Year-round holiday house with direct bookings

Holidaymakers, groups, visiting families and mid-length stays, booking through platforms or directly.

Nightly or weekly rates with a cleaning fee, adjusted by season, plus extras like pet fees or longer-stay discounts. Direct bookings avoid platform fees.

• Pricing and managing a booking calendar
• Managing cleaners and tradespeople
• Customer service and handling complaints

• Local rules may limit short-term rentals to a principal residence or require licences. Check your municipality and province before buying or leasing
• If you lease the property, you need the owner's written permission, and a mortgage lender may have conditions on rentals
• Commercial or specialist short-term rental insurance, and fire and safety requirements such as smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
• GST/HST registration and accommodation taxes, and WCB/WSIB coverage if you employ cleaners, depending on province
• Empty weeks in the off-season and costs that continue regardless, such as mortgage or rent, heating and snow clearing

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $6,000 to $30,000 CAD, depending on the property, how much furnishing and equipment it needs, and how you set up your booking page and cleaning arrangements.

Check whether your municipality and province limit short-term rentals to a principal residence or require licences. Also check owner permission if you lease, mortgage lender conditions, specialist insurance, fire safety alarms, GST/HST and accommodation taxes, and WCB/WSIB for cleaners.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $3,000 to $12,000 CAD, depending on location, nightly rates and how many weeks are booked. Costs such as mortgage or rent, heating and snow clearing continue during empty off-season weeks.