Why Switch to Long-Term Rental When You Already Do Short-Term?

Switching to long-term rental secures regular income, cuts the time you spend on day-to-day management and spares you the constraints weighing more and more on tourist rentals. That’s the whole point of moving to long-term rental management when you already know the ins and outs of short-term.

Greater Financial Stability

In short-term rental, your income depends on seasonality and tourist traffic. In long-term rental, you receive fixed rent every month, without the ups and downs of bookings, and you cut turnover costs: no more inspection reports, cleanings and small repairs between every tenant.

An apartment that earns more in short-term on paper can turn out less profitable once you count the slow months and management fees. Over a year, long-term rental often makes up for its lower monthly rent through its regularity: our guide to optimizing a property’s profitability in long-term rental details the concrete levers.

Less Day-to-Day Management, Less Wear

In short-term rental, you handle bookings, check-in/check-out, cleaning and small repairs between each stay. In long-term rental, you have a single tenant to manage and less frequent interactions, which frees up time you can reinvest in growing your business. Lower turnover also limits wear on the home: a less heavily used property deteriorates more slowly and holds its value longer.

Taxes Worth a Close Look

In unfurnished long-term rental, you get a 30% allowance on your rental income under the micro-foncier regime (a flat-rate tax regime for rental income, up to €15,000 in gross annual income), or you can opt for the actual expenses regime and deduct your real costs (renovations, loan interest). The choice between furnished or unfurnished rental changes this calculation: each regime has its own allowance.

By contrast, tourist rental remains subject to tax and regulatory rules that tighten regularly (limits on tourist furnished rentals, energy performance requirements). Long-term rental spares you that instability.

Tightening Regulations

Since August 24, 2022, any rent increase has been banned for homes rated F or G on the DPE (France’s mandatory energy performance certificate), whether it’s a re-letting, a renewal or an annual rent review. This rule applies to furnished and unfurnished rentals alike, and it pushes more and more owners to invest in energy renovation before re-letting, whichever regime they choose.

On tourist rentals specifically, municipalities have stronger tools to regulate tourist furnished rentals (change-of-use authorization, night quotas, DPE requirements): our article on how concierge companies need to get organized in response to these changes covers the topic. A shift to long-term rental, even a partial one, shields your property from these local changes.

The Drawbacks Not to Downplay

Monthly rent in long-term rental is often lower than what you could earn over a well-booked year of short-term rental. You also lose flexibility: the lease runs at least 3 years for an individual owner (1 year if furnished), and you can’t take your home back as easily as in short-term rental. Finally, long-term rental means following precise rules (detailed inspection report, rent control in high-demand areas) that call for a minimum of administrative discipline.

How to Prepare the Transition

• Assess your local market: tourist areas often remain more attractive for short-term, residential areas suit long-term better.
• Adapt the home: remove unnecessary equipment, check compliance with current standards (DPE, safety).
• Plan the transition around your current bookings before closing the calendar.
• Get support if you want to quickly find a reliable tenant, or consider a hybrid strategy rather than a full switch.