Contents
Key points
- Cleaning is the largest running cost: it falls due at every changeover and depends on the size of the flat.
- Rarely in anyone's calculation: platform commission, consumables, wear, vacancy, maintenance.
- From 13 October 2026 Airbnb charges 15.5 per cent on the booking subtotal in Switzerland, Booking.com around 20.
- With us: commission Basic 18 per cent, full service 20 per cent for the first 6 months and 25 after that; cleaning as a flat rate per changeover.
Cleaning: the largest running cost
The cost per clean depends on the size of the flat: a studio is cleaned faster than three rooms with two bathrooms. Billing is usually by time spent at an hourly rate; flat rates by floor area or number of rooms are also possible. What cleaning amounts to in your calculation is shown by the income calculator.
The amount falls due on every guest changeover, not monthly. That is the calculation which surprises many owners: at twelve changeovers a month, cleaning becomes the largest running cost — larger than any management commission.
Laundry and restocking consumables add to the figure. Anyone washing the linen themselves is trading money for time; anyone sending it out reckons with a surcharge per changeover.
The items that rarely appear on an invoice
Alongside cleaning there are costs frequently missing from income projections — not by design, but because they fall due irregularly.
- Platform commission: from 13 October 2026 Airbnb charges 15.5 per cent on the booking subtotal in Switzerland, Booking.com around 20 per cent
- Consumables: coffee, soap, toilet paper, cleaning products — little per changeover, noticeable over a year
- Wear: textiles, crockery and small appliances wear out faster under changing occupancy than under a long-term tenancy
- Vacancy: not every night is booked, while the fixed costs continue
- Maintenance: minor repairs occur more often, because more people use the flat
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 returnFrom booking revenue to net return
These items add up to a calculation you should make before any decision: booking revenue minus platform commission, minus cleaning and laundry per changeover, minus consumables, minus management — what remains is your return before tax.
We cannot give a general percentage for this, and we deliberately do not: cleaning costs depend on the size of the flat, the number of changeovers on the length of stay, and the achievable prices on the location. Two flats with the same revenue can produce very different returns.
As regards your flat, we work through it with your figures in the first conversation — size, location, expected length of stay. The calculator on this site gives a first approximation for revenue; the cost side belongs in the conversation.
How we bill
Our commission is charged on accommodation revenue after the platform fee: Basic 18 per cent, full service 20 per cent for the first 6 months and 25 per cent after that. No basic fee, no set-up cost. If the flat stands empty, you pay us nothing — and the cleaning does not fall due either.
Cleaning and laundry run as a flat rate per changeover, staged by size of flat; the income calculator shows it in the calculation. The amount is fixed before the first booking and does not change if a clean takes longer once; that risk is ours. You see every changeover, not a single total.
Frequently asked questions
In part. A cleaning fee is customary on the platforms, but it rarely covers the full cost — and too high a figure worsens the booking rate. We weigh this up for each property.
As a flat rate per changeover, staged by size of flat. It is fixed before the first booking and does not change if a clean takes longer. The income calculator shows it in the calculation.
That can only be answered for a specific property. Short-term letting achieves higher nightly rates, but carries running costs and vacancy. We work through both variants for you — including when the long-term tenancy comes out better.
And for your property?
Sources
State of our research: 11 March 2026. Official rules change — check the current position with the competent authority.
