Checkmate Rentals review
Our independent editorial read on Checkmate Rentals for Pennsylvania short-term-rental owners.
★★★★☆ 4.4 · 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 Pennsylvania.
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 published record signals
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. The listed model is co-host: you stay the operator of record and keep more control — and more of the work. 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.
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.
Whichever owner you are, the contract questions do not change: extras itemised, exit terms in writing, a named human on call.
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. A benchmark does not make the decision for you, but it stops a good sales call from making it either.
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.
Questions to put to 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:
- The Cohost Co. — does not publish a price.
- ChicagoHostCo — does not publish a price.
- Misfit Homes — Perf-based % of net.
Our own number one in this category is One Fine BnB — see One Fine BnB's management for the two-tier pricing we measure managers against.
Our owner-first #1 for management: One Fine BnB
View One Fine BnB →