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Compare master lease, management agreement, and ownership models side by side. See profit projections, risk levels, and find the best fit for your strategy.
Rent the entire property at a fixed rate and sublease rooms to coliving residents.
Monthly Profit
$2,500
Annual Profit
$30,000
Upfront Cost
$7,500
Manage the property on behalf of the owner for a percentage fee of revenue.
Monthly Profit
$700
Annual Profit
$8,400
Upfront Cost
$0
Purchase the property outright (or with mortgage) and operate coliving directly.
Monthly Profit
$2,584
Annual Profit
$31,006
Upfront Cost
$125,000
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Get pros/cons analysis, total profit projections, and PDF report.
Pros
Full operational control
Keep all revenue above lease cost
No property purchase required
Scalable - replicate across locations
Cons
Fixed rent obligation regardless of occupancy
Lease renewal risk
No property appreciation benefit
Landlord may restrict modifications
Pros
Lowest financial risk
No upfront capital required
Steady income regardless of occupancy
Easy to scale across multiple properties
Cons
Lower profit potential
Limited control over pricing
Owner makes final decisions
Revenue capped by management fee
Pros
Full control over property and operations
Property appreciation builds equity
Highest long-term profit potential
No landlord dependency
Cons
Significant upfront capital required
Mortgage obligations regardless of revenue
Property maintenance responsibility
Illiquid investment - harder to exit
Our Recommendation
Based on your inputs, the **Ownership** model generates the highest total profit of $90,392 over 5 years. However, consider your risk tolerance and available capital when choosing.
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Select which business models to compare, master lease, management agreement, or ownership, and enter your property and market details.
View profit projections, risk levels, capital requirements, and cash flow timelines for each model in a clear comparison table.
Use the analysis to decide which model aligns with your capital, risk tolerance, and growth strategy, then take the next step.
Operators obsess over price and amenities and underweight the lease itself, and the lease is where 30-50% of their commercial outcomes are decided. Notice periods, deposit rules, guest policies, utility splits, early-termination terms, small differences here compound into huge differences in turnover cost, dispute volume, and operational complexity.
Comparing leases isn't about picking the strictest one; it's about picking the one whose terms match your operating model. A long-stay operator and a flexible-stay operator should not have the same lease, and a building targeting digital nomads needs different language from one targeting young professionals.
Master-lease, management agreement, or buy? Compare cash needed, risk, and stabilised yield side-by-side before committing to a 5-15 year structure.
You overpaid on the first one. Use the comparison to anchor your next negotiation on the actual cash-on-cash you'd accept.
Operators pitch the model that's easiest to fund, not always the best one. Stress-test their structure against ownership and management benchmarks.
Moving from master-lease to owned assets is a different business. Model the capital, returns, and operational changes before committing.
Compare the three structures across the same asset to surface which one survives a downside case.
of revenue typical management-agreement fee
EC operator dataset
typical master-lease term length to justify capex
EC benchmarks
IRR ownership models target after stabilisation
EC market data
of commercial outcomes decided by lease structure, not pricing
EC operator interviews
Standard residential leases don't fit coliving's shared-space, flex-stay reality. You'll spend years patching them with addenda.
If residents can leave with 30 days but you owe 90, your math doesn't work. Match notice periods on both sides where local law allows.
If utilities pass-through is described in three vague sentences, you'll relitigate it every dispute. Be explicit about method, frequency, and reconciliation.
Coliving residents leave for visa, job, and life reasons. Punitive ETFs damage your reputation more than they protect your revenue.
Dozens of small lease variants are an ops nightmare. Standardise on 2-3 versions max, and put variations in addenda.
The right screening reduces the disputes that even great leases can't solve.
Try it free →Lease + house rules is the full operating contract. Write them together.
Try it free →Make sure your lease language matches your actual utility split methodology.
Try it free →Last reviewed: May 2026.
Our team advises operators on the best business model for their market and goals.
