Short-term rental apartment : everything you need to know (2025)

What is the short term rental apartment ?

The short-term rental (LCD) is to provide a furnished apartment for a few nights to a few weeks, most often via platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com or Abritel. It is distinguished from the long-term rental and the rental of furnished premises classic by a rotation of travelers much higher and, therefore, by a more active : check-in and check-out is common, household systematic between two stays, quick responses to messages, and coordination of service providers. The LCD should be provided to owners, investors who want to optimize their performance to the conciergeries that support the operations for a portfolio of properties. The main interest is the control end of the calendar, the possibility to adjust the price according to the demand and profitability often higher on the markets.

Real benefits… and limitations to anticipate

The LCD shines with his ability to capture demand, where it is located : seasonality in tourism, local events, business trips, family stays or telework-the-go. Dynamic pricing and optimizing ads to increase the income by night while keeping the freedom to block certain periods for personal use. In return, the operational burden is real : the travellers expect answers almost immediately, including in the evenings and on the weekends, emergencies, not prevent, and the coordination housekeeping/maintenance must be millimétrée. Seasonality results in variable revenues according to the cities and time periods, while the local regulations impose statements and limits of occupation. It is precisely for smooth this complexity that the automation of the e-mail and the centralization of the channels become strategic.

The successful day to day management

A flat performance is first and foremost an apartment perfectly prepared. The cleanliness should be impeccable, the comfortable bedding, free Wi-Fi is fast and stable, kitchen, functional and instructions for use, crystal-clear. Good photos and a decorative neat improve the rate of clicks and, in fine, the occupancy rate. Next announcement, to focus on titles and descriptions-oriented benefits, clarifies the rules of the house to avoid friction and put on your calendar up to date by incorporating weekends, holidays and local events in your pricing strategy. Communication is the second pillar : the perceived quality greatly depends on the responsiveness and relevance of responses, often in the language of the traveler. This is where a layer of automation well set saves hours each week, while maintaining your tone of a brand.

Legal framework in France : the essential to check locally

The requirements vary according to the commons. In a lot of cities, it should declare the furnished tourist and display a registration number on the ad. The main residence is frequently limited to 120 nights per year in tourist accommodation, while secondary residences may require a change-of-use, set-off or other specific permissions. The tourist tax must be collected and paid, sometimes automatically via the platforms. Next to taxation, the income under the BIC : the micro-BIC is suitable for some profiles, the real to the other depending on levels of charges and depreciation and amortization. Finally, a specific insurance (liability, damages) and compliance with the standards of safety — smoke detectors, compliance, electricity/gas, notices — are necessary to protect property owners and travelers.

The tools that professionalize the management

As soon as you diffuse on several platforms, a PMS or channel manager becomes the vertebral column : it syncs schedules, fares and bookings in near real-time, limit double-bookings and centralizes the overview. In addition, a messaging intelligently to absorb the volume of trade without losing control. With Zenivia, most of the recurring issues — access codes, schedules, Wi-Fi, recommendations are run 24/7, in over 120 languages, in a style consistent with your brand, and you choose to send automatic or validate it before sending. The modules are cleaning and maintenance, with schedules being shared, checklists, standardized, and evidence photo of the condition of the premises, thin passages and dramatically reduces the amount of oversights. The more the system is simple and square, the more experience is homogeneous,… and in the notes back.

Check-in / Check-out without friction

A welcome booklet, digital light changes everything : entrance codes, location of the key box, parking, Wi-Fi, sensitive equipment and instructions must be accessible in a click. The ideal is to orchestrate a sequence of short messages and helpful — a few days before arrival, the day before D-day, then, at the end of their stay to reassure, to prevent issues and streamline departures. An e-mail AI can trigger these messages at the right time, to adapt the language, provide contextual information, and you notify only in exceptional cases ; you guards, and the time for the real unexpected.

Measure, learn, improve

The LCD driver by the data. Follow the occupancy rate and revenue per unit reveals the effectiveness of pricing, while the average response time and the share of automated messages is a measure of operational efficiency. Notes and notices travellers indicate the perceived quality, and the operational cost per stay (cleaning, consumables, time spent, SAV) illuminates the margin real. From these indicators, feeds a loop of continuous improvement : upgrade your templates, adjust your guides, tests of new titles and pictures, sharpen your rules and your timings of messages. A dashboard that is simple, readable and shared just need to decide quickly and well.

Conclusion

The short-term rental of an apartment can be very effective provided that alignment of three elements : a clear understanding of the local rules, an experience traveller without friction and operational execution impeccably equipped. By automating the e-mail 24/7, by centralizing your channels and by standardising the interventions field, you will gain time, reduce stress, and students, the quality of service. Zenivia integrates with your stack frameworks, in line with your tone of mark and automates up to 90% of the answers in more than 120 languages, letting you hand over the case sensitive. Free trial 1 month • Put in place in 24 h • No commitment. Reserve your demo and turns your daily management.