What Does Long-Term Rental Really Cost? (And What Does It Earn?)

Do you think long-term rental is more hassle than it’s worth? Between deposits, contracts and unpaid rent risk, it often feels like something for agencies, not concierge companies. But the numbers behind long-term rental management tell a different story.

What people usually believe (and what holds them back)

When you’re used to short-term rental, you work in fast cycles. Owners get paid right away, you chain cleanings together, and you take your commission on every stay.

So of course, when long-term rental comes up, you think:

• “I’ll have to front the deposit”
• “I’ll have to collect the rent”
• “I’ll have to deal with unpaid rent”

It feels like a big change, something complicated to manage. But in reality, it’s not, as long as you have the right tools.

Let’s run the numbers

Take a classic case: a furnished one-bedroom at €700/month. You offer long-term management at 10% including VAT. That’s €70/month for you, fixed. No variation, no cancellations, no last-minute cleanings.

On the expense side:

• No agency fees
• No need to hire
• No deposit to front (the tenant pays directly)
• You can even automate a large part of the management with the right tools

And above all: you earn recurring revenue.

And if you want to go further

You can also offer:

• Paid inspection reports (on the tenant’s side, only the move-in inspection report can be re-billed to them, within a cap of half the cost and a per-square-meter ceiling; the move-out report can’t be)
• Add-on services: one-off cleaning, laundry, key handover
• À la carte services for owners (small repairs, unpaid rent follow-up, etc.)

The result: long-term rental becomes a stable foundation for your business, and you keep doing short-term rental on the properties that perform. That’s exactly the trade-off covered in switching from short-term to long-term rental: what you need to change, and what you keep.

Unlocker makes it even easier

You don’t need a carte G (the French property management license): Unlocker delegates it to you. You offer leases fully legally, under your brand, with your team, on a complete platform to manage payments, leases and deposits.

You gain recurring revenue, free up time, and build credibility with your owners.

Long-term rental isn’t a constraint: it’s a profitable lever from your first unit if you go about it the right way. Want to test it on one or two properties? Get in touch, we can help you get started.