Offering accommodation for short-term rental (from a few days to a few weeks) can prove to have many advantages for property owners. Increasingly popular, this practice indeed offers numerous benefits, and it’s not just about the potential financial gain. Let’s see what it’s all about.
Offering Accommodation for Short-Term Rental
Today, with platforms as famous as Airbnb, Abritel, or Booking, offering your accommodation for rent is easy. On these platforms, you present your accommodation to potential renters, and that’s it. However, different rules must be followed to ensure everything goes smoothly. This is the case for local regulations (payment of tourist tax, obtaining licenses…). It’s also important to know that rental income is taxable. It is therefore essential to keep an accurate record of income. The owner will also need to take out insurance to protect their accommodation against damage, accidents… It will also be useful to implement security measures to protect tenants and the property. Finally, it will also be important to establish very good communication with your tenants and set an appropriate price.
Whether it’s for a single night or several days, offering accommodation to tenants can therefore take time and requires work. But it also allows for many advantages.
The Advantages of Short-Term Rentals
Renting out accommodation for short periods allows for better income, generally multiplied by 2 or 3. If the accommodation is located in a tourist area, short-term rental will be more profitable than traditional rental. The revenues will be significantly higher. Daily rates are higher than standard rates over a week. It will therefore be possible to charge per night, which implies higher rates. Profits will thus be maximized, mainly during periods of high tourist traffic. 
Moreover, pricing is dynamic. With short-term rental, it’s possible to adapt and set a different rate for each night, based on, for example, the season, local events, demand, or even days of the week. A rental by the sea in summer will be more expensive. A rental close to a Christmas market will see its price increase during this period.
Another advantage of short-term rental is the possibility of personal use. If you rent out your accommodation in a traditional way, you won’t be able to use this property for your personal purposes. Whereas with short-term rental, you have the opportunity to occupy the property more regularly and reserve periods for yourself.
As an owner, you choose when you want to rent out the accommodation and for how long. This is thus much more flexible. You will have better control compared to long-term rental.
Short-term rental also has advantageous tax implications. As a non-professional furnished rental owner (LMNP), you can opt for a flat-rate regime (micro-BIC) or an actual regime. With the latter, charges and expenses are taken into account, which allows you to reduce your taxable base. To simplify the work related to renting out your accommodation even more, you can call on a tax advisor or an accountant.
When you rent out a property, there’s always the risk that the rent won’t be paid. With short-term rental, this problem doesn’t exist or is minimal. A study has shown that the risk of non-payment is less than 2% with seasonal rental. Payments are made by the platform used, either at the end of the stay or at the end of each month. Problem resolution is also faster. Payment is much more assured than in traditional rental.
Seasonal rental has another advantage for the property owner. People staying in the accommodation will indeed report all maintenance issues. Detection will therefore be faster. At the end of each stay, the owner conducts an inspection of the property. It will thus be easier to detect any damage or malfunction. The owner can repair this problem without delay, which will keep the accommodation in impeccable condition. It’s also a way to get better reviews. With the property in excellent condition, tenants will give a better evaluation, which plays an important role in renting out the property.
This type of rental is also more flexible. In this case, there is no long-term contract. It will therefore be possible for the owner to have more freedom. The risks will also be reduced as the turnover is more fluid.
It is also important to know that seasonal rentals are a strategy to diversify one’s real estate portfolio. This type of rental attracts many tenant profiles, which helps reduce the risks associated with a single tenant.
This is another way to optimize one’s real estate property. The accommodation must always be up-to-date in order to appeal to the greatest number of people. This can increase the value of the accommodation by 20 to 25%.
Finally, if you’re concerned that short-term rentals might be too time-consuming, you can entrust it to an external partner. This can be an online platform or an external service provider. If you own accommodation on the French Riviera (Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Cannes), you can entrust your property to Bnb Groom Services, which takes care of it and simplifies seasonal rentals.
The Disadvantages of Short-Term Rentals
Even if this type of rental has many advantages, it is not perfect and can also have some drawbacks. When you offer your accommodation for seasonal rental, it’s important to take into account that property management will be significant. Managing supplies, cleaning, communicating with tenants… it takes time.
The income will be fluctuating. You can earn a lot one month and little the next.
Finally, even if your accommodation will be better maintained, it will also suffer from increased wear and tear. The large number of people occupying it can lead to accelerated deterioration of the accommodation. It will therefore be necessary to carry out renovations regularly.
However, this rental market remains a strong trend.
