Property management quality varies wildly across the Riviera Maya. Some managers run truly professional operations with documented processes; others are essentially "I have a friend who can clean it for you" relationships that collapse the first time something breaks. Switching when things aren't working is mechanically easy but procedurally messy — done right, you transition in 30–45 days. Done wrong, you can lose 60+ days of bookings.
The 5 red flags (any 2+ = look for a new PM):
1. Opaque or late monthly statements. - You should get a monthly statement within 7 days of month-end - It should show every booking (source, dates, gross, fees, net), every expense (with receipts/CFDIs), every tax filing - Net deposit to your account should match the statement, exactly - If statements are "draft" forever, miss months, or come without supporting documents — that's a red flag
2. Below-market occupancy without explanation. - Compare your occupancy to market data — AirDNA, similar listings in your building, your manager's own reporting - A 60% occupancy in a 75% market is a problem; a manager should proactively diagnose and adjust pricing - If they're consistently underperforming and the explanation is "the market is slow," push for specifics
3. No post-stay reporting. - After each guest checkout, you should get photos showing the unit was cleaned and restored - Damage reports should arrive within 24 hours of identification - If you've been managing for 6+ months and never seen photos, your manager isn't doing the post-stay inspection — which means issues are accumulating you'll find at year-end
4. Slow maintenance response. - Standard SLAs: emergency (no AC, no water, no power) — 4 hours; urgent (appliance broken) — 24 hours; non-urgent (light bulb) — 72 hours - If guests are complaining about repeat issues, or you're getting Airbnb chargebacks for unresolved maintenance, your manager is dropping the ball
5. Communication failures. - Manager should respond to owner inquiries within 24 hours during weekdays - WhatsApp messages going unanswered, emails ignored, or "I'll check and get back to you" without follow-through — these compound - This is the most common quiet failure mode
Other warning signs:
- Surprise fees not in your contract (cleaning supplies, "admin fees," "marketing fees")
- Cleaning fee not flowing to the cleaner (you pay $50/clean, cleaner makes $15)
- Refusing to provide CFDIs for the tax filings
- Multiple "cleaning days" booked where the unit was actually vacant
- Different bank account for deposits than the one in your contract
- Manager personally using the unit during "vacant" windows
The switching process:
Step 1: Find the new manager first. Don't terminate before you've signed with a new PM. The gap between managers is where things go wrong — bookings drop, the unit goes unsupervised, keys go missing. Identify 2–3 alternatives, interview them, get references, sign with one.
Step 2: Read your contract carefully. - Termination clause (typical: 30-day notice, sometimes longer) - What happens to existing bookings (typically the current PM honors them through checkout) - OTA listing ownership (this is the big one — see below) - Key + gear inventory provisions
Step 3: Send written termination notice. Email + WhatsApp the termination, specifying the end date. Keep it professional — you may need this PM for the handover.
Step 4: Handle OTA listings. This is where it gets complicated. Some managers list your property under their own account; others list under yours. If under their account: - Existing reviews stay with their account (you lose them) - You need to create new listings on Airbnb/VRBO/Booking under your name (or new PM's name) - This is a 30–60 day rebuild — be ready for an occupancy dip
If under your account (best practice from the start): - Reviews stay with you - New PM just gets access - No occupancy dip
Step 5: Inventory handover. The new PM should walk through the property with the old PM. Document every key, every piece of furniture, every appliance, every condition issue. Photos + signed inventory list.
Step 6: Honor existing bookings. The old PM typically honors bookings made before termination. New PM handles bookings starting after the transition date. Communicate clearly with guests if there are any changes.
Cost of switching:
- Realistic occupancy dip: 10–20 percentage points for 30–90 days during the transition
- Refresh fees from new PM: $200–500 USD
- Listing recreation work: 2–5 days of your time or $300–600 if you outsource
- If the old PM owns the listings, the cost is significantly higher
How PlayaStays handles new-owner onboarding:
- Free pre-engagement review of your current PM's performance (statements, occupancy, response times)
- We list all properties under owner accounts (or our agency account with full transparency)
- All reviews + listing history transfer with the owner
- Onboarding includes inventory documentation, professional photos, listing optimization, pricing strategy
- 30-day transition with detailed weekly reports during ramp-up
