Holiday apartment in a unit you lease
Lease an apartment with your landlord's written consent and run it as a furnished short-stay rental.
- C$6k-20k
- Part-time
- Own premises
- Licence or permit needed
Estimates for a small start in Canada, not guarantees.
What it is
You lease a flat in a tourist-friendly area, furnish it and rent it to guests by the night. This only works with written permission from the landlord or owner, and where local rules allow it.
Your first three steps
- Check local short-term rental rules, then ask landlords about a commercial or short-stay lease in writing
- Work out break-even: rent, utilities, cleaning and fees against realistic nightly rates and occupancy
- Furnish the unit, list it and line up a cleaner and a self check-in system
Who pays
Tourists, business travellers, and visitors who want a home-style stay instead of a hotel.
How it makes money
Nightly fees and cleaning fees must cover your rent, utilities, furnishings, cleaning and platform fees first. What is left is your profit, so test the numbers carefully.
Skills that help
- Budgeting and pricing
- Guest communication
- Managing cleaners and turnovers
Watch out for
- Most standard leases ban subletting or short stays, so get permission in writing
- Some cities limit short-term rentals to a host's principal residence, so check before signing a lease
- Fixed rent keeps coming in quiet months, especially off-season and over winter
- You will likely need specific short-term rental insurance and possibly commercial liability cover
- Check business registration, GST/HST and any accommodation taxes with your province and municipality
- Quebec has its own tourist accommodation registration rules
Deep research report · Canada
Everything you need to start: holiday apartment in a unit you lease
Researched with live web search for Canada: real startup prices, the licences and rules, what others charge, a break-even example, how to find your first customers and a 30-day launch plan. With sources.
- Startup costs with real prices
- Licences, registration and rules
- Pricing: what others charge
- Break-even example
- Finding your first customers
- 30-day launch plan
- Risks and how to reduce them
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start a leased holiday apartment in Canada?
Startup costs are typically around $6,000 to $20,000, depending on the unit and how you furnish it. These are estimates, so work out your own lease and setup costs before signing anything.
How much can a leased holiday apartment earn?
Monthly revenue is typically around $2,000 to $8,000, depending on location, season and bookings. This is an estimate, and fixed rent keeps coming in quiet months, especially off-season and over winter, so plan your cash flow.
Can I run a short-stay rental in an apartment I lease?
Most standard leases ban subletting or short stays, so get permission in writing. Some cities limit short-term rentals to a host's principal residence, so check before signing. Also check insurance, business registration, GST/HST, accommodation taxes and Quebec's tourist accommodation registration.
Other ways to run this business
Similar hospitality ideas
Pop-up dinner theatre series
Produce your own ticketed show nights in a rented hall, with a hired caterer serving the meal.
- C$5k-20k
- Part-time
- Own premises
Pop-up beer garden for events and festivals
Run a temporary outdoor beer and food space at festivals, markets and private events, featuring local craft brewers.
- C$5k-20k
- Side hustle
- Out and about
Full-service cottage rental management
Run a local agency that markets, cleans, checks in and looks after cottages for owners, all year round.
- C$4k-20k
- Full-time
- Out and about
Small motorhome stop on your own land
Turn spare land into a handful of overnight sites with power and water for motorhomes and RVs.
- C$5k-25k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Pop-up tapas nights
Run a tapas night once or twice a week inside an existing bar or café, and test your menu before leasing your own place.
- C$3k-15k
- Side hustle
- Out and about
Mini hostel in a larger home or property
Offer a handful of dorm beds in a spare-room-sized setup in a large home, if local rules allow.
- C$5k-25k
- Side hustle
- From home
Photo: jarmoluk on Pixabay