Comparing two management or concierge offers on the headline percentage alone is the surest way to get it wrong. The real cost of a management service sits on three levels: the base the percentage applies to, the fees charged per stay and who pays them, and the items that appear in no price list at all. Here is how to break an offer down, line by line, before signing a mandate, wherever you live.
The three pricing models
In Tignes as elsewhere, management offers fall into three families.
Proportional commission: the manager takes a percentage of the rental income collected. It is the most common model, and its strength is alignment: the manager earns more when you earn more.
Subscription: a fixed amount per month or per year, sometimes combined with a reduced commission. The cost is predictable, but it keeps running when the apartment does not let.
Per stay fees: each service is billed stay by stay. Frequent among providers who only deliver practical services without handling the bookings.
Many offers combine all three. That is precisely why a single percentage is not enough to compare them.
The decisive question: a percentage of what
Two offers at the same rate can produce very different costs, because the percentage does not apply to the same base.
The base can be the total amount paid by the guest, or that amount after the platform's commission has been deducted, or only the accommodation price excluding extras. From one base to another, the same rate does not take the same sum.
The question to ask is simple: on exactly what amount does the percentage apply, and can you show me on a real booking? A serious professional answers with a calculation, not a slogan.
The property preparation fee: who pays it, who receives it
Before each arrival the apartment is prepared: a full clean, beds made, linen in place. That work has a cost, and the way it flows changes the whole calculation.
Three patterns exist. The fee is charged to the guest on top of the accommodation price and covers the cost of preparation. Or it is charged to the owner, stay after stay. Or it is presented as included in the commission, which in practice means a higher commission.
None of these schemes is dishonest. What matters is knowing which one applies, finding it written in the mandate, and seeing it clearly on your statement.
The items no price list shows
The full cost of a season does not stop at the fees. Before comparing, list what stays at your expense in each offer.
Household linen: supplied by the provider, hired, or bought and renewed by you. Rental grade bedding means several sets per sleeping place.
Consumables and small supplies: welcome products, bulbs, batteries, small items replaced through the season.
Photos and listing setup: included, billed once, or at your expense.
Routine maintenance: who organises call outs, how they are billed, and what approval is required from you.
Season opening and closing: deep clean, technical checks, opening and shutting down the apartment.
Each item looks minor on its own. Added up over a full season, they can weigh as much as several points of commission.
The cost that appears nowhere: the calendar
The heaviest cost of mediocre management never appears on an invoice: the week that does not let, the price set wrong, the listing that does not convert.
A slightly higher rate with a manager who fills the calendar better can leave you a higher net income. The reverse is also true: the cheapest offer can cost the most, in empty weeks. The honest comparison is therefore on expected net income, not on the commission rate.
The method: run the same week through each offer
To compare properly, take a typical booking for your apartment: a school holiday week in winter, at a realistic price.
Ask each candidate to run that booking through their price list: what the guest pays, what the platform takes, what the manager takes and on what base, what you receive. Then ask the same question for a quiet week in January.
Two simulated bookings are enough to reveal the real differences between offers that the headline percentage made look identical.
The questions to ask before signing
A complete written price list, handed over before signature, is the starting point. From there, four questions cover the subject.
On exactly what amount does the commission apply? Who pays the property preparation fee, and who receives it? What stays at my expense over a full season, linen and consumables included? And how will each of these lines appear on the statement I receive?
The answers must be found in the mandate. For a non resident owner who cannot drop by the office, the written mandate and a statement you can recalculate from home are the only protections that matter. What is not written does not exist.
Frequently asked questions
Is a lower percentage always the better deal? No. A lower rate on a wider base, topped up with fees at your expense, can cost more than a higher all inclusive rate. Only the simulation of a real booking allows a fair comparison.
What should a serious price list contain? The commission and its base, the per stay fees and who pays them, the services included and those billed separately, and the rules for maintenance call outs. All of it written, dated, and consistent with the mandate.
Is the property preparation fee income for the manager? It depends on the offer: with some it covers the cost of the preparation work, with others it contributes to the margin. The right question is what it covers exactly, and what would happen if preparation cost more than the fee.
How do I check from abroad that the price list is respected? On the management statement: every line should be recalculable from the mandate. If the statement does not let you redo the calculation, ask for the formula. A manager who handles your money must be able to justify every line, in a currency and a format you can read from home.