Short Term Rental
Management

Surge offers local full service vacation rental management for busy vacation rental owners and Airbnb hosts in Maxwell, California

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Maxwell, California Short Term Rental Overview

Airbnb Market
Maxwell, California presents an exceptional short-term rental investment opportunity driven by its strategic positioning along Interstate 5 and proximity to high-demand recreational areas including Clear Lake and the Mendocino National Forest, creating consistent traveler flow year-round. Property owners can capitalize on occupancy rates averaging 65-75% with daily rates ranging from $120-180 for well-appointed properties, generating potential annual revenues of $28,000-48,000 compared to traditional long-term rental yields of $18,000-24,000 in the same market. The location's appeal to outdoor enthusiasts, wine country tourists traveling between Napa and Mendocino regions, and business travelers accessing agricultural operations in the Sacramento Valley ensures diverse revenue streams across multiple guest segments. With limited hotel inventory in the immediate area and growing demand for authentic rural experiences, Maxwell's short-term rental market exhibits supply constraints that support premium pricing power, while the town's affordable property acquisition costs relative to coastal markets create favorable cash-on-cash returns exceeding 12-15% for optimized properties.
Short Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rental regulations in Maxwell, California, are governed by a complex web of local ordinances, zoning restrictions, and county-level requirements that can change without notice, leaving property owners vulnerable to costly fines, legal action, and forced closure of their rental operations if they fail to maintain proper permits, collect appropriate taxes, or comply with evolving safety and operational standards. The intricate nature of these regulations—ranging from occupancy limits and parking requirements to business license obligations and transient occupancy tax collection—creates a minefield of potential violations that can result in penalties reaching thousands of dollars and permanent damage to your property's rental eligibility. However, professional short-term rental management services eliminate these risks entirely by taking full responsibility for obtaining and maintaining all necessary permits, ensuring complete tax compliance, monitoring regulatory changes, and handling all legal requirements on your behalf, allowing you to enjoy the income from your investment property with complete peace of mind and zero compliance concerns.
Occupancy Rates
Maxwell, California experiences distinct seasonal patterns in Airbnb occupancy rates, with peak tourist seasons occurring during late spring through early fall (May-September) when visitors are drawn to the area's agricultural tourism, outdoor activities, and favorable weather conditions, resulting in occupancy rates typically reaching 75-85%. The shoulder seasons of late fall and winter (October-March) see significantly lower demand, with occupancy rates often dropping to 35-50% as cooler temperatures and reduced agricultural activity limit tourist appeal. Professional revenue management becomes crucial during these fluctuations, requiring hosts to implement dynamic pricing strategies that increase rates during peak harvest seasons and local events while offering competitive discounts during slower months to attract budget-conscious travelers and extended-stay guests. Effective revenue management in Maxwell involves monitoring local agricultural cycles, hunting seasons, and regional festivals to optimize pricing 30-60 days in advance, while maintaining baseline rates during shoulder periods that cover operational costs while remaining attractive enough to secure bookings from travelers seeking affordable accommodations between Sacramento and more expensive tourist destinations.
Vacation Rental Management
Managing a vacation rental in Maxwell, California presents unique operational challenges that can quickly overwhelm property owners seeking truly passive income. Guest turnover in this rural Colusa County location requires coordinating cleaning and maintenance teams across significant distances, often resulting in delayed turnarounds and lost bookings when vendors are unavailable or weather conditions impact rural road access. The 24/7 communication demands become particularly taxing when dealing with guests unfamiliar with the area's limited cell service, seasonal agricultural activities that may affect noise levels, and the need to provide detailed directions to a location that GPS systems sometimes struggle to navigate accurately. Maintenance issues are amplified by Maxwell's remote setting, where finding qualified contractors for emergency repairs, HVAC servicing, or plumbing problems often means waiting days for availability and paying premium rates for travel time, while the area's extreme summer heat and winter weather patterns accelerate wear on property systems. Without professional property management handling these complexities—from maintaining relationships with reliable local vendors to providing round-the-clock guest support and proactive maintenance scheduling—owners risk negative reviews, decreased occupancy rates, and the constant stress that transforms what should be passive income into an active, demanding second job that ultimately undermines both profitability and guest satisfaction in an increasingly competitive vacation rental market.
Attractions and Amenities
Maxwell, California's primary attractions center around the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex which draws birdwatchers and nature photographers year-round, the nearby Colusa-Sacramento River State Recreation Area offering fishing and boating opportunities, the historic Maxwell Museum showcasing local agricultural heritage, and the surrounding almond orchards that attract agritourism visitors during bloom season and harvest time. To effectively serve guests visiting these specific destinations, properties must provide essential amenities including high-quality binoculars and spotting scopes for wildlife viewing, secure storage for fishing equipment and cameras, early breakfast options or kitchenette facilities to accommodate dawn wildlife viewing schedules, reliable high-speed internet for uploading and sharing nature photography, outdoor gear cleaning stations for muddy boots and equipment after marsh visits, and comfortable outdoor seating areas where guests can plan their next day's birding routes or review field guides, while also offering local maps, tide charts, and seasonal wildlife activity guides to help visitors maximize their experience at these natural attractions.

Why choose Surge?

Surge is local Airbnb management that’s reliable, affordable and the best for your property.
Cost
Guest communications
Host Communications
Insurance
Contract
Cost
Starting at 15% fee
Guest communications
Guest response within 10 minutes, 24 hours a day
Host Communications
Designated host call in phone line
Insurance
Full damage protection for every reservation
Contract
No annual agreements
Other Property Mangers
Cost
25-40% fee
Guest communications
Sporadic guest communications
Host Communications
Bot response assistants
Insurance
Unreliable insurance coverage
Contract
Contract lock-ins

Understand Your STR Income

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Surge is geared towards maximizing potential

Be at ease with the knowledge that your vacation rental is being optimized to its fullest potential.
30%
In gross revenue
150 M
Potential guests
4.9
Superhost status
7+
Booking platforms
1
Property manager
The house was great. It accommodated our large group nicely. The owner was responsive and checked in on us throughout the trip. The gate around the home added privacy and security. The beds were comfortable as well. Extra linen, towels and washcloths. We are looking to book this home in the future!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
We really appreciated Surge. He was responsive, attentive, and went above to make sure our stay was seamless. You can tell he takes pride in providing a clean/organized place. Everyone loved the pool table and shuffleboard. This place is also very close to great restaurants. The place we went to had the best catfish. Would definitely rent from Surge again!!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
Our group really enjoyed our long weekend stay here! The property was very clean and spacious but also provided some privacy to accommodate our large family. Surge was responsive when we reached out to them and also accommodated an early check-in. We felt secure given that the property was gated and had smart locks on both entry doors. We strongly recommend this property and would love to stay here again!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
My family and I were here for my daughter’s graduation from UofH. Surge was very upfront, kept us informed and accommodating. The place was clean and fit my entire family comfortably. We have already made plans to come back. Great location, private and safe environment. Would highly recommend! Thank you Surge for making this stay memorable and stress free for our family!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
Great stay that accommodated all our needs for a successful for trip to Houston, i hope to Book in the coming future.
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
The host was great, he responded quickly when needed and checked in on us from time to time throughout the whole day. He was awesome and the place was great for my family of 16. Definitely will book with him in the future.
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about the product and billing.
Does Surge Property Management allow pets in its short term rentals?
Surge Property Management leaves that decision to the property owner. While allowing pets can be a big perk for some guests, Surge does not have any requirements for the property owner to allow it. Service animals are a different case. Surge is prohibited to refuse a reservation, charge pet fees, hold guests to different rules, apply differential treatment or use discriminatory language if a guest is accompanied by a service animal. A guests service animal must not be out of control, un-housebroken, left alone at the listing without prior approval, allowed into areas that are considered unauthorized by the guest and allowed in a public space without being harnessed, leashed, or tethered and not under the guests control.
Do I get access to an owner portal?
Surge Property Management has a tech leading owner portal to keep its property owners in the loop, instead of on the outside looking in. In the owner portal you can reserve days for personal use, see pending reservations, nightly pricing rates, owner statements, expense receipts, guest messaging and more!
Do you screen the guests that are staying in my property?
Our intelligent Guest Screening technology allows us to screen vacation rental guests before they enter your property, making it easier to keep bad guests out. We proactively assess the risk posed by each guest, through legal, non-discriminatory checks. Guests will be asked to submit some personal details including their name, date of birth, physical home address and contact details. We then verify by having the guest take a live selfie and submit a photo of their ID(either a drivers license or passport). This information will then be processed to determine the true identity of your guest, including whether the ID is fraudulent and if the provided details match those on the ID. This process will generate a risk report for us to review before the guest arrives.
Do you provide insurance for guest damages?
We partner with the premier provider of short term rental protection also offering guest screening and comprehensive insurance coverage. Our partner brings confidence and peace of mind to both Surge Property Management and its clients(homeowners). Our third party partner has protected over 60 billion in homeowner liability coverage and 1 million guest nights. Ask your Surge sales representative for more details.
What happens if there is guest damage to my property?
Each guest is required to make a $500 security deposit. Any damage above $500 we are able to document, submit, and follow a claim through on your behalf with our short term rental insurance partner covering up to $5,000,000.
How does Surge compare to a national provider like Vacasa?
While both Surge and Vacasa both have a full service model designed to be hands off from the property owner, Surge stands out above the rest by being more intentional and selective with the properties we decide to accept into our management portfolio. This allows us to give the required attention to the properties we manage instead of just "setting it and forgetting it" like the other property managers do. Once you go onboard with them you just become another number.
Does Surge handle the maintenance of the vacation rental?
Yes, Surge is able to handle any property maintenance(including hot tub & pool) for your property. We have a large network of service providers, additionally, if you have a preferred vendor we can assign and coordinate maintenance with them as well.
What services does Surge Property Management offer?

Surge is a full-service property manager and provides the following service to property owners:

  • Listing creating and management across multiple channels
  • Calendar management
  • Cleaning
  • Laundry
  • Restocking
  • Maintenance
  • Dynamic Pricing
  • Lock automation
  • Guest Portal
  • Owners Portal
  • Listing optimization
  • Photography
  • 24/7 guest communication
  • Check-in/out support
  • and more!
Is Surge Property Management a Superhost on Airbnb?
Yes, Surge Property Management is a Superhost on AirBNB. Airbnb defines a Superhost as a Host who goes above and beyond to provide excellent hospitality. Guests can easily identify a Superhost from the badge that appears on their Airbnb listing and profile. Superhosts have more visibility and earning potential.
How and when do I get paid?
Surge Property Management initiates ACH payment to its property owners once a month by the 10th day of the next month. Along with the ACH deposit sent to you, you also receive a highly detailed statement for review.
Are there any hidden fees?
Surge Property Management has the most transparent pricing in the industry. Our property owners are our Partners in business which is why we hold transparency at a very high standard. With your monthly statements you will be able to trace every dollar from when the guest paid for their reservation to when it was deposited into your bank account. Contact your Surge sales rep for a personal walk through of our statement structure.
Can I still use my property?
Yes of course. The biggest perk of a vacation rental is still retaining personal use of the property for your personal use. Inside of our Owner’s Portal you can reserve days for personal use.
How do you market my property?

We list your property on the major platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, Google Vacation rentals and more! We also allow direct bookings very popular among returning guests. Our integration technology is second to none and was awarded the following:

  • Airbnb Preferred + Software Partner
  • VRBO Elite Partner
  • Booking.com Premier Connectivity Partner
How do you handle complaints or disputes?
We aim to resolve issues quickly and fairly, protecting both the guests and the property owner’s interests. We mediate disputes and ensure a smooth resolution process.
How do I get started with your service?
Contact us to schedule a consultation. We'll discuss your property, our services, and how we can help you achieve your rental goals.
How do you handle waste management?
We coordinate with local services to ensure proper waste disposal and recycling, maintaining cleanliness and environmental responsibility.
What safety measures do you implement?
We ensure the property has functional smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, and complies with all local safety regulations.
What does Surge’s full service property management mean?
Surge's comprehensive property management service allows property owners to be completely hands-off with the daily operations of their Airbnb properties. Surge takes care of all the daily tasks, including listings, guest interactions, cleanings, restocking, and maintenance, ensuring a stress-free experience for the property owner.

Still have questions?

Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Please chat to our friendly team.
Get in touch
(713) 853-9573