s most comprehensive local registration systems, with mandatory registration and active enforcement
• Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast have local planning requirements, and you may need development approval depending on zoning
• There is no statewide night cap, but individual councils may set local restrictions
• Penalties depend on the council and the law you break. Councils can set local law penalties of up to 850 penalty units ($146,795 at the 2026–27 rate of $172.70 per unit), and breaches of planning law can cost more

South Australia, Tasmania, and Northern Territory

None of these three has a statewide STRA register or tourist levy.

Tasmania does have a state law that applies directly to hosts. Under the Short Stay Accommodation Act 2019 (Tas), hosts must give booking platforms their permit information before listing, with penalties of up to 50 penalty units. Platforms must show each listing’s permit status and number, and report to the Director of Building Control every quarter.

In South Australia and the Northern Territory, local council planning schemes set the requirements, so they vary by area. South Australia opened public consultation on a proposed statewide register and code of conduct on 17 September 2026. Consultation closes on 30 October 2026, and no register exists yet. Check with your local government for the rules that apply to you.

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Which Platform Suits Which Host?

No single platform is best for every property.

Airbnb is often strongest when:

• The property suits mainstream short-term rental demand
• Review volume and platform visibility matter
• You want broad demand across metro and suburban markets
• You are competing against other home-style accommodation rather than hotels

Booking.com is often strongest when:

• The property attracts international guests
• You want access to hotel-style booking behaviour
• Your operations can meet more hotel-like guest expectations

Stayz is often strongest when:

• The property is a larger family home or holiday house
• The destination attracts leisure travel and group stays
• Guests are booking for school holidays, weekends away, or regional breaks
• Longer average stays improve profitability

On any platform, good reviews and steady occupancy start with a property that is well set up and ready for guests. Our short-term rental features and amenities checklist covers what Australian guests expect from a quality listing.

Many high-performing properties do best on several channels at once. You get more exposure, and you also take on more pricing work, more calendar management, and a separate fee markup to get right on each channel.

That workload is one reason professional operators invest in channel management and a structured revenue strategy. We cover the operational side in 7 key challenges of short-term rental property management.

The Right Question Is Not “Which Platform Is Cheapest?”

Most hosts start by asking which platform charges the least. It’s a reasonable first question. These are better ones to finish on:

• Which platform brings the right guests for this property?
• Which channel converts best at my true all-in price?
• Which fee structure applies to my actual setup?
• What does the booking look like after platform costs, levies, cleaning, and operations?

A cheaper channel can still lose you money if it brings weaker demand, lower-quality bookings, or more empty nights.

For the bigger picture, our guide to short-term vs long-term rental strategy covers how fee structures fit into overall property performance.

Why Many Owners Choose Professional Management

Keeping on top of platform fees, state compliance, registration deadlines, multi-channel pricing, guest messages, cleaning, and maintenance is a lot of work. For most owners it becomes a second job, and changing state rules keep adding to it.

A professional management company like Sepal Stays takes that work off your hands. Our team handles:

• Multi-channel distribution across Airbnb, Booking.com, and Stayz, with pricing and markups set for each platform’s fee structure
• Dynamic pricing that responds to local demand, seasonal patterns, and competitor rates, so your nightly rate tracks what the market will pay
• Compliance management, including WA STRA registration and keeping your listing up to date as the rules change
• Guest communication and screening from first enquiry to check-out, including how to handle difficult guest situations, so you don’t have to answer every message yourself
• Cleaning, linen, and property maintenance coordinated between every stay, with backup cleaners, linen suppliers, and trades on call

The aim is more booked nights for less of your time. If you’re weighing up professional management for a Perth or WA property, read about our approach to Airbnb management in Perth.

Conclusion

Airbnb, Booking.com, and Stayz charge hosts in different ways, and that changes how you should set your prices on each one.

In Australia, Airbnb is moving all hosts to a single host-only fee. Most pay 15.5%, and the transition is still in progress. Booking.com charges a contracted commission with no published universal rate, though figures commonly quoted for Australia fall between 12% and 15%. Stayz / Vrbo costs 5.5% on the standard owner dashboard (5% commission plus GST, with no payment processing fee for Australian properties). PMS-connected Stayz listings in Australia may be charged 12–15%, so use the rate in your Vrbo dashboard instead of assuming the standard one.

On compliance, Western Australia requires every short-term rental to be registered. Unhosted Perth metro properties need development approval above 90 nights in a 12-month registration period, and councils outside Perth metro can require approval from the first night. Victoria and the ACT charge booking levies. NSW has mandatory registration and night caps. Brisbane has shelved its proposed permit system, so Queensland rules still vary council by council.

The safest approach is to price from the fee structure that actually applies to your listing, add operating costs and any state levies on top, and keep up with the compliance rules in your state.

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Frequently Asked Questions