On what basis your manager charges: gross, net or payout

The question that decides your invoice isn't what's the percentage

When an owner compares managers, they compare percentages. A 15 %, a 17 %, a 20 %. That's the only thing most websites put up with, and that's most often the only thing that's been negotiated with commercial call.

That's the wrong comparison. The percentage's only half the price. The other half is the base: about what exact amount that number applies. That's where the sector gets blurry.

When we audited public prices for 56 Spanish directors in June of 2026, we found that about half doesn't clear anywhere about what base she's charging. No web, no FAQ and no conditions. You figure that out at first clearance.

That article explain the three bases that exist, how much each of them costs in euro about the same reserve and the exact questions that have to be asked before signing.

Las tres bases posibles

A tourist housing reserve has three different amounts and any of the three may be the basis of the commission.

1. The gross of the reserve

All that the guest pays: the price of nights and the cleaning fee, before the platform misses anything. It's the most expensive basis for you, because the manager also charges its share about the money that remains with Airbnb or Booking and about the cleanup that will be paid by the cleaning equipment. They get money that you're never gonna see.

2. The net of the platform

What the OTA will give you: the raw but his commission. The cleanup's still inside. It's an intermediate base: the manager's no longer charged about what's been put up with the platform but about the cleaning fee. That's the base we apply to Bliss.

3. The payout: what really gets you

The platform net but the cleaning fee. That's the money that ends up with your account. A commission applied here is the only one that's computed about what you really gain.

In our study, of the 24 managers whose base we were able to verify with literal quote of their own web or their conditions, solo tres o cuatro cobran sobre el payout limpio: without touching the cleanup and without touching the platform commission. The rest of them biting on one and both sides or both.

The same case, solved in all three forms

A guest-paid 850 € reservation, of which 60 € are the cleaning fee. The platform takes a total 15 %, 127,50 €. The owner gets 722,50 €, from which 60 € goes to the cleanup equipment: Reactual 662,50 €.

We apply same 17 % on each of the three bases with Spanish VAT from 21 % above:

Same percentage announced. 38,57 € difference by reservation between the most expensive and cleanest base. With eight reservations a month are 308 € monthly and about 3.700 € a year, about a single housing, with nobody up your share.

Why a 15 % can cost more than an 17 %

Here's the point that percentage comparison cannot see. On the same 850 € Reserve:

The 15 % on the raw 5,66 € more expensive by booking que un 17 % sobre el neto de plataforma (la base que usamos nosotros): unos 540 € al año con ocho reservas mensuales. Frente a un 17 % sobre el payout, la diferencia sube a 18 € por reserva, unos 1.730 € al año. El número pequeño gana la comparación de la web y pierde la del banco.

Our own data say the same from the other end. In May of 2026, of every 100 € billed into our portfolio, 13,70 € were cleanup paid by the guest and 18,50 € was taken by the platform. 81,50 € remained after the platform, which is our base (cleaning goes inside). A 17 % applied there equals a 13,86 % of the gross reserve: a 16,77 % with VAT versus 18,15 % from a 15 % + VAT charged on the raw. That is, our 17 % remains, in euro, cheaper than a 15 % charged on the raw but with less scope than if the base also excluded cleanliness.

The most VAT that isn't on the incumbent

Almost all prices are advertised as "20 %" and are charged as "20 % + VAT." The Spanish VAT is from the 21 % and goes about the commission and about your reservation. Translated:

That last fact isn't theoretical. In our study we have found a Spanish manager whose own general terms and conditions set fees 30 % of total paid by guest. On the gross, with VAT, on a 850 € reserve are 308,55 € of a fee charged by the owner 662,50 €.

That's an honest nuance that barely anyone's gonna give you. If you have been discharged from economic activity, you get that VAT and the actual cost again remains the nominal percentage. If you don't have it, it's a real cost that you don't get back. A 20,57 % isn't the same for a company owner as for a retirement person who rents his second place. Always ask about the number with VAT and then decide what version applying to you.

The cleaning range: 25 € by booking that you will not see

It's the sector's favorite mechanism to put up an effective commission without touching the stated percentage. That's how it works: we charge 60 € for cleanup and we pay 35 € for cleaning equipment. The difference 25 € remains with the manager. With eight or ten monthly reservations are 200 or 250 € extra per housing, they turn a 17 % announced to something close to an actual 22-25 %.

What's important is that That money doesn't appear as a commission on any line of your clearance.. It appears as a service contracted at market price. In our entire audit we found a single manager who recognizes them in writing and does so because they also charge their share about their cleaning fee.

Para que no haya dudas sobre nosotros: la tarifa de limpieza forma parte de la base sobre la que cobramos nuestro 17 %. Lo que no cobramos es comisión sobre lo que se lleva la plataforma. Lo decimos desde el principio y por escrito, porque un propietario perdona un porcentaje visible y no perdona una base que descubre solo en la liquidación.

The costs charged separately

The percentage isn't the full price either. These are the stacking we document at public prices:

• A high or onboard share. Entre 79 € y 150 € en las que lo publican; una de ellas la descuenta del primer mes de liquidación, así que no la ves salir.
• Mensuality of platform or software by property, above the percentage.
• Markup in maintenance. They are subcontracted to the plumber and charged with a co-ordination charge that isn't always broken down.
• Consumers and amenities invoiced at internal catalogue prices.
• The "from x%." Es un suelo, no un precio. Documentamos una gestora que anuncia "desde 12 %" y aplica un 20 % en Madrid y Barcelona.
• Stretch. The low percentage exists but requires 12, 24 or 36 months of commitment.
• Exclusive. It doesn't cost money directly but keeps you from comparing while it lasts.

How we get paid

Comprehensive management: 17 % + VAT, or 20,57 %, applied to total reserve less platform commission (Airbnb or Booking). Cleanliness forms part of that base, and what we don't get is commission about what the OTA takes. No permanency. For those who prefer to operate on their own, we offer 1: 1 with an adapted diagnosis and action plan. If you prefer to be free from employment, there's a fixed price, and this isn't a commission management but a rental with a fixed monthly income at a renewable year.

We publish the number because that's the argument. Today we manage active housing at 8 autonomous communities, and some of those that have entered last year came from managers whose percentage announced was lower than our share.

Las nueve preguntas que hay que hacerle a una gestora

Copia esto en un correo y mándalo tal cual. Una gestora que responde a las nueve por escrito es una gestora con la que se puede trabajar. Una que responde con una llamada, no. La base de cálculo es solo el primer punto: aquí tienes what more to review in contract other than commission.

1. What exact amount do you apply the percentage about? He requested the written formula, and his word was "income."
2. Do you have a commission about the cleaning fee?
3. Do you have a commission about the part that remains with Airbnb or Booking?
4. The percentage you have told me, does it have VAT included or goes independently?
5. How much do you charge the guest for cleanliness and how much do you pay whoever cleanes? The answer to this question tells you more than the other eight together.
6. Are there a share of high, photo, start up or monthly software?
7. Maintenance, consumables and amenities: at a cost or with a margin? What room?
8. Are there permanency, notice of leave or exclusivity? What about the reviews and the announcement if I leave?
9. Do you teach me an actual settlement of another similar housing with personal data covered?

The final proof

The ninth question is the one that separates. A percentage is a promise and a settlement is a fact. If a manager cannot teach you how an actual month of another house looks with its lines, its discounts and its VAT, it's that the price conversation has still to start.

Y si te la enseña, revisa una sola cosa: que la estructura de esa liquidación sea idéntica a la cascada de euros que te contaron en la llamada de venta. Cuando esas dos cosas coinciden, no hay sorpresa en el mes cuatro. Cuando no coinciden, la hay siempre.

If you want us to do that exercise about your housing with your number and no commitment, write us or call us at +34 638 740 249.

Hector Clarke

Fundador de Bliss Homes. Operamos viviendas turísticas en 8 comunidades autónomas —pisos, casas rurales y un edificio completo en Toledo—, seis de ellas alquiladas con nuestro propio dinero. Meet the team →