Turning Cottages into Income: A Richmond Hill Business Built on HospitalityFrom Richmond Hill to Cottage Country: Meet A1 Cottage Management

Many Ontario families own a cottage or a second property that they love but cannot look after the way it deserves. Between guest messages, cleanings, maintenance calls and pricing, running a short-term rental can quickly turn into a second job. A1 Cottage Management was founded to take that work off owners’ plates, so their property earns well and is cared for properly.

Based in Richmond Hill, A1 Cottage Management is a property management company focused on short-term and long-term rentals. We manage properties across Muskoka and the Almaguin Highlands (Huntsville, Bracebridge, Burk’s Falls, Sundridge), Parry Sound, Orillia, Barrie, Bancroft, the Kawarthas, Peterborough and much of the GTA.

Why we started

Co-founder Avi Sohal has an MBA from the University of Toronto and spent years as a senior marketing manager at companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic. He and his business partner started with their own properties in Bancroft, run as short-term rentals. That hands-on experience taught them what guests expect, what owners worry about, and where things usually go wrong. Today we manage other owners’ properties with the same standards we use for our own.

What we do

• Full short-term rental management: listing setup and optimization on Airbnb, VRBO and Booking.com, pricing, guest communication, cleaning coordination, and maintenance.

• Long-term rental management for owners who prefer steady, lower-touch income.

• Commercial property management through A1 Commercial Management, for multi-unit buildings.

A client story: from unused cottage to income

Paul Burke’s (name changed for privacy reasons) family owns a cottage on Otter Lake in Huntsville. Once the children left for university, the family spent less time there, and the cottage sat empty most of the year. Taxes, upkeep and maintenance kept adding up, so a place full of family memories was turning into a financial burden.

We took over management, got the property guest-ready, listed it, and handled everything from bookings to turnovers. Last summer the cottage earned the family more than $11,000 per month on an average, after all maintenance and management costs. They still own the cottage they love, stay there whenever they like and now it has become a revenue generator as opposed to a cost center.

Moreover, the income is almost fully passive. 

An insight for property owners

The biggest mistake we see is treating a short-term rental as a “list it and forget it” investment. The properties that do best are run like small hospitality businesses: fast replies, spotless turnovers, honest listings and a real effort to bring past guests back to book directly. Repeat guests and direct bookings cut platform fees and make income steadier, especially in the slower seasons.

Our second tip: before you choose between long-term and short-term rental, run the numbers properly and check the local rules. Municipal short-term rental bylaws differ a lot across Ontario, and the right choice depends on the property, the location and how much involvement the owner wants.

Working with the Richmond Hill business community

We are glad to be part of the Richmond Hill Board of Trade. We work well with realtors, cleaners, trades, interior designers and local suppliers, and we are always open to referral partnerships. If you own a cottage or rental property, or you work with clients who do, we would be happy to talk.

ContactAvi Sohal, Co-Founder, A1 Cottage ManagementPhone: 647-544-0618Website: a1cottagemanagement.c