The problem: months of waiting, fixed costs, zero income
In Varese a furnished flat can take several months to find the right buyer. Meanwhile it turns up at viewings as a lifeless home.
BridgeRent · Owners · Earns while it sells
The BridgeRent product
Earns while it sells. A home for sale doesn’t have to stand still.
Months pass between the mandate and completion (rogito, the notarial deed). Building charges, IMU and utilities keep running regardless. If the property is suitable, we let it on short stays, managed in-house, and keep selling it. Viewings always come first.
In short
- A management contract separate from the sale mandate: 25% of nightly rates collected, VAT included, cancellable with 30 days’ notice.
- Suitability decided on site with eight checks. Not for every property, and we say so first.
- Viewings always take priority in the calendar; inspection before every viewing; price review on day 60 and day 90.
- Our data, not market averages: 6,744 nights managed since 2021, 2,423 guest reviews on two Superhost profiles, 65.4% occupancy over the last 365 days.
The solution: managed short lets, until completion
Listing, pricing, guests, check-in, cleaning and an inspection at every check-out: all in-house. Written report every 30 days.
The priority: the sale comes first. Always.
The booking calendar is subordinate to the viewing calendar. Inspection before every viewing. If it sells early, we go to completion and management ends.
Try the home
A buyer about to make an offer can sleep one night in the property at the guest rate; BridgeRent refunds it at completion. A lived-in home sells better than an idle one. Buying with BridgeRent →
Simulator · three scenarios
How much can it earn while it is for sale?
Low, base, high: stated occupancy and nightly rate, calculated on our portfolio (Airbnb, 22 September 2026), not on national averages. The Varese town-centre case is the high scenario, not the average. We work out the figure for your address, free.
Your data
Summary
Two-bedroom · Varese city · 8 months
Occupancy observed on the portfolio by area; base = −12 points; low = −27 points and nightly rate −13%. For a two-bedroom flat in Varese city, per month: low 45% at €60 = €820 gross → €615 to the owner; base 60% at €69 = €1,260 → €945; high 72% at €69 = €1,520 → €1,140.An indicative estimate, before tax (cedolare secca, the flat-rate rental tax: 21% on one unit, 26% on the second, above two units a business is presumed from 2026) and wear and tear. Not a guarantee or a promise of returns. Every sold page compares the base estimate with the actual result: the aim is for the actual figure to beat the estimate more often than it falls short.
Low scenario€ 4,980to the owner over the period, after the 25% management fee, before utilities, IMU share, building charges and tax
Occupancy · rate assumed45% · € 60 per night
Per month€ 620
Gross bookings€ 6,640
Management 25%− € 1,660
After the period costs you enter€ 2,980
Base scenario€ 7,610to the owner over the period, after the 25% management fee, before utilities, IMU share, building charges and tax
Occupancy · rate assumed60% · € 69 per night
Per month€ 950
Gross bookings€ 10,150
Management 25%− € 2,540
After the period costs you enter€ 5,610
High scenario€ 9,120to the owner over the period, after the 25% management fee, before utilities, IMU share, building charges and tax
Occupancy · rate assumed72% · € 69 per night
Per month€ 1,140
Gross bookings€ 12,170
Management 25%− € 3,040
After the period costs you enter€ 7,120
Want this estimate checked on your address?
We carry the data you entered into the contact form. The check uses real rates for the area.
Data from the managed portfolio
Airbnb, last 365 days to 22 September 2026.
Only properties with at least 12 months of history. It is the basis of the simulator and of the proof strip. Updated quarterly on the Transparency page; the area-by-area commentary is in our data guide (in Italian).
6,744nights booked since 2021
83.7%of stays rated 5 stars (741 of 885)
65.4%occupancy, last 365 days (down 26.1% on the previous period as new properties joined)
39.4 daysaverage booking lead time: dates can be blocked for viewings without losing bookings
| Location | Occupancy | Average nightly rate | Average stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Busto Arsizio | 85.0% | €92 | 27.5 nights |
| Montelago-San Gottardo | 80.2% | €93 | 3.8 nights |
| Varese | 72.5% | €69 | 5.0 nights |
| Besnate | 68.7% | €71 | 5.9 nights |
| Porto Ceresio | 64.9% | €100 | 3.9 nights |
| Casciago | 64.7% | €414 | 12.0 nights |
| Mercallo | 61.5% | €80 | 4.6 nights |
| Brebbia | 48.6% | €63 | 2.5 nights |
| Milan | 47.5% | €152 | 4.3 nights |
| Como | 46.6% | €97 | 5.8 nights |
| Gallarate | 41.5% | €61 | 10.0 nights |
| Somma Lombardo | 40.1% | €61 | 6.3 nights |
| Taino | 34.9% | €62 | 5.8 nights |
Casciago: a villa with a nightly rate and long stays far out of scale, not representative. Busto Arsizio and Gallarate: long stays linked to Malpensa, closer to a transitional lease than to tourism. Source: Airbnb host statistics of the two profiles that manage the portfolio, 22 September 2026.
Suitability · eight checks on site
Not for every property. And we say so first.
If the check says no, we sell the home anyway: 4-month exclusive, the same written commitments.
It can be activated if
- the building rules do not prohibit short lets
- the cadastral category is residential (A, excluding A/10)
- it is furnished and fully equipped, or you are willing to furnish it
- the systems are compliant and it is certified fit for habitation
- it has independent access, compatible with self check-in
- the area has demand documented on our portfolio
- the expected time to sell is at least 4 months
- you have at most one other unit already on short lets (from 2026 the business threshold is two)
Not for you if
- you need to complete within a few weeks
- the home is occupied, unfit for use or needs renovation
- short lets are not allowed
- you don’t want guests in the home
- you want a 4+4 lease (the standard Italian residential lease: four years plus four): it is an alternative to selling, not a tool for the marketing period
Management service levels · published
What we promise guests and you. With the timings.
A service level we cannot meet 90% of the time does not get published. These do. The property management team looks after guests and properties; when someone is away, cover is in writing: replies during office hours, a cleaning supplier with keys, self check-in on every property.
- Reply to guests within 1 hour from 8 am to 10 pm
- Cleaning on the day of check-out with a local supplier
- Property inspected in the 24 hours before every sales viewing
- Reply to the owner within 24 working hours
- Written report every 30 days bookings, income, viewings postponed because of guests (target: zero)
Compliance as part of the product
No listing goes online without a CIN.
CIN (the national short-let code) shown on every listing; the Lombardy regional code (CIR) and notice to the municipality; guest registration with the police (Questura) within 24 hours; tourist tax paid to the municipality; gas and carbon-monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers; short-let insurance; building rules checked before we make a proposal to the owner. Responsibility written into the contract: the obligations we handle (CIN, guest registration, tourist tax, notices) are ours, and no listing goes online without a CIN. The obligations the law places on the owner remain the owner’s: that is why we check them before activation, not after.
What you pay, in full
Two contracts. Two fees. None hidden.
Details and examples on the Fees page.
Sale mandate1% + VAT
At completion, always
With or without management. The buyer pays 3% + VAT. If it doesn’t sell, there is no agency fee.
Management contract25%
Of nightly rates collected
VAT included. Cleaning and tourist tax excluded: the guest pays them. Cancellable with 30 days’ notice.
How interests alignCompletion
Our main source of income
On €175,000, completion is worth €7,000 + VAT to BridgeRent across the two parties; management about €370 a month. It takes many months of management to come close to one sale: that is why viewings take priority by contract.
8 monthsearning, until completion
Sold€175,000, full price
Sold · Varese town centre
Two-bedroom flat, 70 m²: €175,000, with €8,850 to the owner while it was for sale.
SituationFurnished, good condition, building with no short-let ban
TimelineMandate January 2026 · full-price offer in April · completion in September
Result€8,850 after management (€11,800 gross), before tax and property costs
What it does not proveThat every property earns almost €9,000: it depends on area, season, furnishing, rates and how long the sale takes
Terms in force before 27 September 2026. A real, indicative figure, not a promise. In the simulator it is the high scenario.
In the words of someone who did it
A Gallarate owner, on Google.
Quoted in full, name as it appears on Google; our translation. It is the case documented on the Sold · Gallarate page: offer after 10 days, completion after 154, an income while waiting. The €800 a month net is the owner's figure, not ours: our statement is published on the Sold page once closed.
In February I entrusted BridgeRent with the sale of my house in Gallarate and after about ten days an offer came in.
What I appreciated most is that the house kept earning even after the offer: with the short lets managed by BridgeRent I made around 800 euros net a month, from February to July.
Before learning about this option I was only thinking about the sale. Having an income while waiting was a concrete advantage. Thanks to Andrea and BridgeRent!
Questions before signing
Guests, damage, tax, personal use.
Can I sell it while guests are staying?
Yes. The booking calendar is coordinated with the viewing calendar and viewings always take priority: we accept no booking that clashes with a scheduled viewing. The average booking lead time on our portfolio is 39 days: dates are blocked a month ahead without losing bookings. If it sells, we go to completion and management ends.
What if a guest damages the property?
Every booking goes through Airbnb and is covered by AirCover for Hosts for damage caused by guests to the property and its furnishings; it is not an insurance policy and has its own terms. Inspection at every check-out and before every viewing; repairs within 24–48 hours. Short-let insurance is one of the requirements we check before activation.
Who pays for cleaning and the tourist tax?
The guest. We collect them and pass them on. Utilities and the property’s fixed costs remain yours: we quantify them in the report before you sign.
The home is empty: who furnishes it?
Normally the owner. If you prefer not to pay upfront, we can advance the cost and recover it from bookings up to an agreed ceiling. Feasibility and costs are checked on site.
How long does the management contract last?
It is a separate document from the sale mandate and can be cancelled at any time with 30 days’ notice, after the stays already confirmed. That settles the question “if you earn from management, don’t you have an interest in dragging out the sale?”.
How are short lets taxed?
For individuals the basis is the cedolare secca, a flat-rate rental tax: 21% on one unit and 26% on the second; from 1 January 2026 (Law 199/2025, art. 1 par. 17) above two units on short lets the activity is presumed to be a business, with VAT registration. If you own several homes this is not a detail: we check it with your tax adviser before signing. Mandatory: the CIN (national short-let code) on the listing, guest registration and the tourist tax, all of which we handle. If you are tax-resident abroad, your adviser also checks the double-taxation treaty.
Can I use the home myself at weekends?
Yes, if we agree it before activation: it affects the calendar and therefore the estimate. Tell us at the assessment stage.
How do I see the income?
If the listing is on your Airbnb account, you see bookings, income and reviews in real time. If it runs through the manager’s profile, you receive a monthly statement with every booking. Either way the written report every 30 days has two sections: sale (viewings, enquiries, price feedback) and management (bookings, income, viewings postponed because of guests, which must be zero).
Written by Andrea Tonali, licensed real estate agent (Milan Monza Brianza Lodi Chamber of Commerce, since 21 Oct 2024), founder of BridgeRent.
Editorial update: 3 October 2026 · Tax and legal content must be checked with the relevant professionals.
Free · no obligation
Check whether your property can earn while we sell it.
Free, no obligation. Management is optional: if the property isn’t suitable, we tell you and sell it anyway.
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