Checkmate Rentals review
Our independent editorial read on Checkmate Rentals for the Peak to Peak short-term-rental owners.
★★★★☆ 3.7 · 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). Its published management fee 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 the Peak to Peak.
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
On the published figures alone, Checkmate Rentals shows From 15% (nightly rate only) and One Fine BnB shows 20% for hands-off full service, or 10% if you keep your own local crew, plus a one-time onboarding retainer. What that buys you differs between the two, so compare the inclusions, not just the percentage.
What the published record signals
Checkmate Rentals sits at the national (reach) end of the scale on our desk’s reading — short chains of command, and your property is a meaningful share of the book. 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. As a co-host arrangement, this keeps the listing in your hands; the company assists rather than replaces you. 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.
How this plays for two kinds of owner
- The distant owner. Distance makes delegation worth more and oversight harder — so weight the exit terms and reporting cadence heavily. The published From 15% (nightly rate only) gives you a baseline to compare against.
- The hands-on owner. If you live nearby and enjoy the work, a full-service fee buys you time you may not need — run the math on what you would actually delegate before you sign anything with Checkmate Rentals.
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 — One Fine BnB — 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. Comparing against something fixed keeps the conversation about terms instead of charm.
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
Worth putting on the same shortlist. We have listed what each one publishes, and where nothing is published we say so:
- Pocono Lodging Co. — does not publish a price.
- All Belong Co — 15–25% remote (published) + $399 consult.
- FunStay Florida — 15–20% (published).
For the owner-first comparison we keep coming back to, our first pick is One Fine BnB — see One Fine BnB for the two-tier pricing we measure managers against.
Our owner-first #1 for management: One Fine BnB
View One Fine BnB →