Contents
Key points
- 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 comes to 23.7, 20 or 16.7 per cent of the payout — 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 — Basic 18 per cent, full service 20 per cent for the first 6 months and 25 after that — 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 in shares: take the lodging for three nights as 100. Add the cleaning fee charged to the guest — in this example a fifth of the lodging, that is 20. The guest pays 120. Airbnb retains 15.5 per cent, that is 18.6 — the payout comes to 101.4. The cleaning fee is set so that, after the platform fee, it covers what the cleaning service costs.
Model A, on the gross amount: 20 per cent of 120 is 24. 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 101.4 is 20.28. 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 84.5 is 16.9, 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: of the fee charged to the guest for cleaning, the service provider receives only half to around 60 per cent. The difference appears on no owner statement. It arises on every stay — six times a month at six stays.
- 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 and laundry charges — 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 over 25 stays: the cleaning margin, 8.4 per cent of gross revenue. The laundry charge, 2.4 per cent. The welcome fee, 4.8 per cent. A total of 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. Our rates — Basic 18 per cent, full service 20 per cent for the first 6 months and 25 per cent after that — apply to model C; 25 per cent on it 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 comes to 23.7, 20 or 16.7 per cent of the payout 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: of the fee charged to the guest for cleaning a studio, the cleaning service receives only half to around 60 per cent — the difference stays with the manager on every stay. At six stays a month it arises six times without appearing on any statement. 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 margin on cleaning and monthly surcharges can be 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.
