All businesses / Short-term rental

Fingerprint: capital · hours · speed to income · margin · ceiling. The dashed line is mid-scale.

Start a short-term rental: the real numbers

Furnished flat let by the night. Below is what it actually costs, how long before money arrives, and the part most guides leave out.

Startup capital

€35,000–€100,000

Hours / week

8–25

First income

~12 wks

Net margin

45%

Saturation

high

Realistic ceiling

€400–€2,200+

This ceiling is not a wall

The figure above is what this earns in the shape described — you, running it. Past that it keeps going, but by hiring people or adding units, not by you working more hours. That is a different job from the one you would be starting, and worth knowing before you start it.

What nobody usually tells you

Two to three times the income of a long let, and that gap is real. But it is a hospitality business, not a passive one: cleaning, messages and breakages are weekly work — and one change in municipal rules can end it overnight.

The route, in five steps

  1. Check the local short-let rules first — many cities cap the nights
  2. Budget €8-15k to furnish properly; cheap furnishing shows in reviews
  3. Price by the season, not a flat rate
  4. Get to 20 reviews fast, even at a loss
  5. Build a cleaner bench of three, not one

What you'll need to buy

These are the categories every short-term rental pays for in the first month. We break down what each one actually costs at this size on the tools page.

depositfurnishingchannel managercleaning teaminsurance

Does it hold up for you?

These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on your capital, your hours and how long you can wait — put them in and see.

Run my numbers → See the tool stack