The RentTools blog
Field notes for short-term rental hosts
Calendar sync that actually works, cleaning automation that doesn't double-book the cleaner, and a host's GDPR checklist that fits on one page. Written by people who run listings, not affiliate sites.
Pricing a new Airbnb listing: the review-velocity math
A zero-review listing can't charge the market rate. The math of underpricing your first stays to buy reviews — what each review costs, and when to raise back.
Short-term rental insurance: what AirCover doesn't cover
AirCover and damage deposits aren't insurance. What a real short-term rental policy covers — property, liability, lost income — and what it costs per year.
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Airbnb rating recovery math: how many 5-stars erase one bad review
A single low review dents your Airbnb rating in seconds; climbing back is fixed math — how many 5-star stays it takes to erase one, by listing size.
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Security deposit for a direct booking: the hold, not the charge
A damage deposit on a direct booking isn't a charge — it's a Stripe pre-authorization hold. The 7-day window that eats it, the right amount, and the chargeback trap.
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Airbnb payout currency conversion fee: the hidden 3% spread
List in one currency, get paid in another? Airbnb and Booking.com bake ~3% into every cross-currency payout. The real math, and how to stop paying it.
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Booking.com commission: the real take rate after VAT and fees
Booking.com's 15% commission isn't the whole bill. Add VAT on the commission and the payments fee and your real take rate is closer to 19%. The worked math.
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iCal checkout day blocked? The off-by-one bug eating your nights
Your calendar syncs fine but the checkout day shows as booked on the other platform. Why iCal's exclusive DTEND and timezone drift quietly block a night you could sell.
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Utility cost per night for short-term rentals: a worked breakdown
What electricity, heat, water, and internet really cost per booked night — a per-night breakdown across three seasons, and why a guest's open-window AC habit blows the model up.
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Short-term rental occupancy rate: the denominator that lies
Your occupancy rate moves 10 points depending on what you divide by. Here are the three numbers — gross, available, paid — and which one to actually chase.
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DAC7: Airbnb and Booking.com now report your income to the tax office
Since 2023 Airbnb and Booking.com hand every EU host's income to the tax authority under DAC7 — and rentals get no small-host exemption. Here's exactly what they send.
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Airbnb calendar not syncing? 7 reasons your iCal feed goes stale
Airbnb calendar not syncing with Booking.com? The 7 reasons an iCal feed goes stale, the one timestamp that flags each, and the exact fix for all seven.
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Chargeback on a direct booking: the host's win-the-dispute playbook
A guest disputed your direct booking with their bank. The reason codes hosts actually face, the evidence that wins, and the $15 fee you pay either way.
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