# RentTools

> Open-source property management tool for short-term rental hosts. Self-hosted or hosted-free. Calendar sync (Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, any iCal source), cleaning automation, GDPR-friendly guest data, multi-property management.

RentTools is built for hosts running 1–20 short-term rentals who want a free alternative to $100/mo channel managers. The hosted instance runs at https://renttools.io; the source is MIT-licensed at https://github.com/Gribadan/RentTools.io.

## Core docs

- [Home](https://renttools.io/): Product overview, what it does, and how it compares to paid channel managers.
- [Sign up](https://renttools.io/signup): Create an account on the hosted instance.
- [Privacy policy](https://renttools.io/privacy): How RentTools stores and processes guest data.
- [Terms](https://renttools.io/terms): Service terms for the hosted instance.

## Blog — host-facing guides

- [Off-season math: close the listing or stay open?](https://renttools.io/blog/off-season-close-or-stay-open-math): Closing for the low season doesn't stop the insurance, the internet or the standing charges. The per-night contribution math on when staying open pays.
- [Short-term rental laundry: in-house machines vs a service](https://renttools.io/blog/short-term-rental-laundry-cost-math): What a turnover's laundry really costs in-house versus at a service: per-load math, the extra linen set a 48-hour turnaround forces, and the real crossover.
- [iCal feed URL security: what your calendar link leaks](https://renttools.io/blog/ical-feed-url-security): Your Airbnb and Booking.com iCal export URLs are passwords with no expiry. What each feed actually leaks, how to read yours in 90 seconds, and when to rotate.
- [Seasonal pricing math: turn your booking history into a rate ladder](https://renttools.io/blog/seasonal-pricing-short-term-rental-math): Most hosts charge one rate all year. Build a seasonality index from your own occupancy, turn it into monthly rate multipliers, and stop leaking margin.
- [Check-in and check-out times: the turnover window math](https://renttools.io/blog/check-in-check-out-time-turnover-math): The gap between checkout and check-in is your entire cleaning window. Worked math on turnover time, cleaner cost, and when to block a buffer day instead.
- [EV charger ROI for short-term rentals: the occupancy-filter math](https://renttools.io/blog/ev-charger-roi-short-term-rental-math): An EV charger is an occupancy play, not a nightly premium — you land in a filtered search with almost no competitors. The install and payback math, by market.
- [Air conditioning ROI for short-term rentals: the one-summer payback](https://renttools.io/blog/air-conditioning-roi-short-term-rental-math): In a hot market AC isn't a premium amenity — it's the review insurance you buy so July doesn't wreck your rating. Here's the install and payback math.
- [Furnishing a short-term rental: the startup cost and payback math](https://renttools.io/blog/furnishing-short-term-rental-cost-math): What it costs to furnish an Airbnb from empty — an itemized capex list for a 1-bed and 2-bed, the cost per bedroom, and the nights it takes to earn it back.
- [Pricing a new Airbnb listing: the review-velocity math](https://renttools.io/blog/new-airbnb-listing-pricing-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](https://renttools.io/blog/short-term-rental-insurance-cost): 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.
- [Airbnb rating recovery math: how many 5-stars erase one bad review](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-rating-recovery-math): 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.
- [Security deposit for a direct booking: the hold, not the charge](https://renttools.io/blog/security-deposit-direct-booking): 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.
- [Airbnb payout currency conversion fee: the hidden 3% spread](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-payout-currency-conversion-fee): 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.
- [Booking.com commission: the real take rate after VAT and fees](https://renttools.io/blog/booking-com-commission-vat-math): 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.
- [iCal checkout day blocked? The off-by-one bug eating your nights](https://renttools.io/blog/ical-checkout-day-blocked): 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.
- [Utility cost per night for short-term rentals: a worked breakdown](https://renttools.io/blog/utility-cost-short-term-rental-math): 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.
- [Short-term rental occupancy rate: the denominator that lies](https://renttools.io/blog/short-term-rental-occupancy-rate-math): 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.
- [DAC7: Airbnb and Booking.com now report your income to the tax office](https://renttools.io/blog/dac7-airbnb-booking-tax-reporting): 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.
- [Airbnb calendar not syncing? 7 reasons your iCal feed goes stale](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-calendar-not-syncing): 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.
- [Chargeback on a direct booking: the host's win-the-dispute playbook](https://renttools.io/blog/chargeback-direct-booking-dispute): 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.
- [Overbooking relocation cost: what it costs to walk a guest](https://renttools.io/blog/overbooking-relocation-cost-math): When you can't honor a booking, walking the guest means paying the price difference for comparable accommodation. Three worked scenarios and the real bill.
- [Booking.com virtual card declined: the host's VCC charging playbook](https://renttools.io/blog/booking-com-virtual-card-declined): Why Booking.com's virtual credit card declines — and the exact charge-from date, balance ceiling, and expiry window that fix 9 in 10 failed VCC charges.
- [Booking lead time math: why an empty calendar isn't an emergency](https://renttools.io/blog/booking-lead-time-short-term-rental): How far ahead your bookings actually land, how to read your own pickup curve, and the pace test that says whether an empty calendar means discount — or just wait.
- [Consumables cost per stay: the line every host forgets to budget](https://renttools.io/blog/consumables-cost-per-stay-math): What toilet paper, coffee, and soap actually cost you per Airbnb turnover — the itemized per-stay breakdown, bulk-vs-retail unit math, and three occupancy scenarios annualized.
- [Weekend pricing premium math: what to charge for Friday and Saturday](https://renttools.io/blog/weekend-pricing-premium-math): How much more to charge for weekend nights — measuring your own demand premium from occupancy-by-day, a weekly revenue grid, three markets scored, and why a 2-night weekend minimum beats the premium itself.
- [Airbnb guest refund math: how much to comp when a stay goes wrong](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-guest-refund-compensation-math): A severity formula for mid-stay refunds — affected nights times nightly rate times an impact factor — with four worked scenarios and the platform rules that override a lowball.
- [Break-even nightly rate: the floor where a booking starts losing money](https://renttools.io/blog/break-even-nightly-rate-math): Worked math for the nightly rate below which a short-term-rental booking loses money — the per-stay vs per-night cost split, the break-even formula, and three lowball requests scored.
- [Mid-term rental math: when 28-night stays beat nightly bookings](https://renttools.io/blog/mid-term-rental-math): A worked month costed two ways — nightly turnovers vs one 28-night stay — the ~77% occupancy break-even, and the tenant-rights tripwire most hosts miss.
- [Early check-in fee math: when to charge, when it's free money](https://renttools.io/blog/early-check-in-fee-math): Worked math for early check-in fees on Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo — the prior-night-vacant rule, what to charge, and why high occupancy kills the supply.
- [Booking.com Preferred Partner math: when the +2% commission pays back](https://renttools.io/blog/booking-com-preferred-partner-math): Worked break-even on Booking.com's Preferred Partner badge — the +2% commission tax, the two-tier ladder, and why it only pays with empty nights to fill.
- [Airbnb host cancellation penalty math: what cancelling actually costs](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-host-cancellation-penalty-math): Airbnb replaced its flat host cancellation fee with 10/25/50% tiers capped at $1,000. The full cost — the fee, blocked calendar, automated review, and Superhost hit.
- [Vrbo Premier Host requirements: the four thresholds and what the badge actually moves](https://renttools.io/blog/vrbo-premier-host-requirements-math): The four Vrbo Premier Host thresholds, the search-rank lift the badge actually delivers, the acceptance-rate trap that costs most badges, and when chasing it stops paying.
- [Booking.com no-show fee math: what you actually recover when a guest never shows up](https://renttools.io/blog/booking-com-no-show-fee): A worked playbook for Booking.com no-shows — the 48-hour reporting window, what the rate plan determines, the commission you still owe, and the chargeback rate that eats the rest.
- [WiFi for vacation rentals: speed, router, and LTE failover](https://renttools.io/blog/wifi-short-term-rental-setup): The Mbps number guests actually need, the router that doesn't crash by month four, and the 4G backup that turns three nights of outage into a non-event.
- [Orphan nights: the gap-night revenue your minimum stay strands](https://renttools.io/blog/orphan-night-gap-night-math): A worked calc of how many nights a 3-night minimum strands as unbookable gaps each year — and the gap-only exception that recovers them without 1-night chaos.
- [Direct booking website math: when escaping OTA commission pays off](https://renttools.io/blog/direct-booking-website-math): A worked P&L on Airbnb's host cut vs a direct site's 3% Stripe fee — and the repeat-guest rate that decides whether your own booking page pays off.
- [Self check-in failed: a host's playbook for the 11pm key emergency](https://renttools.io/blog/self-check-in-failure-playbook): The lockbox jams, the smart lock goes offline, the guest can't read the code. A field-tested procedure for the first 15 minutes, the next hour, and the after-action that keeps your listing alive.
- [Who collects tourist tax on Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo (2026)](https://renttools.io/blog/tourist-tax-airbnb-booking-vrbo): A practical map of where Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo auto-collect tourist tax — and where they leave you on the hook. Rates by US city and EU country.
- [Hot tub ROI for short-term rentals: the 28-month payback math](https://renttools.io/blog/hot-tub-roi-short-term-rental-math): A hot tub adds $35–$60/night and 8–12 points of occupancy in cold climates. The install pays back in 22–34 months — and never in hot ones.
- [Airbnb listing photo math: how many, in what order, and which one earns the click](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-listing-photo-math): The cover photo decides 70–80% of search-result clicks. Photos 2–7 decide saves. Above 25 photos, the curve goes flat. A worked 3-listing audit and the order to shoot in.
- [Maintenance reserve for short-term rentals: the per-night number most hosts get wrong](https://renttools.io/blog/maintenance-reserve-short-term-rental-math): Most hosts set aside 1–2% of gross for repairs. Real depreciation runs 5–8%. A worked spreadsheet of three breakdowns shows what the per-night reserve actually needs to be.
- [When do Airbnb and Booking.com actually pay you? Payout timing](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-booking-com-payout-timing): Airbnb pays ~24h after check-in; Booking.com pays weeks later. A worked timeline of when money really lands, the first-payout trap, and the cash-flow gap.
- [RevPAR for short-term rentals: the metric occupancy hides](https://renttools.io/blog/revpar-short-term-rental-math): Occupancy and ADR each tell half the story. RevPAR — revenue per available night — reconciles them. Worked math for three listings that look nothing alike.
- [Airbnb Superhost: the four thresholds and what the badge is worth](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-superhost-requirements-math): The four quarterly metrics that win the Superhost badge, the search-rank lift it actually gives you, and when chasing it stops being worth the response-rate cognitive load.
- [Airbnb host-only fee vs split-fee: the breakeven math](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-host-only-fee-vs-split-fee-math): When 15% host-only beats 3% + ~14% split, the conversion uplift hosts actually see, and the worked spreadsheet across budget, mid-tier, and luxury listings.
- [Airbnb extra guest fee: the per-person pricing math](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-extra-guest-fee-math): What an extra guest actually costs you per night, the three pricing models hosts use, and the spreadsheet that shows when a per-guest fee funds your linen budget vs when it spooks the booking.
- [Airbnb instant book vs request to book: the conversion math](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-instant-book-vs-request-to-book): What Airbnb's instant book actually costs you in bookings, the four guest signals where request-to-book pays for itself, and the spreadsheet to decide.
- [Airbnb co-host commission math: what 20% really costs you](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-co-host-commission-math): A worked breakdown of co-host pay models for short-term rental hosts. Percent-of-gross vs percent-of-net vs per-task, real dollar math at 5, 10, and 20 stays per month, and the threshold where the co-host pays for themselves.
- [Guest registration laws for short-term rentals: a country-by-country guide](https://renttools.io/blog/guest-registration-laws-short-term-rental): What guest data EU short-term rental hosts must collect and report to authorities — Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Germany — with deadlines and retention rules.
- [Airbnb cleaning fee vs all-in pricing: which one books more nights](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-cleaning-fee-vs-all-in-pricing): A worked breakdown of Airbnb's total-price display and the cleaning-fee dilemma — what happens when you bundle the fee into the nightly rate, how CTR moves at each split, and the break-even where absorbing the fee starts to cost money.
- [Same-day booking math: when the last-minute reservation is a trap](https://renttools.io/blog/same-day-booking-math): When a same-day Airbnb or Booking.com reservation is worth accepting and when it costs you a 3-star review. Cleaning slack, review-score drag, and the 3-hour rule that beats "always say yes."
- [Dynamic pricing for short-term rentals: PriceLabs, Wheelhouse, Beyond](https://renttools.io/blog/dynamic-pricing-short-term-rental): A worked comparison of PriceLabs, Wheelhouse, and Beyond Pricing for short-term rental hosts — fees, lift, break-even at 1, 3, and 8 listings, and the three settings that decide whether the tool earns its keep.
- [How to respond to a 3-star Airbnb review without making it worse](https://renttools.io/blog/responding-to-bad-airbnb-review): A tactical playbook for the worst hour of the hosting week — when to respond, the four-sentence template that works, when to push for removal under Airbnb's policy, and how a single 3-star reply moves your future conversion rate.
- [Digital guidebook for short-term rentals: Touch Stay vs Hostfully vs DIY PDF](https://renttools.io/blog/digital-guidebook-short-term-rental): A worked cost comparison of Touch Stay, Hostfully, and a free DIY PDF for short-term-rental hosts. Time-saved math, message-volume drop, and the per-listing breakeven.
- [Pet fee math for short-term rental hosts: when allowing dogs actually pays](https://renttools.io/blog/pet-fee-math-short-term-rental): A worked breakdown of pet fees for Airbnb and Booking.com hosts. Cleaning premium, damage rate, conversion uplift, and the per-listing rule for setting yours.
- [Booking.com Genius levels: when 10%, 15%, and 20% discounts pay back](https://renttools.io/blog/booking-com-genius-levels-math): Worked math on Booking.com's Genius 1, 2, and 3 tiers. The breakeven lift each tier needs, the visibility math behind the badge, and a per-listing rule.
- [Late check-out fee policy: what to charge, what hosts actually collect](https://renttools.io/blog/late-checkout-fee-policy): Worked math for late check-out fees on Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo — hourly vs half-day, when to comp the first hour, and the same-day-arrival cliff.
- [Minimum-night stay math: when 1, 2, 3, and 7-night minimums make money](https://renttools.io/blog/minimum-night-stay-math): When does a 1, 2, 3, or 7-night minimum make money? Worked math for a city studio, beach 2BR, and mountain cabin — plus the per-LOS toggles most hosts miss.
- [What to pay your short-term-rental cleaner: per-clean vs hourly](https://renttools.io/blog/cleaner-pay-short-term-rental): Per-clean, hourly, and monthly-retainer cleaner pay math for short-term rental hosts at 5, 10, and 20 stays a month — plus the contractor-classification trap.
- [Airbnb AirCover vs Booking.com damage deposit: what gets paid](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-aircover-vs-booking-damage-deposit): How AirCover, Booking.com damage deposits, and Vrbo Property Damage Protection actually pay out — three real damage claims, real timelines, real refusal rates.
- [Noise monitoring for short-term rentals: Minut vs NoiseAware vs Roomonitor](https://renttools.io/blog/noise-monitoring-short-term-rental): A 12-month cost comparison of Minut, NoiseAware, and Roomonitor for short-term rental hosts — plus the threshold setting that decides whether you catch the party or annoy quiet guests.
- [Linen inventory for short-term rentals: how many sets per listing](https://renttools.io/blog/linen-inventory-short-term-rental): How many sheet sets and towel sets you actually need per short-term rental — the laundry-cycle math, the dryer bottleneck, and what new hosts always get wrong.
- [Wi-Fi setup for short-term rentals: speed, mesh, and guest-network math](https://renttools.io/blog/wifi-setup-short-term-rental): How much Wi-Fi speed a short-term rental actually needs, when a single router beats mesh, and why a guest network is not optional in 2026 — with worked numbers and real hardware picks.
- [Airbnb cancellation policy math: which tier actually pays more](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-cancellation-policy-math): A worked spreadsheet of Flexible, Moderate, Firm, and Strict on Airbnb plus refundable vs non-refundable on Booking.com. Three cancellation scenarios at 60, 75, 90% occupancy.
- [Smart lock vs lockbox: 12-month cost math for short-term rental hosts](https://renttools.io/blog/smart-lock-vs-lockbox-cost-math): A worked spreadsheet comparing smart locks, lockboxes, and in-person check-in. Total cost over 12 months at 5, 10, and 20 stays per month — plus the failure modes nobody prices.
- [Channel manager break-even math: when paying $40 a month actually pays back](https://renttools.io/blog/channel-manager-break-even-math): When does a paid channel manager pay for itself? Worked break-even math at 1, 3, 8, and 15 properties — plus the failure cost most hosts forget to price in.
- [Pre-arrival guest forms: what to ask, when to send, completion math](https://renttools.io/blog/pre-arrival-guest-forms): A field-by-field guide to pre-arrival forms for short-term rental hosts. What to ask, what to skip, when to send, and how to push completion past 90%.
- [Length-of-stay discount math: when 7-day and 28-day discounts actually pay](https://renttools.io/blog/length-of-stay-discount-math): A worked spreadsheet of weekly and monthly Airbnb discount math. The breakeven at 60%, 75%, and 90% occupancy, and a per-listing rule to pick yours.
- [Self-hosting your property manager on a $4 droplet](https://renttools.io/blog/self-hosting-property-manager-droplet): How to self-host a short-term-rental property manager on a cheap DigitalOcean droplet. Real RAM numbers, real build limits, real monthly cost.
- [GDPR for short-term rental hosts: what you actually need to do](https://renttools.io/blog/gdpr-for-vacation-rental-hosts): Practical GDPR for short-term rental hosts. Five concrete actions this week: privacy notice, lawful basis, retention, sub-processors, deletion.
- [Free property-management tools for short-term rental hosts in 2026](https://renttools.io/blog/free-property-management-tools-2026): A 2026 roundup of free property-management software for Airbnb and Booking.com hosts. Managed-free, self-host-free, DIY combos, and where each one breaks.
- [Cleaning schedule automation for short-term rental hosts](https://renttools.io/blog/cleaning-schedule-automation): How short-term rental hosts can automate the cleaning schedule. Replace paper notebooks and shared Sheets with a cleaner-role workflow that actually scales.
- [Setting buffer days right: stop back-to-back cleaning chaos](https://renttools.io/blog/cleaning-buffer-days): How to pick the right cleaning buffer days for short-term rentals. The revenue-vs-quality tradeoff, the math, and a per-property rule that scales.
- [Avoiding double bookings: the only host cheat sheet you need](https://renttools.io/blog/avoiding-double-bookings): A cheat sheet for short-term rental hosts to prevent double bookings. Sync intervals, buffer days, manual-entry rules, and the 24-hour pre-arrival audit.
- [How to sync Airbnb and Booking.com calendars in one place (free, 2026)](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-booking-calendar-sync-free): Sync Airbnb and Booking.com calendars for free with iCal. Step-by-step guide, real refresh-interval numbers, and when a paid channel manager is worth it.

## Optional

- [Sitemap](https://renttools.io/sitemap.xml): Machine-readable URL index for every public page.
- [GitHub repository](https://github.com/Gribadan/RentTools.io): Source code, issues, self-host instructions.