Our experience working with Ryan and It All Starts Here included both positive results and…read moresignificant management concerns.
The property rented consistently, and many guest reviews described positive interactions with the host. Ryan also appeared to maintain a productive relationship with booking platforms. Our home quickly achieved 5-star status and ultimately, the property was placed in Airbnb's Luxe category.
The owner-manager relationship, however, was difficult. Ryan described the arrangement as a partnership rather than a traditional service relationship. In practice, this included him approving substantial rental discounts when he believed they aligned with a guest's budget (without communicating with us first).
There were also instances in which instructions regarding the home were not followed. After moving out, we realized that we had taken the kitchen mat and promptly ordered a replacement. We notified Ryan of the expected delivery date and, once it arrived, provided instructions about its placement. Several months later, we found the unused mat in the back of a closet. Ryan's only explanation was that "the cleaners must have put it there." Another example was a guest complaint about our outdoor cushions staining clothing. We had purchased new cushion covers before we left and when Ryan first notified us of the complaint, we advised that maybe they needed to be washed. Several months later, he brought up the issue again. I reminded him they may need to be washed. Once that was done, the guest complaints ceased.
There were also issues with household items. Linens purchased for one bed were the wrong size. They were eventually swapped out, but only after we visited and pointed out they didn't fit. We also supplied products for the house and shipped additional supplies when requested. Several months later, we found the cases we had sent unopened and unused.
Additionally, we had concerns about the cleaning service and the effectiveness of the reported spot checks. Issues we observed or that guests reported included food on the floor, jelly or jam on counters, vomit on a bathroom wall, and underwear left in a bedroom. He accused us of being "picky" and that no other owners had complaints (not true).
The most significant concern arose after the management platform changed in May 2026. The new system produced accounting errors each month. Payments were issued based on the reports as generated, so we had to review them monthly, and identify the discrepancies, then report them back. Corrections were made in the following month, which made the reports difficult to reconcile.
We sold the house after working with Ryan for one year, and the final report still contained the same discrepancies. After we raised those issues again, Ryan blocked all communication channels we had used to contact him (or it appears that way, as he stopped responding to us).
In the end, Ryan either overpaid us (if, in fact, his report is correct) or under paid us (the report showed a payment not made and the months-long issue of incorrectly charging Owner Stay Cleaning fees when we weren't there). The matter has not been resolved, but at this point our frustration level is so high we're reconciled to never seeing what is owed to us. But the fact he can't keep his accounting straight on even simple things demonstrates his lack of attention to detail.
EDIT: Ryan will say he tried to settle this (see attached), but will not update his records to be correct. In fact he insists his information is right, but won't supply supporting documentation. The attachment he is referring to was a "No Contact" agreement, which I find interesting he has on hand. We won't sign it, but neither will we ever be in contact with him again.
Overall, Ryan was effective at generating bookings and supporting strong rental performance. Owners considering his services should be prepared to monitor bookings, review payments, charges and discounts closely to confirm that financial reporting and rental decisions meet their expectations.
