What are the best platforms for renting out your property?
You have a property that you don’t occupy all year round and you’d like to make it pay. Great idea! But where do you start?
You have a property that you don’t occupy all year round (or perhaps not at all) and you’d like to make it pay. Great idea! But where do you start? Which are the best platforms for listing my home and getting the most out of it?
There are plenty of platforms out there for renting out your property. But there are a few criteria to weigh up before choosing: price (commission, subscription, etc.), security (secure payment, insurance), the platform’s reputation, and so on.
StyQR has therefore put together a selection of the best platforms for offering your property as a holiday rental.
AirBnBa must-haveAirbnb is almost certainly the best-known platform for peer-to-peer property rental. If you choose to post your listings there, you stand a very good chance of renting out your property, provided it is attractive and priced right.
As well as being the most popular, this platform is also one of the cheapest: Airbnb takes a commission of just 3% (known as the “host service fee”) on each booking.
Airbnb offers a great deal of flexibility, with the option of renting out a private or shared room, or the whole property.
The site’s design makes it very pleasant to use, with simple, intuitive navigation. Publishing a listing is quick and easy: child’s play!
Airbnb’s figures speak for themselves: more than 300,000 properties available to rent in France!
Finally, one significant advantage: Airbnb is a secure platform, with secure payment, and it includes insurance cover for both the property and the guests, up to 800 000 € each.Homeaway Abritelan alternativeAbritel Homeaway, another platform designed on the other side of the Atlantic, is Airbnb’s main competitor.
This site also boasts a very good user experience, making navigation simple and smooth.
Its pricing policy differs from Airbnb’s, with two options on offer:
, A commission rate of 8% (excl. VAT) on each booking
, Or an annual subscription costing 249 €
Do note that the platform only allows you to rent out “whole” properties, so you cannot list individual rooms. Abritel also offers no insurance cover for owners or renters.
Bookingthe travel giantBooking is one of the most renowned travel sites in the world. Some 1,550,000 room nights are booked on the platform every day, which makes it an undeniable asset in terms of traffic.
That said, the site is better known (and better suited) to hotels and other accommodation professionals. Its commission rates are high compared with Airbnb or Abritel: 12 to 15%. Lastly, the site’s design can sometimes make it tricky to get to grips with.HomeExchangefancy a trip away?How about a house swap? That is exactly what HomeExchange offers, as the world’s leading house-swapping network.
This system lets you go on holiday at a lower cost and enjoy a truly rewarding experience!
One notable advantage: flexibility. You can keep the “Guest Points” earned by letting out your home and use them to travel at another time of year if you wish. On the security side, HomeExchange offers optional insurance so you can swap your home without any hassle, for host and guest alike.
Our adviceThese various platforms all have their advantages and drawbacks. If you want a very high occupancy rate for your property, don’t hesitate to use several rental platforms at once, although this does call for a certain amount of organisation so you don’t get in a muddle over the different booking dates.
To secure as many bookings as possible, you can also read our tips in this article.
Finally, to welcome your guests in the best possible conditions, StyQR lets you create your digital welcome book free of charge, bringing together all the useful information about your property (wifi, keypad codes, useful numbers, your house rules, local recommendations nearby, etc.). Your guests can access your welcome book very easily, by scanning a dedicated QR code with their smartphone. This QR code is styled to blend perfectly into your setting, for example in the form of a photo frame.
Create your welcome book
The four platforms above differ mainly on three points: what they charge, what they accept as a listing and what they cover if something goes wrong.
| Platform | Cost for the host | What you can list | Insurance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbnb | 3% commission (host service fee) | Private room, shared room or entire home | Home and guests each covered up to €800,000 |
| Abritel HomeAway | 8% excl. VAT per booking or a €249 annual subscription | Entire homes only, no rooms | No cover for the owner or the guest |
| Booking | 12% to 15% commission | Mainly suited to hotels and accommodation professionals | Not mentioned; 1,550,000 nights booked every day |
| HomeExchange | Home swapping, with Guest Points you can save up | Your own home, in exchange for another one | Optional insurance, for both host and guest |
Frequently asked questions
Which platform takes the lowest commission? Airbnb, with a 3% host service fee. Abritel HomeAway charges 8% excluding tax per booking, or an annual subscription of €249 if you rent out often. Booking goes up to 12 or 15%, which adds up quickly over a full season.
Can I rent out a single room instead of my whole home? On Airbnb, yes: you choose between a private room, a shared room or the entire place. Abritel HomeAway, on the other hand, only accepts entire homes. If your plan is to rent out a room in your own home, that platform is ruled out from the start.
Should I list on several platforms at the same time? It is the best way to reach a high occupancy rate, and we recommend it if your property sits empty for weeks at a time. The downside is purely practical: the more listings you run, the easier it becomes to get your dates in a muddle. Keep one single reference calendar before you add a second platform.
Am I insured if a guest damages something? It depends entirely on the platform. Airbnb includes cover for the property and cover for guests, each up to €800,000, while Abritel HomeAway offers no cover at all, neither to the owner nor to the tenant. HomeExchange provides optional insurance, valid for both the host and the guest.
Is Booking suitable for a private individual? The traffic is real, with 1,550,000 nights booked every day, but the platform is mainly built for hotels and accommodation professionals. Commissions of 12 to 15% are clearly higher than on Airbnb or Abritel, and the interface takes some getting used to. For a first property going up for rent, this is not where we would start.
How do I welcome guests whatever the platform? The welcome does not depend on the booking site, which is good news when you run several listings. StyQR lets you create a digital welcome book free of charge, bringing together the wifi, the door codes, the useful numbers, your house rules and the good addresses nearby. Guests reach it by scanning a dedicated QR code, designed to blend into the property, for instance as a picture frame.
