Casago Property Management Review: Is Casago Worth It?

While Casago is rapidly becoming one of the most recognizable names in the short-term rental property management business following its major acquisition of Vacasa, the services that it provides might match the needs of certain investors. Since the company has undergone significant transformation and expansion, we've compiled this updated Casago property management review to give you everything you need to know about the company to make an informed decision.

We will answer the question: Does Casago provide the best value for money? The short answer remains nuanced. Casago charges a relatively competitive management fee and has dramatically expanded its service coverage, but still faces challenges in certain areas compared to other full-service providers.

What Casago Is

Casago is a full-service rental property management company present in some of the best cities to buy rental property in the US, Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean. Steve Schwab founded the company in 2001 with the mission to serve rental properties with high-quality service. It's headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. Casago has been on the market for over two decades, making it more experienced than many alternatives like Evolve and Air Concierge, though it actually started after Vacasa.

The company prides itself in being a veteran-owned business, with founder Steve Schwab being a former U.S. Army Airborne Ranger. This military background influences the company's structured approach to operations and training.

Our Casago property management review shows that this is a strong choice for various rental types. Unlike most of its competitors, Casago manages vacation rentals, furnished long-term rentals, unfurnished long-term rentals, corporate housing, entire resorts, and more.

Another aspect that distinguishes Casago is the owner-centric approach. The company was founded with the idea that property owners are their number one priority and should be at the center of everything they do. To achieve this, Casago puts each team member through an intensive training process at "Casago University" so that they become the owner's advocate and the property's steward.

What Casago Property Management Offers

Casago promotes itself as a full-service property management provider working with different rentals. However, our Casago property management review reveals that its services do not provide an entirely passive process for rental investors, particularly regarding initial property setup.

Vacation rental property management is the core business of the company, which was introduced with the company establishment in 2001. This makes Casago an experienced Airbnb property manager with over 20 years in the market.

The company claims that its properties perform 30% better on average than traditionally managed rentals regarding revenue. This is more than what most Casago competitors promise, though the methodology behind this claim is not publicly detailed.

Following its acquisition of Vacasa in early 2025, Casago has grown substantially. At the moment, Casago manages over 45,000 properties across 70+ destinations in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean. This represents a massive expansion from the previous 5,000 properties managed before the merger.

All homes managed by Casago are owned by investors and not the company itself. This is good as it shows that the team will really seek to serve the interests of property owners rather than compete with its own interests.

Where Casago Property Management Is Available

Casago property management services are now available across a much wider geographic area following the Vacasa acquisition. The company operates in over 70 markets throughout the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean. This expansion has significantly improved its geographic coverage compared to competitors like Awning.

Casago manages different rental properties including vacation rentals, furnished and unfurnished long-term rentals, corporate housing, and resorts. Property types include condos, houses, single-family homes, and multi-family homes.

The company operates through a franchise model, with each local office being locally owned and operated. This approach allows for personalized service while maintaining brand standards. Casago offers tailored service packages covering single-unit management, multi-unit management, and full property management.

Unlike Awning, AvantStay, and Air Concierge, Casago generally does not help real estate investors with the design and furnishing of their vacation rental properties. So, in order to qualify, you typically need to supply your rental with furniture, appliances, cookware, and dinnerware. However, some local franchise offices may offer limited assistance with property preparation.

How Casago Property Management Works

As a full-service rental property manager, investors expect Casago to take care of everything necessary for starting and running a rental business. The company delivers on a big part of this but still cannot provide some important services that competitors offer.

Core Casago Property Management Services

Casago states it charges a single, universal property management fee for these services:

Getting short-term rental permits: Casago supports investors in obtaining the vacation rental permits and licenses. This is important as most local short-term rental laws require special permits or licenses that need to be renewed annually. The local teams are experts in city, county, and HOA regulations.

Providing essential supplies: Casago provides linen for beds, towels, a Wi-Fi router, light bulbs, batteries, and other everyday items. However, it's not entirely clear how often they replace linen after the initial setup.

Rental listing creation: Casago creates optimized rental listings for better rankings, clicks, bookings, and revenue using their enterprise property management system.

Professional property photography: Casago ensures listings are accompanied with professional-grade photos during the onboarding process.

Comprehensive marketing: Casago lists rentals on their brand website and over 100 top booking platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, and others. In addition, they connect with local real estate agents and list properties as short-term housing options on Zillow, Rent.com, and others. Their main website has a domain rating of 55, which helps generate direct bookings.

Dynamic pricing: Casago implements a competitive dynamic pricing strategy based on real-time data, market trends, and competitors' prices. They use both historical data and predictive analytics, updating pricing strategies weekly.

Professional guest screening: Casago property management services include in-depth checks on all renters before accepting reservations. They utilize industry-leading tools like Guest Ranger for ID verification, background checks, and payment authentication.

Guest communication management: Casago communicates with guests before, during, and after stays through their dedicated guest services team to ensure everything goes smoothly and guests are satisfied.

In-person check-ins and check-outs: In many markets, Casago meets guests at check-in and check-out. On check-out, they review the property with the guest to avoid disputes over damages.

Concierge services: Casago offers concierge services to guests in many locations, including activity booking, grocery stocking, and transportation coordination, though specific offerings vary by market.

24/7 guest support: The Casago local teams are available to help guests at all times.

Property cleaning: Casago cleans rentals promptly upon check-out to prepare them for the next guest with their professional housekeeping teams.

Supply restocking: Casago restocks properties between guests with all necessities.

Swimming pool maintenance: Casago works with local reputable vendors to take care of pools and other amenities.

Tax collection and remittance: Casago collects necessary taxes from guests, puts them in an escrow account, and remits them to the relevant authorities on behalf of hosts. This is an important benefit as it helps investors save time and avoid legal troubles.

Property maintenance: Casago coordinates necessary repairs and fixes after documenting them, sharing photos with owners, and getting their approval. All maintenance charges are documented with photos and detailed in owner statements.

Review generation: The Casago team works on generating positive reviews from guests which helps boost bookings. However, since properties are listed under the name of Casago, property owners will lose these reviews and rankings once they decide to leave Casago. This is a standard practice in the vacation rental property management industry.

Technology and Owner Portal

Casago provides owners with a comprehensive portal that includes real-time financial data, performance metrics, and property status updates. Owners receive detailed monthly statements including gross rental income, management fees, maintenance costs, and payouts.

The company uses custom dashboards to track booking windows, traveler behavior, and local trends. This technology integration helps optimize revenue and occupancy rates.

Missing Casago Property Management Services

While Casago provides a comprehensive range of services, there are still some important items that are missing or limited in their portfolio.

Interior design and furnishing: Casago generally expects properties to be supplied with furniture, appliances, cookware, and dinnerware by owners. The company highlights the importance of well-decorated homes and beautiful surroundings to enhance occupancy but typically does not support investors with initial setup.

Some local franchise offices may offer limited assistance with property preparation, but this varies by market. When hiring Casago, you might miss an opportunity to maximize earnings by not having access to professional interior design services that some competitors provide.

Vacation rental insurance: Casago does not prominently feature vacation rental insurance in their standard service offering. This is a significant consideration for running a well-protected short-term rental business as short-term rentals are associated with higher risk than long-term rentals or personal homes. While not all Casago competitors include insurance in their services, many connect property owners with insurance providers.

Casago Property Management Onboarding

Getting started with Casago requires several steps:

1. Owners meet with the local General Manager for their market
2. The General Manager collects property information, inspects the property, photographs the home, and writes the listing
3. The team shoots professional photos, creates an attractive listing, and activates it across platforms
4. If a property is rent-ready, reservations typically begin within a few weeks

To speed up the process, investors should have their properties ready for renting. While Casago mentions they can help with upgrades, rental permits, and other aspects of turning a home into a vacation rental, the specific assistance varies by local franchise office.

Casago does not mention explicitly how they handle transferring a short-term rental from another management company, so this should be discussed with the local team during onboarding.

Casago Property Management Costs and Fees

Casago charges a property management fee of 18% of booking revenue. This is a universal fee which does not change across markets and property types. This universal fee makes Casago comparable to competitors like Awning and different from companies with variable pricing like the former Vacasa.

The rate is relatively competitive as most Airbnb management companies in the US charge between 25% and 50% of income. However, the 18% rate is higher than some alternatives like Evolve at 10% or Awning at 15%.

Additional Fee Structure

The Casago property management company operates with a "No Surprises" guarantee, meaning all services provided are covered by the comprehensive monthly fee. Casago does not charge separate fees for additional services to property owners.

This makes Casago different from some competitors who ask for extra payments for certain services. Property owner reviews generally confirm that unexpected fees are not common.

However, there are some specific charges that may apply:

• $50 charge for lost house keys
• $49 trip charge plus replacement cost for lost remotes or community keys
• Non-refundable pet fees charged to guests (when pets are allowed)

Onboarding and Exit Costs

Casago requires investors to sign a management agreement. There are no costs associated with the onboarding process, which is standard in the vacation rental management industry.

As long as short-term rental property owners provide Casago with a 30-day notice, there is no fee for leaving. This is in line with industry standards and more favorable than some competitors who charge early termination fees.

Casago Property Management Performance

Based on current data, Casago-managed properties typically see 10-25% higher occupancy rates than the market average due to their proactive pricing strategy, guest experience, and marketing reach. The company claims their properties perform 30% better than traditionally managed rentals on average, though detailed methodology for this claim is not publicly available.

The franchise model allows for local market expertise while providing corporate-level resources and support. Nearly 95% of US-based Casago franchise offices are Airbnb Superhosts, VRBO Premier Partners, or both, which indicates strong performance standards.

Casago Property Management Reviews and Reputation

Following significant growth and the Vacasa acquisition, Casago's online presence has improved substantially. Current review data shows:

Better Business Bureau: A- rating, accredited since March 2012 Yelp: 3.3/5 stars based on 61 reviews
Google: 4.5/5 stars based on 151 reviews Facebook: 4.6/5 stars based on 197 reviews Industry Recognition: Top 1% rating by Comparent

Positive reviews by Casago guests praise the professional management, clean accommodations, excellent resort amenities, and responsive customer service. The booking process is frequently mentioned as being straightforward and user-friendly.

However, negative reviews include complaints about customer service responsiveness in some markets, refund policies, and occasional property maintenance issues. Some property owners have reported inconsistent service quality between different franchise locations.

The franchise model means that service quality can vary by location, as each office is locally owned and operated. This can result in different experiences depending on the specific market and local management team.

Major Recent Developments

Vacasa Acquisition: In December 2024, Casago announced the acquisition of Vacasa for approximately $128.6 million. This merger was completed in early 2025 and represents a transformative expansion for Casago, adding approximately 40,000 properties to their portfolio.

The acquisition addresses many of Casago's previous limitations regarding geographic coverage and scale. The combined entity now manages over 45,000 properties, making it one of the largest vacation rental management platforms in North America.

Leadership Changes: Joseph Riley was appointed as President in September 2024, and John Banczak (former Vacasa COO) became Casago's COO in December 2024 to help with the integration.

Casago Competitors Analysis

Awning vs Casago

Awning remains a strong competitor with several advantages over Casago. Awning is a full-service short-term rental property management company that handles everything from property preparation to daily management.

The Awning interior design program is managed by experienced professionals, and properties that undergo Awning interior design typically see significant revenue increases. Meanwhile, Casago generally cannot provide adequate support for getting properties initially ready.

Awning offers services across the entire US market with consistent quality standards. In terms of property types, Awning manages most property types but does not manage entire resorts, unlike Casago.

Awning charges a single monthly property management fee of 15% of revenue, which is lower than Casago's 18%. However, Awning's property design and furnishing services are not included in the monthly fee, with setup costs typically ranging between $15,000 and $45,000.

Evolve vs Casago

Evolve operates as a half-service Airbnb property management company, providing a limited selection of services which require more owner involvement compared to Casago.

Evolve focuses on listing optimization, marketing, dynamic pricing, and insurance, while connecting owners with local vetted vendors for day-to-day tasks. This means hosts need to coordinate and supervise local vendors, which reduces the passive nature of the investment.

Evolve operates in many US markets plus Mexico and manages over 24,000 properties. The Evolve property management fee is 10% of monthly income, which is lower than Casago's 18%. However, considering the limited services, the value proposition depends on owner involvement preferences.

Former Vacasa Comparison

With the acquisition of Vacasa completed, this comparison is now less relevant. However, the integration of Vacasa's 40,000 properties and technology platform should address many of Casago's previous scale and geographic limitations.

The merger combines Casago's franchise-based local approach with Vacasa's technology and scale, potentially creating a more comprehensive service offering.

Final Assessment

In conclusion, our updated Casago property management review reveals significant changes in the company's position following the Vacasa acquisition. Casago has transformed from a regional player to one of the largest vacation rental management companies in North America.

Strengths:

• Competitive 18% management fee with no hidden costs
• Comprehensive service offering for hands-off investors
• Strong local market expertise through franchise model
• Expanded geographic coverage across 70+ markets
• Experienced leadership with military-influenced operational discipline
• Strong technology platform and owner portal
• Top 1% industry recognition by Comparent

Weaknesses:

• Limited interior design and furnishing support
• Inconsistent service quality between franchise locations
• Higher fees than some competitors (Evolve 10%, Awning 15%)
• Integration challenges from rapid expansion
• Variable concierge services depending on market

Best For: Property owners who have fully furnished, rent-ready properties and want comprehensive management services with local expertise while maintaining some level of personal involvement in major decisions.

Not Ideal For: Investors seeking complete hands-off experience including property setup, design, and furnishing, or those requiring guaranteed consistent service quality across all markets.

The Vacasa acquisition represents both an opportunity and a challenge for Casago. If successfully integrated, the combined company could offer the best of both worlds: local expertise with enterprise-scale resources. However, the integration process and maintaining quality standards across such a large portfolio will be critical to long-term success.

For investors considering Casago, we recommend thoroughly researching the specific local franchise office in your market, as service quality and offerings can vary significantly between locations.

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