Updated 14 October 2026 | 8 min read | By Rissa Prima, Digital Marketing Manager, Cabo Bali
The short answer
To judge a Bali villa manager, test 14 things in writing: occupancy against the market, guest sentiment, the all-in fee, the exit terms, owner stays, maintenance markup, how damage claims are handled, who you actually deal with, the business licence, the forecast, sample owner reports, how pricing is run, direct bookings and how picky they are about new villas. The usual Bali answer is 55 to 65% occupancy, 15 to 18% commission and a 12-month lock-in. Ours is 91% occupancy, 13% plus a fixed IDR 2.5m admin fee, and 90 days' notice with no minimum term.
On this page
- The short answer
- The Cabo Owner Standard | 14 tests
- What a damage claim looks like
- How to use it with any manager
- Where we are not the right fit
- One of many, or one of one
- Why a manager publishes its own scorecard
- Key takeaways
- Frequently asked questions
Quick answer
- Occupancy: the Bali market averages 55 to 65%. Our portfolio averages 91%.
- Fee: 15 to 18% commission is common. Ours is 13% of gross plus IDR 2.5m a month, about 14 to 15% all in on a typical villa.
- Exit: 12-month lock-ins are common. Ours is 90 days' notice either side, no minimum term.
- Owner stays: often capped or charged. Ours are unlimited, with no management fee on owner nights.
- Damage: often absorbed by the owner. We log it, claim it from the guest and replace it the same day.
The Cabo Owner Standard | 14 tests
Each row is a test you can put to any manager. The middle columns show the usual Bali answer and ours. The last column is where to check us.
| Test | The usual answer | Cabo Bali | Check it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occupancy | Bali market average of 55 to 65% | 91% average across the portfolio | Benchmarks |
| Guest sentiment | 4.8 stars counts as excellent | 94% positive from 560+ reviews on Airbnb and Booking.com | Reviews |
| All-in fee | 15 to 18% commission, often plus extras | 13% of gross + IDR 2.5m a month | about 14 to 15% all in | the higher your nightly rate, the lower the effective % | Pricing |
| Contract | 12-month lock-in is common | No minimum term | 90 days' notice either side | Our process |
| Owner stays | Capped, or charged commission | Unlimited | no management fee on owner nights | Service |
| Maintenance | Contractors marked up 15 to 30% | Billed at cost, zero markup | you approve anything above IDR 1m | At-cost maintenance |
| Damage claims | Repaired at the owner's cost, or left for later | Every incident photographed and logged | claimed from the guest | replaced as fast as possible | receipt in your owner dashboard | The TV claim |
| Who you deal with | An account manager or a call centre | A local Bali team led by people who have built, owned and run villas here | a direct line to them | How we are built |
| Licence | Worth checking | not every operator can show one | Registered in Indonesia's OSS system | NIB 1707240049972 | licensed for villa management | Compliance |
| Forecast | A generic estimate, or none | Built for your exact villa from AirDNA comps, our own portfolio data and your amenities | free | Get yours |
| Owner reports | Rarely shown before you sign | 2 to 3 real anonymised owner reports before you sign | report by the 8th, payout by the 15th | Sample report |
| Pricing | Set and forget, or cut prices to fill gaps | Reviewed daily | revenue manager + PriceLabs + AI-assisted analysis of Guesty data | every villa compared to its niche weekly | Pricing strategy |
| Direct bookings | WhatsApp only | WhatsApp + our own booking engine | every villa has its own booking page | Book direct |
| Onboarding | Sign as many villas as possible | Every villa vetted | we turn down more than we accept | a waitlist, so we only take on what we can run well | Who we are not for |
The occupancy row is the one we would grill first. On one 2-bedroom villa in Bingin, PriceLabs' own market data has us at 96.3% occupancy against 79.8% for comparable 2-bedroom villas, and 32% ahead on revenue per available night, in all 12 months of the year. Across the portfolio, the calendar looks like this:
The full story is in our Luro Villas case study and how we hit 91% on a new villa.
What a damage claim looks like
Damage is where owners quietly lose money. With many managers a broken item is fixed at the owner's cost, or sits broken until the next guest complains. Our process is the same every time: photograph and log the damage, claim it from the guest through the booking platform, order the replacement straight away, and put the receipt in the owner dashboard.
A real example: a guest broke the 75-inch TV at Luro Villas. We logged it with photos, charged the guest for the damage and ordered a replacement the same day, so the next guest arrived to a working villa and the owner paid nothing.
How to use it with any manager
- Send the 14 tests in writing before any call. A good manager answers in documents, not adjectives.
- Ask for the month-by-month occupancy, not one annual number. Anyone quoting above 80% should show every month against the local market.
- Ask for 2 to 3 anonymised owner reports from villas like yours, and work out the real fee from them.
- Ask for their last damage claim, start to finish: photos, what the guest paid and the receipt.
- Read the exit clause last and slowest. If leaving takes more than 90 days, the other answers matter less.
Where we are not the right fit
Our fee is 13% of gross plus a fixed IDR 2.5m a month. That fixed part is what pays for unlimited owner stays, and it means the effective rate falls as your villa earns more. On a small or lower-priced villa it works the other way: the all-in rate climbs to around 16% or more. If your villa is a compact, budget unit, a commission-only agency may suit you better, and we will say so on the first call. More in who Cabo is not for.
One of many, or one of one
Large agencies are built for volume. If you are happy for your villa to be one listing among hundreds, they do that well. We are built for the opposite: a small, vetted portfolio where each villa has its own brand, its own booking page and a revenue manager who knows its comp set by name. It is why owners in shared complexes often bring us one villa while their neighbours stay with someone else, and then compare the results month by month.
Pro tip for owners: ask every manager what they would do with your villa that they would not do with the one next door. If the answer is "the same as everyone else", you are paying for a listing, not a manager.
Why a manager publishes its own scorecard
We wrote this standard, so read it knowing that. We picked tests we believe owners should care about, and we show where to check every answer. Where we are weaker, like small budget villas, we say so above. If another manager beats us on these tests, you should pick them. For the weighted version of the same thinking, see how to evaluate a Bali villa manager.
Key takeaways
- Judge a manager on 14 tests in writing, not on photos and friendly replies.
- Market occupancy is 55 to 65%. Ours is 91%, with the calendar to show it.
- 13% + IDR 2.5m works out at about 14 to 15% all in, lower on premium villas, higher on small ones.
- No minimum term, 90 days' notice, unlimited owner stays, maintenance at cost.
- Damage is claimed from the guest and replaced fast, with the receipt in your dashboard.
Long story short: most Bali managers are judged on what is easy to see. This standard tests what decides your income: occupancy against the market, the real fee, how pricing is run, maintenance markup, how damage is handled and how easily you can leave. We publish our answer to every test, including where we are not the right fit.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good occupancy rate for a Bali villa?
The Bali market averages around 55 to 65% occupancy. A well-run villa in a strong area can reach 80 to 90% or more, but ask for every month against the local market, not one annual figure.
What do Bali villa managers charge?
Commission of 15 to 18% of gross is common, often with extras on top. Cabo Bali charges 13% of gross plus a fixed IDR 2.5m monthly admin fee, which is about 14 to 15% all in on a typical villa.
Can I leave a Bali villa management contract early?
It depends on the contract. Many run 12 months with limited exit. Cabo Bali has no minimum term and 90 days' notice on either side.
Do villa owners get to stay in their own villa?
With many managers owner stays are capped or still charged commission. Cabo Bali owner stays are unlimited, with no management fee on owner nights.
Who pays when a guest damages the villa?
It should be the guest. Cabo Bali photographs and logs every incident, claims the cost from the guest through the booking platform, replaces the item as fast as possible and shows the receipt in the owner dashboard.
Is Cabo Bali the right manager for every villa?
No. On small or lower-priced villas the fixed admin fee pushes the all-in rate to around 16% or more, so a commission-only agency can suit those owners better.
Want to see how your villa would score?
- Get a free rental forecast | built for your exact villa
- See our villa management service | what we do and what it costs
- See a sample owner report | what you receive every month
- Compare managers on fees | published fees side by side
About the author. Rissa Prima is Digital Marketing Manager at Cabo Bali, which manages boutique villas across Uluwatu, Bingin, Canggu and Pererenan. Updated 14 October 2026 | we refresh this standard as the market moves.
