By Keanu Fischell, Co-Founder, Cabo Bali · Updated June 2026 · 6 min read · An owner-operator on the part of villa management where owners quietly lose the most money.
The short answer
Maintenance is roughly 30% of the difference in owner returns — and it's where owners quietly lose the most money. A leak, a dead AC, a failing pump, or a contractor marked up 30% all eat your margin and your reviews. The two questions that separate good managers from the rest: is the team in-house, and is there any markup on contractors? At Cabo, maintenance is billed at cost with zero markup, handled by an in-house engineering team day and night, and scheduled so it barely touches your nightly revenue. When something goes wrong, we document it, recover the cost, and resolve it before it becomes a bad review.
Why maintenance is the 30%
Operationally, most managers can keep a villa running. Where they differ — and where the money leaks — is in how maintenance is staffed, priced and timed. “Maintenance included” means nothing if every contractor is quietly marked up. Slow response means a broken AC becomes a refund and a one-star review. Reactive-only upkeep means small problems compound into expensive ones. Over a year, the gap between a disciplined maintenance operation and a loose one is a real chunk of your net return — and most of your guest satisfaction traces back here too.
In-house, at cost, no markup
Our maintenance is billed at cost — zero markup — under a 13% fee that sits below the typical industry rate. We run an in-house engineering team covering day and night, so an AC failure or a leak is fixed fast rather than waiting on an outside contractor's schedule. Vendors are used only for large or specialist jobs (waterproofing and the like), and you approve anything above an agreed threshold. Every receipt is visible in your owner dashboard — no mystery line items.
Preventative, not just reactive
Our engineers are measured on how many villas they inspect regularly, and each inspection produces an itemised list of what needs doing. That turns maintenance from “wait for it to break” into a managed schedule. Urgent items are actioned immediately. Minor ones — an outdoor bulb, a chipped tile — are handled in the gap between check-out and check-in, while the cleaners are already on site, so the guest never sees them.
Scheduling that protects revenue
This is the part most managers miss. For larger work that needs the villa empty, we don't block a random day. Our revenue manager and maintenance manager pick the lowest-opportunity-cost night — an “orphan night,” a single low-value night stranded between two bookings — so upkeep happens when it costs the least in lost rate. Protecting the asset and the revenue at the same time is the whole point.
The proof — the broken TV at Lago
A guest damaged the 75″ TV at Lago Villas. Here's the loop that's supposed to happen, and did: we logged the damage with real-time tracking, charged the guest for it, and ordered a replacement the same day — so the next guest arrived to a perfect villa. Documented, recovered, resolved before it could ever become a bad review. That's the difference between a manager who protects your asset and one who lets small failures turn into refunds, one-star reviews, and an out-of-pocket owner.
What it means for owners
When you evaluate a manager, push hard on maintenance — it's 30% of the outcome and the easiest place to hide costs. Ask: is the team in-house? Is there any markup on contractors? How are repairs approved, and can I see every receipt? How do you schedule bigger jobs so they don't kill my revenue? The honest answers are usually short and specific. See the full framework in how to evaluate a Bali villa manager.
Key takeaways
- Maintenance is ~30% of owner returns — and where owners quietly lose money.
- Two questions that matter most: is the team in-house, and is there any markup on contractors?
- Cabo: in-house day-and-night engineering, at cost, no markup, vendors only for big jobs.
- Preventative inspections + orphan-night scheduling keep upkeep from eating your rate.
- Proof: the same-day TV replacement at Lago — documented, recovered, resolved.
Frequently asked questions
Why is maintenance so important for villa returns?
Because it's where owners quietly lose money — contractor markups, slow fixes that cause refunds and bad reviews, and small problems that compound. Roughly 30% of the difference between managers comes down to how maintenance is staffed, priced and timed.
What does “maintenance at cost” mean?
It means repairs and contractors are billed to the owner at their actual cost, with no markup added by the manager. Cabo runs maintenance at cost under a 13% fee below the industry norm, with every receipt visible in the owner dashboard.
Should a villa manager have an in-house maintenance team?
Ideally yes. An in-house engineering team responds faster (day and night) and isn't marked up, while outside vendors are reserved for large or specialist jobs. Fast, in-house response is what stops a broken AC from becoming a refund and a one-star review.
How do you do villa maintenance without losing bookings?
Minor jobs are done between check-out and check-in while cleaners are on site, so guests never see them. Larger jobs are scheduled on “orphan nights” — low-value single nights between bookings — chosen by the revenue and maintenance managers to minimise lost rate.
Written June 2026.
About the author. Keanu Fischell is co-founder of Cabo Bali, which manages 20+ boutique villas across Uluwatu, Bingin and Canggu, with an in-house engineering team protecting the assets it runs.
Want maintenance that protects your asset?
See how we run it, read the Lago case study, or request a free rental forecast.
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