Frequently asked questions

BetterStays charges a flat 18% commission on the net income of every booking, with no extra charges. Cleaning is paid directly by the guest and major repairs are billed at cost with a quote approved in advance. There are no set-up fees and no lock-in: the agreement has no minimum term.

The 18% covers the full rental cycle: listing creation and optimisation on Airbnb and Booking.com, dynamic pricing, 24/7 guest support, cleaning coordination between stays, incident handling, monthly reporting and the backing of our guaranteed minimum income. Nothing extra is charged for these services.

Yes. BetterStays agrees a guaranteed monthly minimum with you, calculated from the occupancy history of your area in south Tenerife. If bookings fall short in a given month, we reduce our commission — down to 0% if needed — so you always receive what was agreed. The minimum is set before signing and written into the contract.

It depends on the area, size and condition of the property, but in Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos and Las Américas well-managed one and two-bedroom apartments generate between €1,200 and €2,800 per month in mid season. In high season (December–January and July–August) figures can be significantly higher. Use our income calculator for a personalised estimate.

Yes. In Tenerife, any home rented to tourists on a regular basis must be registered as a Vivienda Vacacional with the Canary Islands Government. Without that registration the activity is illegal and fines can reach €18,000. BetterStays handles the registration process for you as part of onboarding, at no extra cost.

IGIC (Impuesto General Indirecto Canario) is the Canary Islands equivalent of VAT, with a general rate of 7%. If you rent your home for tourist use and provide services (cleaning, check-in), the activity may be subject to IGIC. BetterStays provides the tax documentation your accountant needs and guides you on your situation, although the final filing is made by your tax adviser.

BetterStays currently operates across south Tenerife: Costa Adeje, Playa de las Américas, Los Cristianos and Playa Paraíso. These areas concentrate the island's strongest tourist demand and allow our team to be on site quickly. If your property is elsewhere in the south, get in touch — we review every case.

We actively list and manage on Airbnb and Booking.com, which together account for over 80% of holiday bookings in Tenerife. We also use direct channels and channel-manager tools to avoid overbooking and maximise occupancy. Prices adjust dynamically with season, local events and real-time competition.

For properties with no previous platform history, onboarding usually takes 7 to 14 days: professional photography, listing creation and optimisation, pricing setup and channel activation. First bookings typically arrive within 48-72 hours of going live, especially in mid and high season in south Tenerife.

BetterStays covers guest-caused damage within the terms of the management agreement. For minor incidents we claim directly through platform guarantees (Airbnb AirCover, Booking.com). For major damage we open the claim process and report to the owner with photographic documentation. The owner never has to handle this directly.

Yes, always. Owners have priority access to the calendar at any time. Simply block the dates you want in the owner portal and they are automatically removed from guest availability. There are no restrictions on personal use and no minimum number of days you must make available.

Owners are paid monthly, before the 10th of the month following the settled period. Payment comes with a detailed report broken down by platform, nights booked, average rate and commission applied. Funds go straight to the owner's bank account with no additional withholding.

The standard agreement runs for 12 months with 30 days' notice to terminate. For owners who want to try the service first, we offer a shorter pilot period agreed case by case. We charge no early-exit penalty once the notice period is served.

Managing directly on Airbnb means answering messages at any hour, coordinating cleanings, handling incidents, updating prices manually and complying with Canary Islands tourist regulations. BetterStays takes all of that on with a local team in south Tenerife. The income difference usually more than covers the 18% commission: professional management improves listing ranking, average rating and low-season occupancy, where individual owners lose the most bookings.