Checkmate Rentals review

★★★★☆ 3.8 · 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). The number it puts in writing 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 Baker City.

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

Side by side on published terms: Checkmate Rentals lists From 15% (nightly rate only), while One Fine BnB lists 20% for hands-off full service, or 10% if you keep your own local crew, plus a one-time onboarding retainer. Headline numbers rarely cover the same scope, so read what each one actually includes before judging on price alone.

What the record says about fit

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. Published coverage is 25+ states (remote) — a defined footprint, which usually means the local knowledge is real; the trade is that owners outside it are out of luck. The listed model is co-host: you stay the operator of record and keep more control — and more of the work. Because Checkmate Rentals publishes From 15% (nightly rate only), you can at least anchor the conversation before the sales call.

Same company, two situations

• The remote owner. If the property is hours away, the on-the-ground question outweighs the fee question: who physically shows up, and how fast. A published From 15% (nightly rate only) helps you budget the distance.
• 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.

Either way, judge the paperwork, not the pitch — extras, exits and escalation are where the two scenarios converge.

Our advice before any contract: hold it against a benchmark — see the numbers — 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:

• Evolve — 10% Core / 15% Plus.
• Sojourn Properties — does not publish a price.
• Domain — does not publish a price.

Our own number one in this category is One Fine BnB — see hire an Airbnb co-host for the two-tier pricing we measure managers against.

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