A management company takes a share of the revenue. The question is how much, and for what. Here is the sum for an apartment in Varna with our fee — 40% with VAT — and the same figures as our calculator, and a list of the work that stays with you if you manage it yourself.
1In short
What the owner keeps in an average month, apartment in Varna, average year:
| Yourself | With Arc Stay | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | €730 | €410 | €320 |
| 2 bedrooms | €1,120 | €630 | €490 |
With one bedroom the difference is about €320 a month, €3,800 a year. That is what the work in section 4 is worth: if you do it yourself, it stays with you. The "Yourself" column is before cleaning and laundry, which our fee includes.
2The sum line by line
A one-bedroom apartment in Varna, average year:
| Yourself | With Arc Stay | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid by guests | €10,700 | €10,700 |
| VAT on the nights (9%) | — | −€900 |
| Platform commission | −€1,700 | −€1,700 |
| VAT on the commission, art. 97a (20%) | −€300 | — |
| Management fee (40% with VAT) | — | −€3,200 |
| Cleaning and laundry | at your cost | included |
| For the owner, per year | €8,700 | €4,900 |
| Average month | €730 | €410 |
3Why the columns differ by more than the fee
- VAT on the nights. An owner who is not VAT registered charges none. Arc Stay is registered, so our nights carry 9%, included in the price.
- VAT under art. 97a. Airbnb and Booking.com invoice from abroad, so an owner who is not VAT registered must register under art. 97a and pay 20% on their commission. For a registered business such as ours that VAT is deductible.
- The same occupancy and price. The sum assumes you would do as well alone as a company would. If a company says it will do better, ask it for the figures that show it — and we owe you an answer to the same question.
4What you take on if you manage it yourself
- the listings, photos and day-by-day prices on Airbnb and Booking.com;
- messages with guests — before, during and after the stay, evenings included;
- keys or check-in at every arrival;
- cleaning and laundry after every departure, or someone to pay for them;
- entering every guest in ESTI within 24 hours;
- the art. 97a VAT returns, the tourist tax by the 15th of the following month, and the annual declaration by 30 January;
- damage and repairs between one guest and the next.
What exactly the law asks is in the owner's guide.
5When managing it yourself is worth it
- You live in or near Varna and have time on arrival and departure days.
- You have one property and messages from guests do not weigh on you.
- You already have someone to trust with the cleaning.
Then the difference in the table is yours, and fairly earned.
6When a management company is worth it
- You live in another city or abroad.
- You have no time for guests, cleaning and keys at the height of the season.
- You want the registration, ESTI and the tax returns on the nights to be someone else's job.
7What to ask any management company
| Question | Our answer |
|---|---|
| What is the fee charged on? | The room revenue excluding VAT and after the platforms' commission. |
| Is the percentage with VAT? | Yes: 40% with VAT, 33.33% before it. |
| Is cleaning included? | Yes — cleaning, laundry and the photos. |
| What is the minimum term? | 6 months, then one month's notice. |
| Who is paid, and when do you get yours? | The platforms pay us; we transfer your share with a monthly statement by the 15th. |
| What figures show it will do better? | 2026 is our first full season. We show you a model, not a report, and say which is which. |
8The sum for your property
The calculator on the owners' page shows what you keep with us in a weak, average and strong year, and what an apartment in Varna really earns explains where the figures come from.