Short-term rental is a tourism activity, not just a lease divided into nights
From the outside, short-term rental looks like a simple equation: photograph the apartment, list it on Airbnb or Booking, choose a nightly price and wait for reservations. That is the visible part. The less visible part begins when you need to check whether you can legally carry out the activity, whether the apartment has a real chance in the market and whether gross income remains attractive after paying all costs.
An apartment rented to tourists is not treated in the same way as a classic long-term lease. It is a tourist accommodation establishment, an activity with its own rules, documents, records and tax obligations. In other words, you do not become a hotelier simply because you put two white towels on the bed.
The right question is not “how much can I charge per night?”, but “what remains after all the costs, time and obligations involved in this activity?”.
Without a classification certificate, you do not have a solid basis for tourist accommodation
The classification certificate: For apartments or rooms offered to tourists, individual owners must apply for a classification certificate from the central tourism authority. The documentation includes a standard application, documents proving ownership and the unit’s address, as well as other documents required under the applicable rules.
Required consent: Order No. 510/2022 provides that, for an individual owner, the consent of the tenants’/homeowners’ association or the consent of owners sharing common walls horizontally and vertically is required. The agreement must state the activities to be carried out in the tourist accommodation establishment.
Administrative obligations: Before starting, speak with an accountant or tax adviser about how you will receive and declare income, taxes, contributions and the documents you need to keep. Legislation can change, and a profit calculation based on an old interpretation does not help at all.
The homeowners’ association can determine whether you start properly or start with problems
Talk before the first complaint, not after: In an apartment building, short-term rental brings people coming and going more often, luggage in the stairwell, questions about the intercom and sometimes late check-ins. Even if you carefully select guests, neighbours will not appreciate discovering the activity after seeing the third unfamiliar person in a week.
Internal agreements: Homeowners’ associations may have internal rules on the use of common areas, how maintenance charges are calculated or agreements applied to apartments with short stays. Do not assume that a rule found in one building automatically applies in another; ask in writing which documents, conditions and costs may apply in your case.
A relationship worth maintaining: An apartment may look flawless in photos, but if neighbours are constantly disturbed by noise, smoke, parties or chaotic check-ins, the activity becomes difficult to sustain. Clear rules for guests, quiet hours and quick intervention when issues arise are part of management, not a footnote.
The area, access and condition of the property make a difference before the first booking
The area: Apartments close to the metro, the city centre, office districts, University Square, the Old Town or Calea Victoriei usually have an easier audience to find. An excellent apartment located far from the places people want to reach will need either a lower price or a very good reason to be chosen.
Access: The lift, intercom, building entrance, parking, distance to transport and how easily a first-time guest can arrive matter more than the owner may think. If access is complicated, messages and calls begin before the tourist has even put their luggage down.
The condition of the apartment: A well-executed renovation, clean bathroom, equipped kitchen, good mattresses, reliable Wi‑Fi, air conditioning, curtains that actually block the light and realistic photos are the basics. Bucharest’s market is crowded; an apartment that is merely “furnished” is no longer enough to compete with properties prepared specifically for short stays.
Do you manage it yourself, work with a company or choose a long-term lease?
Direct management: You create listings, set prices, answer messages, monitor the calendar, organise check-in, inspect the apartment, coordinate cleaning and solve every issue. You do not pay a management commission, but you take on all the time, risk and responsibility.
Management company: A company can take over listings, communication, pricing, check-in, cleaning and the coordination of interventions. It is useful for owners who cannot respond in the evening, at weekends or during working hours, but the management commission must be included in the profit calculation, not treated as a detail to solve later.
Long-term lease: If the apartment is not in an area suitable for tourists, if you do not want to manage guests or if the estimated net income does not justify the effort, long-term renting may be the simpler alternative. One contractual relationship for several months or a year is very different from a succession of two- or three-night bookings.
Short-term rental can quickly become a second job
What happens between two bookings: Guests leave, and the apartment must be inspected, aired out, cleaned, prepared with fresh linen and towels, restocked with consumables and photographed if any damage appears. Then come the instructions for the next check-in. This sequence repeats every time, whether the previous booking was excellent or not.
Cleaning done by you or by a company: You can clean the apartment yourself, but you need to put a value on your time as well. A cleaning company or a dedicated person reduces the effort, but the cost is added after every stay. There is also washing and ironing linen, replacing towels, detergents, toilet paper, soap, coffee, tea and other small things that, together, are no longer all that small.
Problems do not respect office hours: An access code that does not work, a boiler that decides to stop, or a guest asking at 11:40 p.m. where to find a supermarket will not wait until Monday morning. If you manage the property yourself, you are the point of contact. If you work with a company, it handles the situation, but the cost of that service remains part of the equation.
The nightly rate is not your net income
Visible costs: Platform commissions, cleaning, linen, towels, consumables, utilities and taxes are deducted from gross income. If you work with a management company, its commission is added as well. If the apartment is occupied for only part of the month, every fixed cost weighs more heavily.
Costs that appear over time: Furniture gets scratched, mattresses wear out, towels disappear or get stained, appliances are used intensively, while photographs and decor need updating to remain competitive. Repairs, improvements and periods without bookings cannot be left out of calculations simply because they do not appear in the booking app.
A simplified calculation: If an apartment generates €1,000 gross in one month, after platform commissions, cleaning, linen and consumables, you may keep approximately €600–700 if you manage it yourself, without paying yourself for your time. Through a management company, income may fall into the €400–500 range, depending on the commission and included costs. These figures are indicative; the area, occupancy, type of apartment and actual costs can substantially change the result.
Profit is not the amount that enters the app; it is the amount left after you have paid for every service and put a realistic price on your time.
Short-term rental is worth it only if you treat it as a business
Short-term rental can make sense for an apartment that is well located, renovated, easy to access and prepared for guests. But it is not a form of passive income where you post a listing and return at the end of the month for money. It is a tourism activity, involving documents, approvals, cleaning, communication, investment and responsibility towards guests and neighbours.
Before starting, check the legislation, talk to the homeowners’ association, calculate the full costs and honestly estimate how much time you can allocate. Only then decide whether to manage it yourself, work with a company or choose a long-term lease.
If your apartment is in a central area and you are interested in the real standard of short-term rental in Bucharest, it is worth viewing the activity as a small business: with good potential, but also many things that need to be done properly before the first booking. And to understand what most guests look for, it is worth considering demand for accommodation in central Bucharest, where also, Alia Accommodation apartments are located.
And there is one side effect nobody talks about at the beginning: after a while, you know so much about bookings, cleaning, linen, late check-ins, taxes, the homeowners’ association and guests that you suddenly find yourself writing blog articles about short-term rentals. Exactly as we are doing now.
