Bookkeeping for short-term rental hosts
A short-term rental host receives payouts from booking platforms that are net of fees, collects cleaning fees and occupancy taxes, and pays cleaners and suppliers for each stay. Mispar reconciles platform payouts to bookings, tracks each property, and prepares monthly books in your own QuickBooks Online or Xero file. Plans start at $229/mo.
Best for: Hosts with one to several properties, small property operators and co-hosts who manage rentals for owners.
Reconciled
Platform payouts
Tracked
Properties
Itemized
Cleaning
Separated
Occupancy taxes
Where short-term rental host books usually go wrong
- Platform payouts treated as revenue without recording fees.
- Cleaning, supplies and utilities not separated by property.
- Occupancy and lodging taxes collected without a clean record.
- Personal use of the property mixed into business expenses.
How Mispar keeps your rental books clean
Industry-specific accounts and categorization, with the reporting scope agreed before work starts.
Platform payouts and fees
Match each payout to the bookings it covers, with platform fees shown apart from revenue.
Income by property
Tag revenue and costs to each property so a strong unit and a weak one are not blended together.
Cleaning fees and turnover costs
Record cleaning fees collected and cleaner payments, with linens and supplies grouped by property.
Occupancy and lodging taxes
Keep taxes collected in separate accounts, matched to the filings you submit.
Mortgage, utilities and insurance
Separate mortgage interest and principal, utilities and insurance for each property.
Furniture and repairs
Separate furnishing purchases and capital improvements from repairs and maintenance.
Owner payouts for managed units
If you manage for owners, track what is owed to each owner and what is retained.
Seasonal revenue swings
Show peak and slow months so reserves can be planned.
Reports a short-term rental host can use
- Revenue, fees and costs by property.
- Occupancy and nights booked by month.
- Lodging taxes collected and remitted.
- Owner draws separated from operating costs.
A simple, predictable process
From kickoff to your first clean close, here is exactly what happens.
Map platforms and properties
We list booking platforms, direct bookings and each property.
Set up property tracking
Each property gets its own tag for income and costs.
Reconcile each month
Payouts, cleaner payments, utility bills and loan payments are matched to the bank.
Deliver monthly statements
Monthly statements arrive ready for your CPA with an open-items list.
Illustrative example
A platform pays out a month of bookings in separate deposits for three properties. Matching each deposit to its property shows which unit earned what after platform fees and cleaning. This is an illustration of the method, not a customer case or a guarantee.
Short-Term Rental Hosts bookkeeping — your questions
Can you separate income by property?
Yes, by tagging payouts and costs to the property they belong to.
How do you handle platform fees?
They are recorded as expense, separate from gross booking revenue, matched to payout reports.
What about occupancy taxes?
They are tracked in separate accounts and matched to your filings. We do not give tax advice.
Can you handle co-hosting or managed units?
Yes. Owner payouts and management fees are tracked separately from your own properties.
Do you work with channel manager exports?
We use its booking and payout reports, matched to your bank.
What do you need each month to keep short-term rental host books?
Platform payout reports, cleaner and supplier invoices, utility and loan statements, tax filings and access to your bank and card feeds.
Can you track each property separately?
Yes. Each property has its own income and cost view.
Can you help at tax time?
Monthly statements are ready for your CPA, with property-level detail. We do not give tax advice.
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