Many owners wonder whether to hire a property manager or do it themselves to save money. It is the right question, but it needs to be asked the right way: not "how much does it cost", but how much do I keep at the end.
To answer it you need to know every cost item in a short-term rental, including the ones you do not see. In this guide you will find them one by one, with who pays, how they are calculated and where the surprises hide.
Cost items at a glance
| Item | Type | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Platform commissions | variable, on every booking | owner, partly the guest |
| Cleaning and linen | variable, per stay | usually the guest, through the cleaning fee |
| Utilities and internet | fixed and variable | owner |
| Consumables and welcome pack | variable | owner |
| Maintenance and wear and tear | variable | owner |
| Insurance and safety | fixed | owner |
| Management fee | variable | owner, if they delegate |
| Tax on rental income | variable | owner |
| Tourist tax | per guest per night | guest, paid over to the Comune |
Let's look at them in detail.
Platform commissions
Airbnb, Booking and the other platforms take a commission on every booking. The percentage depends on the platform, the fee model you choose and how the commission is split between you and the guest. It is one of the highest and least visible costs, because it is deducted before the money reaches you.
Direct bookings, through the home's or the manager's own website, carry no such commission: that is why it pays to build up, over time, a share of guests who come back and book directly.
Cleaning and linen
Every changeover requires a full clean, fresh sheets and towels, washing and ironing. The guest usually pays a cleaning fee per stay, which covers all or part of the cost. With short stays, changeovers are more frequent: that is why the minimum stay needs to be set carefully, season by season.
Quality matters as much as cost: poor cleaning is the number one cause of negative reviews.
Utilities, internet and consumables
Electricity, gas, water and internet are your responsibility. In summer air conditioning pushes up the bill; in winter it is the heating. On top of these come consumables: paper, bathroom and kitchen products, detergents, welcome packs. Small amounts per stay, but constant throughout the year.
Maintenance, safety and insurance
An apartment let for short stays gets more use than a home lived in by a single family. Budget for small repairs (taps, light bulbs, locks), periodic replacement of linen and small appliances, and a fund for wear and tear.
The law also requires working gas and carbon monoxide detectors and compliant fire extinguishers. Insurance covering damage and third-party liability towards guests is strongly recommended.
CIN: the code every home must have
Since 2025 every property used for short-term or tourist rentals must have a CIN (Codice Identificativo Nazionale, the national identification code) issued by the Ministry of Tourism. It must be displayed outside the building and shown in every listing. Applying is free, but the penalties are heavy: from 800 to 8,000 euros if it is missing, and from 500 to 5,000 euros if it is not displayed or shown, with the listing taken down.
Tax on rental income and the 21% withholding
For private individuals, in 2026:
- cedolare secca (flat-rate rental tax) at 21% on one property of your choice, 26% on the others;
- from the third property let on a short-term basis in the same year, the activity is treated as a business and you need a VAT number.
When an intermediary collects the rent on your behalf, it applies a 21% withholding tax as an advance payment, pays it to the tax authorities and issues you the Certificazione Unica (the annual tax statement), which you then use in your tax return. It is a practical advantage: much of the tax has already been paid and you have a tidy document to hand to your accountant. For details, read Taxes, CIN and regulations.
Tourist tax
In Sanremo the tourist tax is paid by the guest, but whoever collects the rent must calculate it, collect it, pay it over to the Comune and file the required returns. From 1 January 2026, for holiday homes and non-hotel accommodation it reaches 2 euros per person per night, for a maximum of 5 consecutive nights, with exemptions set by the municipal regulations. The amounts change: always check the resolution currently in force.
Linked to the tax are the mandatory reports: registering guests on the Alloggiati Web portal of the Polizia di Stato (the State Police guest-registration system) within 24 hours of arrival, and statistical reports to the Regione and the Comune.
The management fee
A professional property manager usually works on a share of revenue: they earn when you earn. Before signing, always clarify:
- what the share is calculated on: the gross, or the amount net of platform commissions or the cleaning fee;
- what is included: photos, listings, pricing, messaging, check-in, cleaning, maintenance, tax obligations;
- whether there are fixed or set-up costs, and what happens in months when the home earns nothing;
- how and when you receive your money and your statement.
When you compare two offers, compare what is included, not just the percentage.
One-off start-up costs
Before the first booking there are a few expenses to budget for just once:
- equipment: spare linen, a full set of crockery, small appliances, a key safe or an electronic lock;
- safety: gas and carbon monoxide detectors, a fire extinguisher, any upgrades to the systems;
- presentation: small home-staging touches and a professional photo shoot;
- paperwork: applying for the CIN, notifying the Comune and getting access to the Alloggiati and tourist tax portals.
These costs are recovered in the first few months if the home gets off to a good start. Read How to prepare your home for short-term rental.
Doing it yourself is not free
Managing it yourself looks free, but it is not. Listings, messages at all hours, check-ins, cleaning, linen, paperwork and the unexpected all cost time. Then there are the mistakes made by people who do not do it for a living: the wrong price during Festival week, a negative review, a fine for the CIN or for a missed report. The real cost of DIY is almost always higher than it looks.
The right yardstick: net income, not the percentage
A management service that "costs" more but fills the home at better rates leaves you with more than one that "costs" little but does a poor job. The question to ask is always the same: with this service, how much net income do I make by the end of the year compared with doing it myself? You will find how that net figure is built in How much does a short-term rental earn in Sanremo.
How Abitare works
Abitare is a hospitality and technology company founded in Sanremo, with more than 200 properties managed since 2019. Everything runs through Abitare OS, the platform we work on:
- dynamic pricing updated every day and publication on Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, smaller portals and our direct website, with calendars and prices kept in sync by a channel manager;
- online check-in with identity verification: you know who is entering your home;
- automatic tax handling: as withholding agents, we take care of the 21% withholding and the Certificazione Unica; the tourist tax, Alloggiati and CIN too;
- professional cleaning and linen and maintenance;
- owner app: live bookings, income, monthly statement, documents and year-on-year comparison; bank transfer by the 15th of the month.
There are no fixed costs for the owner: we are paid when your home earns. We show you what is included before we start; the details are on the Costs page.
Run the numbers on your home
The quickest way to see whether it is worth it is to start from your property's numbers. With the income calculator you see an estimate of your net income after withholding tax, cleaning and commission. If you would rather talk it through, book an appointment by choosing a day and time slot.