Many articles on the subject advise repainting a wall or adding cushions. That’s not untrue, but the effect on annual income is in the tens of euros. Two decisions, however, are in the thousands: the price you charge starting October 13, 2026, and the ranking of your furnishings. Here are the levers arranged in order of their true impact, from the heaviest to the lightest.
Key takeaways
- Visit October 13, 2026, Airbnb charges unique fees 15.5 % at the host’s expense. Without adjustment, your net income drops % by about 13 overnight.
- Have your furniture classified Increase the tax deduction from 30 to 50 % and the micro-BIC ceiling from 15,000 to 83,600 €.
- In a market as seasonal as the Côte d’Azur, filling in the pre-season and post-season forms It brings in more money than raising the price of August nights.
The most urgent lever: your prices before October 13, 2026
This is the most significant change of the year for a renter, and it will take effect in a few days. Until now, Airbnb charged around 3 % to the host and 15 to % the traveler, in addition to the advertised price. Starting October 13, 2026, in the entire European Economic Area, including France, the traveler will no longer pay any service fees and the host will bear the sole cost of a single commission of 15,5 %.
If you don't touch anything, your listed price remains the same, but what you charge drops. The table below takes a night displayed at 100 €.
| Over one night at 100 € | Before October 13 | Then, without changing anything |
|---|---|---|
| The traveler pays | 115 € | 100 € |
| Airbnb charges | 3 € to the host, 15 € to the traveler | 15.50 € to the host |
| You are being charged | 97 € | 84,50 € |
What needs to be done, and it’s almost painless
To recover your 97 € net, you need to spend about 115 € instead of 100 €, That means a 15 % % increase in your advertised price. And here’s the point that many owners will miss: the traveler, on the other hand, will pay €115 as before, since he can no longer bear the service fees. Your income is preserved and your budget remains unchanged.
The risk is therefore not losing travelers by raising your prices. The risk is doing nothing, and working thirteen percent cheaper starting next month. However, be aware of two details: the increase must apply to all your seasonal rates, not just the base price, and if you are present on several platforms, only your Airbnb listings are affected. The details of the commissions from each platform are in our article on commissions from booking platforms.
The most profitable leverage: having your property listed
It’s an administrative procedure; in most cases, it doesn’t require any work. This is by far the most significant change in your net income. Since the law of November 19, 2024, the gap between a classified property and a property that is not classified has become considerable.
| Micro-BIC regime | Unfurnished | Classified furnished |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed allowance | 30 % | 50 % |
| Revenue ceiling | 15 000 € | 83 600 € |
| Beyond the ceiling | Mandatory transition to the real system, with accounting | |
Let’s take an apartment that earns €24,000 a year, which corresponds to a two-room apartment well located on the Côte d’Azur. Unclassified, it exceeds the €15,000 ceiling: it moves from the micro-BIC scheme to the real-income scheme, with the accounting that goes with it. Classified, it remains at the micro-level, and its 50 % -percent tax deduction brings the taxable base down to €12,000 instead of €16,800. Almost €5,000 in tax base less, for a ranking visit.
The ranking also lowers the tourist tax
This is an effect that no one calculates. An unclassified property is taxed at a percentage of the nightly rate per person, whereas a classified property pays a fixed rate, often much lower as soon as the night exceeds fifty euros. On a property in a 150 € per night room that accommodates four people, the difference amounts to hundreds of euros over a season. This tax is not your responsibility, but it is added to the price paid by the traveler: the higher it is, the more competitive your listing is.
How to get ranked
The visit is carried out by an accredited organization, which you choose and pay for. It checks a set of criteria regarding equipment, comfort, accessibility, and customer information. The ranking is announced for five years and is rated one to five stars. Without a refusal being notified within fifteen days of the submission of the report, it is tacitly granted. The list of organizations is published by Atout France.
A word of experience: most of the accommodations we manage receive three stars without any renovations, sometimes with the addition of a few amenities. What most often prevents them from getting three stars is not the comfort, but the missing information, an incomplete welcome booklet, or the absence of safety instructions displayed.
Filling out the calendar rather than raising the price in August
This is the most common error of judgment on our coast. In Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, 44 % of the platform nights are concentrated on July and August, compared to 37 % nationwide. These two months almost fill the gap alone, and you’re already paying a hefty price for them. It’s where the nights you don’t sell are to be found.
The peak season is in the summer. May, June, September and October are months when the Côte d’Azur remains mild, when the Nice and Cannes congresses attract a professional clientele, and when many ads remain posted at low-season rates without being visible. A night sold in October for 90 € brings in more revenue than an August night spent from 180 to 190 €.
Three settings that fill the gaps
- Lower the minimum length of time off-season. A seven-night requirement, justified in July, literally empties out a November calendar where stays last two or three nights.
- Target discounts instead of lowering the base price. A discount for a week, a last-minute offer for a three-night stay, a launch promotion when the announcement has not yet been announced: each one addresses a specific situation, without devaluing housing for the rest of the time.
- Open the calendar far ahead of time. Families book for the summer as early as January. A six-month closed calendar is a calendar that does not take these bookings.
OUR SERVICE
Dynamic pricing
An analysis tool monitors the market night after night; our team adjusts each price manually. Included in all three formulas.
Which really triggers the booking
At the same price and in the same location, two ads do not fill up in the same way. What makes the difference comes down to a few things, and neither costs a lot of money.
The first photo
This is the only element that the traveler sees before choosing to click. A study published in 2023 in the’International Journal of Research in Marketing We measured that placing the living room in the cover photo increased the booking rate by 35 %%, whereas a room in the cover photo had the opposite effect. The subject of the image matters more than its technical quality. We detail this in our article on photos that make you want to book.
The response time
A traveler who hesitates between three accommodations often chooses the one that responds first. The response rate also counts towards the Superhost status, which requires responding to % 90 messages within twenty-four hours. Responding quickly in the evening and on weekends is not just a matter of convenience; it’s crucial for revenue.
The equipment that travelers filter out
On the Côte d’Azur, four factors keep coming up again and again: air conditioning, parking, Wi-Fi, and the proximity to the beach. A property that doesn’t check one box doesn’t appear in the search, regardless of its price. Make sure that your actual equipment is clearly listed in the ad, though: we regularly see properties equipped with a hairdryer or a private entrance that are marked as unavailable and disappear from the results for no reason.
Opinions, and how to get them
A property without reviews sells poorly; a property rated 4.5 sells less well than a property rated 4.9. The first three listings deserve special attention, even if it means offering a starting price. Then it’s the cleanliness and the reliability of the listing that make the difference: a traveler will forgive a mediocre property, never a property that doesn’t look like its photos.
The mistakes that cost the most
- A fixed price throughout the year. It’s the most common and the most expensive. The same price in February and August leaves money on the table in the summer, and an empty calendar in the winter.
- Remain non-classified beyond €15,000 in revenue. The transition to real accounting then occurs without being anticipated, with accounting to be kept and often an accounting expert to be paid.
- Do not adjust your prices until October 13th. Thirteen percent less income, without the traveler benefiting from it.
- An unsynchronized schedule between platforms. A double booking costs a cancellation, penalties and a negative review.
- Forget the declaration at the town hall and the registration number. The platforms remove ads that don’t meet the requirements. The details of the steps are in our article on the topic. declaration of a seasonal rental.
What it gives when it is followed every day
The levers of this article have one thing in common: none of them is set in stone. A price is revised every week, a schedule is monitored, a ranking is updated every five years, and an announcement is corrected. That’s exactly what we do for the owners who entrust us with their property on the Côte d’Azur, from Nice to Cannes.
Specifically: we adjust prices continuously with a dynamic pricing tool that we control manually; we broadcast the ad on multiple platforms with synchronized schedules; we assist in the ranking of the property; and we respond to travelers seven days a week. Our pricing ranges from 10 % HT in remote management to 20 HT % in full management, and 24 HT % with in-person service.
OUR SERVICE
Complete management
Announcements, travelers, housekeeping, laundry and maintenance: you don't have to touch anything anymore. Serenity at 20 % HT, Comfort at 24 HT %.
Do you want to know what your property could yield under these conditions? Request a free estimate, We respond within 24 hours with a figure based on comparable properties that we already manage.
Frequently asked questions
By how much should Airbnb’s prices be increased on October 13, 2026?
About 15 % % of the advertised price. With the unique 15.5 % -euro fee charged by the host, a night booked at 115 € leaves you with 97 €, which is what you would have previously earned on a night booked at 100 €. The traveler will pay the same amount as before, since they no longer have to bear service fees.
Is the ranking in the tourist accommodation sector really profitable?
It’s the best ratio between effort and gain. The micro-BIC deduction goes from 30 to 50 %, the revenue ceiling from 15,000 to 83,600 €, and the tourist tax due by your travelers often decreases. The ranking visit costs a few hundred euros and is worth five years.
Do you have to do work to get stars?
Rarely. Most of the accommodations we manage receive three stars without any work being required, sometimes with the addition of a few amenities. What is most often lacking is information for the traveler: a welcome booklet, safety instructions, and a display of prices.
Is it better to increase the price or the occupancy rate?
On the Côte d’Azur, the occupancy rate is low because the season is short. July and August account % for 44 nights of platform occupancy in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and are always full. Nights to be earned are in May, June, September and October.
Does lowering prices really bring in more travelers?
Not mechanically, and that’s often a mistake. A too low price makes you doubt the quality of the accommodation and lowers the income without adding more value. It’s better to target specific discounts, such as weekly or last-minute offers, than to keep the base price the same all year round.
Sources and updates
Article verified on September 25, 2026: tax regime for tourist accommodation on impots.gouv.fr, micro-BIC thresholds on entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr, Law of November 19, 2024, star-rated furnished holiday rentals, Summer tourist influx according to INSEE. The Airbnb service fee % of 15.5 euros charged to the host will apply in the European Economic Area starting October 13, 2026. This article is informative and does not replace the advice of your tax advisor.
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