What property management costs in Uvita
For owners · · 5 min read
Owners ask what property management costs in Uvita expecting one number. There is not one, because management pricing in Costa Rica is not standardized. Two companies can quote the same house in ways that cannot be compared line for line.
What is consistent is the set of parts a quote is built from. Once you know them, you can see what a quote includes, what it leaves out, and where the missing work is going to be billed.
The three parts of a management fee
A setup fee, paid once before the house goes live. It covers the work that only happens at the start: building the listing, professional photography, signage, and the guest book for the house.
A monthly management fee, for the care that happens whether the house is booked or not: inspections, pool and garden oversight, vendor coordination and reporting. An empty house in this climate needs that attention most.
A commission on booking revenue, a percentage of what the house actually earns. This is the part that ties the manager's income to how well the house performs.
What sits outside the fee
Purchases made on your behalf, capital repairs, bringing in a new vendor and hands-on labor are normally billed separately. This is where most friction between owners and managers comes from, so ask how it is quoted. The useful answer is that it is priced before the work starts, not explained on a statement afterwards.
Taxes and platform fees are separate again. Short term rentals in Costa Rica charge 13% IVA on stays, and booking platforms take their own cut before the money reaches the owner. Neither is the manager's fee, but both belong in the arithmetic of what you keep.
Comparing two quotes
Be careful with a single low percentage and nothing else. Setup, oversight, maintenance coordination and guest support still have to happen. If that work is not in the fee, it is either billed somewhere you have not seen yet, or it is not being done.
Ask each company for every component in writing, for a sample monthly statement, and for what happened the last time something broke at night. The answers tell you more than the percentage does.
WildRoots sets out its own three components on the page about how we charge, and confirms the figures for a specific house after seeing it.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a standard management fee in Uvita?
- No. Management pricing in Costa Rica is not standardized. Most structures combine a one time setup fee, a flat monthly fee and a commission on booking revenue, in different proportions.
- Is the monthly fee charged when the house is empty?
- With us, yes. Inspections, pool and garden oversight, vendor coordination and reporting continue whether a guest is in the house or not.
- Are taxes included in a management fee?
- No. The 13% IVA on stays and the booking platforms' own fees are separate from what a manager charges, and should be counted separately when you work out what the house earns.
Tell us about your home.
Message the team on WhatsApp, or send an enquiry, with where the house is and how you use it. We answer in English and Spanish, usually within minutes.