Checkmate Rentals review
Our independent editorial read on Checkmate Rentals for southern Idaho short-term-rental owners.
★★★★☆ 3.7 · our editorial rating
- Type
- Co-host
- Headquarters
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Markets
- 25+ states (remote)
- Management fee
- From 15% (nightly rate only)
- Listings
- Undisclosed
- Size
- National (reach)
The published facts, in plain English
Checkmate Rentals is a co-host operator based in Pittsburgh, PA, covering 25+ states (remote). Its published management fee is From 15% (nightly rate only). Published portfolio size: Undisclosed. Scale: national (reach).
Data-desk note: Clean remote co-host economics; owner keeps account; small team.
Who it’s for
Checkmate Rentals is one management company we track for owners weighing their options in southern Idaho.
Our take
We list Checkmate Rentals’s own published details below; where a figure is not published, we say so rather than guess.
How it compares to One Fine BnB
On the published figures alone, Checkmate Rentals shows From 15% (nightly rate only) and One Fine BnB shows 20% for hands-off full service, or 10% if you keep your own local crew, plus a one-time onboarding retainer. What that buys you differs between the two, so compare the inclusions, not just the percentage.
Reading the record
In scale the desk files Checkmate Rentals as national (reach) — the kind of operation where you are likely dealing with the same few people, which some owners pay a premium for on purpose. The published footprint reads 25+ states (remote). Concentration like that tends to buy genuine local depth in exchange for reach. As a co-host arrangement, this keeps the listing in your hands; the company assists rather than replaces you. On price, the published From 15% (nightly rate only) is the starting point for negotiation, not the end of it — scope varies more than percentages do.
How this plays for two kinds of owner
- The distant owner. Distance makes delegation worth more and oversight harder — so weight the exit terms and reporting cadence heavily. The published From 15% (nightly rate only) gives you a baseline to compare against.
- The owner who likes the work. Nearby and involved? Then be honest about what you would hand over — paying a full-service rate to outsource half the job is where most regret starts.
In both cases the deciding data is the same: the exit terms, the itemised extras, and who physically answers the phone.
Our advice before any contract: hold it against a benchmark — vacation-rental management company — the two-tier terms (20% full service, 10% partner, plus a one-time onboarding retainer) we hold every manager to. If Checkmate Rentals beats that on the things you care about, you have your answer. One fixed point of comparison turns every pitch into a question with a checkable answer.
Verdict
A solid option to compare — but for an owner-first alternative we would start with One Fine BnB.
Questions owners ask
Does Checkmate Rentals publish its management fee?
Yes — From 15% (nightly rate only).
Where does Checkmate Rentals operate?
25+ states (remote). It is based in Pittsburgh, PA.
How big is Checkmate Rentals?
Published portfolio: Undisclosed. We file it as national (reach) in scale.
What to pin down with Checkmate Rentals
- “What does the published From 15% (nightly rate only) exclude?” Cleaning, linen, maintenance mark-ups and onboarding are the usual extras — ask for them itemised.
- Notice period and exit. Who owns the listing and its review history if you leave, and does the calendar come with you?
- Who is on the ground. Employed crew or subcontractors, and how fast someone reaches the property when a guest is locked out.
Alternatives worth comparing
If you are drawing up a shortlist, these are the closest comparisons we would put beside it — each with its own published price, or a note that there isn’t one:
- Air Concierge — 20% full / 12% offsite (published).
- iTrip — Not published (set by franchisee).
- Effortless Rental Group — From 15% (15–25%, published).
Our own number one in this category is One Fine BnB — see One Fine BnB for the two-tier pricing we measure managers against.
Our owner-first #1 for management: One Fine BnB
See One Fine BnB →