Contents
Key facts
- Four stages: the booking subtotal, the payout after the platform fee, accommodation revenue without cleaning, and what is left with you.
- The same 20 per cent produces CHF 216, CHF 182.52 or CHF 152.10 — 42 per cent between the first basis and the last.
- French industry analyses from 2026: where 15 per cent was advertised, the share actually taken was 30 to 38 per cent.
- Our commission sits on accommodation revenue after the platform fee; 25 per cent of that equals around 21.1 per cent of a gross calculation.
How money flows from the guest to you
Between the amount a guest pays and what lands in your account there are several stages. Every one of them is used somewhere in the world as a basis for commission — which is why a percentage without a stated basis is an empty figure.
- Stage 1 — booking subtotal: nights plus cleaning fee plus surcharges. This is what the guest pays.
- Stage 2 — payout: subtotal minus platform fee. With Airbnb, 15.5 per cent in Switzerland from 13 October 2026.
- Stage 3 — accommodation revenue after fees: the payout without the cleaning element. This is lodging income in the narrower sense.
- Stage 4 — what stays with you: after commission, cleaning costs, laundry and consumables.
The same 20 per cent, three amounts
One booking, worked through: three nights at CHF 300 is CHF 900 in lodging. Add CHF 180 cleaning fee charged to the guest. The guest pays CHF 1080. Airbnb retains 15.5 per cent, that is CHF 167.40 — the payout comes to CHF 912.60. The cleaning service actually costs CHF 150.
Model A, on the gross amount: 20 per cent of CHF 1080 is CHF 216. Measured against your payout that is 23.7 per cent. This basis is widespread in the USA.
Model B, on the payout: 20 per cent of CHF 912.60 is CHF 182.52. That is precisely the 20 per cent advertised. Customary in the United Kingdom; Pass the Keys names this basis expressly on its pricing page.
Model C, on accommodation revenue after fees: 20 per cent of CHF 760.50 is CHF 152.10, that is 16.7 per cent of your payout.
Between A and C, at an identical percentage, lies a 42 per cent difference in cost. Anyone comparing two offers at «20 per cent» is comparing nothing.
What has come to light in France
The French market is further along than the Swiss one, including in scrutiny. In 2026 industry analyses there began to recalculate the advertised rates systematically. The results are uncomfortable.
For providers advertising 15 per cent, the share actually taken was, according to these analyses, 30 to 38 per cent. For premium providers at 22 per cent it was 32 to 42. Only providers that disclosed everything from the outset stayed at 22 to 28 per cent.
The mechanisms are documented, and none of them is unlawful — they simply do not appear on the pricing page.
- Margin on cleaning: the guest is charged EUR 90, the service provider receives 45 to 55. The difference appears on no owner statement. At six stays a month that is around EUR 240 a month.
- Margin on laundry and consumables: a 30 to 50 per cent mark-up on the purchase price.
- Additional flat charges per stay: welcome fees of EUR 25 to 40, laundry charges of 8 to 15 — on top of the commission.
- Tradesmen’s work at inflated hourly rates.
- Commission on refunds: if the platform refunds EUR 200 to a guest, some providers deduct commission on that as well.
Your figures, not our examples
The calculator takes the number of rooms, the neighbourhood and the fit-out and shows you a range — with the arithmetic beside it, not as a single figure you have to take on trust.
Estimate the returnA worked example from Paris
A two-room flat, EUR 10,400 gross annual revenue. The provider advertises 20 per cent standard commission, that is EUR 2080.
Added to that: EUR 35 cleaning margin over 25 stays, that is 875. EUR 10 laundry charge, 250. EUR 20 welcome fee, 500. A total of EUR 3705 — that is 35.6 per cent of gross revenue instead of the advertised 20.
The owner signed nothing improper. He simply did not ask.
What our commission is based on
We charge on accommodation revenue after deduction of the platform fee — model C above. Without cleaning fees, without pass-through items.
The drawback of this basis is that the percentage looks higher than on a gross basis. 25 per cent on model C corresponds to roughly 21.1 per cent of a gross calculation. We state it that way nonetheless, because it can be verified in the Airbnb payout report: you can check every statement without having to ask us.
Alongside that, four assurances we give in writing:
- No margin on cleaning, laundry, consumables or tradesmen’s work. Passed on at cost, with receipts in the monthly report.
- No commission on pass-through items, deposits, compensation for damage or platform refunds.
- Commission only on bookings actually paid out. If a guest cancels without payment, none arises.
- A monthly statement line by line: nights booked, average price, occupancy, platform fees, each clean itemised, the commission calculation.
Frequently asked questions
That is the decisive question, and it is rarely answered. There are three common bases: the amount the guest pays (widespread in the USA), the payout after the platform fee (customary in the United Kingdom), or accommodation revenue after fees excluding cleaning. At an identical 20 per cent that produces CHF 216, CHF 182.52 or CHF 152.10 for the same booking — a 42 per cent difference. Ask every provider for a worked example using a concrete booking. We charge on accommodation revenue after the platform fee, because that can be verified in the payout report.
Some do, and it appears on no statement. From French industry analyses of 2026: the guest is charged EUR 90 for a studio, the cleaning service receives 45 to 55 — the difference of 35 to 45 per stay stays with the manager. At six stays a month that is EUR 240 of hidden cost. The same pattern applies to laundry and consumables at a 30 to 50 per cent mark-up. Ask specifically: what does the guest pay, and what does the cleaner receive? We pass third-party services on at cost, with receipts in the monthly report.
Because the percentage is only part of the calculation. Documented for the French market: at an advertised 15 per cent the share actually taken was 30 to 38 per cent, at an advertised 22 per cent it was 32 to 42. The difference comes from margins on third-party services, flat charges per stay, and a favourable basis of calculation. A 15 per cent fee with a CHF 200 cleaning margin and monthly surcharges is more expensive than a 25 per cent fee with no extras. Compare the franc amount over a year, not the percentage.
And for your property?
Sources
State of our research: 31 July 2026. Official rules change — check the current position with the competent authority.
