Rising costs, flat rates: how to protect your short-term rental margin in Romania in 2026

Since summer 2025, almost every line in the budget of a short-term rental (regim hotelier) apartment in Romania has become more expensive: VAT, energy, services and labour, which feeds into cleaning rates. At the same time, Romanian travellers are spending more carefully, and on the Black Sea coast operators could not raise prices even at the height of the season. The result is a thinner margin, even when occupancy holds up. Below you will find what exactly has gone up, an illustrative calculation of the margin lost and seven levers to win it back.

In brief

Since 1 August 2025, VAT on accommodation has risen from 9% to 11% and the standard rate from 19% to 21%. The electricity price cap expired on 1 July 2025, and the gross minimum wage rose to 4,325 lei on 1 July 2026.
Inflation fell to 6.17% in August 2026, but that only means prices are rising more slowly. In July, services cost 13.67% more than a year earlier.
Demand is not keeping up: household consumption fell for four months in a row up to July, and coast operators say that, for the first time, they did not raise prices in the peak period.
In our illustrative example, net income falls by almost 10% if rates stay the same. To keep it, revenue has to rise by about 3.7%.
If you list on Airbnb, check your prices: the platform is moving to a single 15.5% fee paid by the host, and for hosts in the European Economic Area the deadline to adjust prices is 13 October 2026.

What has become more expensive since 2025

The pressure does not come from a single direction. Some costs jumped overnight through tax decisions or rule changes; others crept up with inflation. The table below sums up the changes that matter most to a host.

Cost	What changed	What it means for you
VAT	11% on accommodation (from 9%) and a 21% standard rate (from 19%), since 1 August 2025	If you are VAT-registered, you keep less of the same final price. If you are not, you pay more on purchases and on services invoiced with VAT.
Electricity	the price cap expired on 1 July 2025; the Asociația Energia Inteligentă (AEI) estimated final prices of 1.1–1.5 lei/kWh including VAT	Utilities are included in your rate, so you absorb every increase in full.
Gross minimum wage	4,050 lei, then 4,325 lei from 1 July 2026 (+6.8%)	Cleaning and maintenance firms' rates depend heavily on staff costs and may go up.
Consumer prices	6.17% inflation in August 2026; in July, services +13.67%, coffee +19.47%, petrol +23.15%	Guest consumables, outsourced services and travel cost more.
Building tax	average increases of 70–80% in 2026, according to the press, with large differences between localities	A small but recurring fixed cost; check your local tax assessment.
Airbnb fee	a single 15.5% fee paid entirely by the host	If you don't adjust your prices, you earn less for every night.

On energy, the jump was immediate. With PPC, for example, the bill for 100 kWh a month was set to rise from 80.9 to 167.9 lei from 1 July 2025 (Libertatea). A year later, prices had settled at the new level: in July 2026, electricity cost 3.39% more than in July 2025, according to INS data.

Why is inflation falling if everything feels more expensive? The annual rate dropped from 10.42% in June to 8.16% in July and 6.17% in August 2026 because the price rises of summer 2025 (the end of the energy price cap and the VAT and excise increases) have dropped out of the year-on-year comparison, the National Bank of Romania (BNR) explains. Prices have not fallen; they are rising more slowly: in July 2026, consumer prices were 4.4% higher than in December 2025. For your budget, what counts is the level of your costs, not just how fast they rise.

Airbnb's single 15.5% fee: check your prices by 13 October

Until now, Airbnb split its fee: the host paid a small fee (3% in the platform's example) and the guest paid their own fee on top of the price the host set. Airbnb is moving all hosts to a single 15.5% fee, paid entirely by the host and based on its global average service fees. Hosts connected to a property management system (PMS) or a channel manager were switched automatically on 27 October 2025. For other hosts in the European Economic Area and Switzerland, the deadline to adjust prices is 13 October 2026.

The principle is simple: the guest should see the same price, and you should earn the same. In Airbnb's example, a $100 rate became $115 for the guest and the host earned $97. With the single fee, you set $115 directly, the guest still sees $115 and you still earn $97. If you do nothing before the deadline, your price stays at $100 and your payout drops to $84.50 per night. The new fee applies only to reservations made after you switch to the single fee.

Watch the VAT on the fee. In Romania, Airbnb service fees are subject to 21% VAT if you are not VAT-registered. Airbnb's price adjustment tool includes this tax automatically: in the platform's example, with a 20% rate, a $100 price becomes $119. If you don't adjust your prices, the 15.5% fee plus the VAT on it comes to about 18.8% of your rate, so you keep roughly 81 lei out of every 100. Airbnb also points out that adjusted prices can raise your gross income and bring you closer to the VAT registration threshold, so talk to your accountant about the effect on your tax obligations.

In practice: use the adjustment tool in your host account, then check your date-specific prices, discounts and channel manager settings if you use one. Airbnb's other 2026 updates for hosts are explained in our guide to the Airbnb Summer Release.

Why rates cannot keep pace with costs

In a normal market, higher costs would be passed on, at least partly, to prices. In 2026, domestic demand has left little room for that.

4 monthsin a row of falling household consumption, up to July 2026 (INS)

+5.5%nominal growth in average net earnings in July, below that month's 8.16% inflation

>20%fewer tourists on the coast than last summer, according to operators quoted by Euronews

−10%estimated drop, of at least 10%, in the number of HoReCa businesses from around 33,000 at the end of 2024

Price signals are mixed. At the end of June, representatives of the hospitality employers' federation estimated that holidays were 7–10% more expensive than last season. A month later, coast operators told Euronews that, for the first time, they had not raised prices in the peak period and were attracting guests with free nights and included sunbeds. Those who do travel spend more per stay, 7% more on average among EXIMTUR clients, but there are fewer of them and they decide later. The details are in our analysis of holiday vouchers and our review of summer 2026.

The pressure also shows in the number of businesses. According to an analysis quoted by Curs de Guvernare, Romania had around 33,000 HoReCa units at the end of 2024, and recent estimates point to a decline of at least 10%, as operating costs have risen and the room to raise prices has become increasingly limited.

The authorities acknowledge the problem too. On 22 July 2026, interim Economy Minister Irineu Darău said, as reported by Agerpres, that tourism and HoReCa should not have to bear the full brunt of the drop in consumption, and that the sector had been hit by the VAT increase and, to some extent, by the narrower scope of holiday vouchers. He also called for more flexibility in workforce management, said the tourism promotion budget had been doubled compared with the previous year, and expressed the hope that the incoming tourism bonus, which rewards bringing foreign tourists to Romania, would return next year. How to secure cleaning staff in a tight labour market is covered in our staffing guide for 2027.

Example: how much margin you lose if nothing changes

Take an apartment with 18 occupied nights a month (60% occupancy), nine two-night stays and an average rate of about €56 a night. Gross revenue comes to €1,000 a month, close to the €1,006 average per property that Crosspoint Research reported for Bucharest in 2025, where average occupancy was 62% and the average daily rate €56.5. The figures are illustrative: your costs may be very different, but the mechanism is the same.

€ per month	Before the price rises	After the price rises
Gross revenue	1,000	1,000
Platform fees (15%)	−150	−150
Cleaning (9 stays)	−225	−240
Utilities (electricity, water, internet)	−120	−127
Consumables	−60	−64
Maintenance and repairs	−50	−53
Income tax	−60	−60
Health contribution (CASS)	−40	−40
Net income	295 (29.5%)	266 (26.6%)

Without any change in rates, net income falls by €29 a month, almost 10%, even though gross revenue is unchanged. To get back to €295, revenue has to rise to about €1,037, which is 3.7% more. Where the increase comes from also matters: if it comes from your rate, costs stay the same; if it comes from more short stays, each stay adds a clean, consumables and wear, so you need even more revenue.

Assumptions. Income from renting out no more than 7 rooms, taxed as income from the transfer of the use of property: 10% tax on net income, i.e. on 70% of revenue excluding platform fees. Health contribution (CASS) of 2,430 lei a year, for annual net income between 6 and 12 minimum wages, calculated at 4,050 lei. Illustrative exchange rate of 5 lei to the euro. Price rises applied: +6.8% for cleaning, in line with the minimum wage increase, and +6.2% for other costs, in line with August 2026 inflation. The tax details are in our guide to income tax and CASS for 2026.

The example leaves out compliance costs such as classification, insurance or the time spent on record-keeping. Their impact on returns is analysed in our article on the real cost of compliance.

7 levers to protect your margin

Work out your minimum rate. Start from the cost per occupied night: monthly fixed costs (utilities, maintenance, subscriptions) divided by occupied nights, plus per-stay costs (cleaning, consumables) divided by the average length of stay. Then divide the result by (1 − platform fee). In the example above, (180 ÷ 18 + 34 ÷ 2) ÷ 0.85 ≈ €32 a night, before income tax and CASS, compared with about €30 before the price rises. Below this threshold, a booking costs you money.
Adjust your minimum stay and cleaning fee. The shorter the stay, the more cleaning weighs on each night. A two-night minimum or a cleaning fee that reflects the real cost can recover part of the margin, but test them carefully in the off-season, when flexibility brings bookings. How to calibrate them by period is covered in our cold-season pricing calendar.
Price by the day, not by the season. A blanket 4% increase can cost you bookings on weak days, while weekends, events and school holidays can absorb larger increases. Airbnb's seasonal and last-minute settings launched in 2026, together with local data from KeyBid Puls on events, weather and prices in your area, help you raise rates where demand supports them.
Negotiate annual cleaning and maintenance contracts. A firm with guaranteed, steady volume all year can offer a better rate than for one-off jobs. Compare quotes and check what the rate includes: linen, consumables, apartment checks, photos after each clean. You can start with cleaning firms on KeyBid.
Cut energy use without hurting comfort. A programmable thermostat, LED bulbs, a timer for the water heater and clear instructions for guests reduce consumption between stays and on empty nights. Compare supplier offers regularly using the comparison tool of ANRE, the energy regulator: since the cap ended, the differences between offers matter.
Invest in preventive maintenance. An emergency repair in peak season means a higher call-out rate, a lost night and sometimes a bad review. Regular checks of plumbing, appliances and furniture cost less than emergencies; a full checklist is in our guide to cutting operating costs.
Win direct bookings. Every percentage point of commission saved goes straight to your margin. Returning guests and the companies you work with can book directly, and EU rules for large digital platforms have removed Booking's parity clauses in the European Economic Area, so you can offer a better price on your own channel. The details are in our analysis of dependence on booking platforms.

Common mistakes

Raising prices evenly across the calendar. The 3–4% increase you need can come from high-demand days; a blanket rise risks emptying your weak days.
Cutting back on cleaning and consumables. A few euros saved per stay can come back as negative reviews that cost you far more in lost bookings.
Ignoring Airbnb's switch to the single fee. If you don't adjust your prices, you lose a significant share of your nightly payout without noticing straight away.
Looking only at occupancy. A full calendar at a rate below break-even means extra work with no profit. Track net income, not just occupancy.
Forgetting annual costs. Building tax, insurance and replacing linen or appliances need to be spread across the months; otherwise your margin looks bigger than it is.

Frequently asked questions

Why is inflation falling when my costs are not?

Inflation measures how fast prices rise compared with the same month a year earlier, not their level. The drop to 6.17% in August 2026 mainly reflects the price rises of summer 2025 dropping out of the calculation, according to the BNR. Prices keep rising, just more slowly.

Should I raise my rates after VAT went up to 11%?

It depends on whether you are VAT-registered. If you are, you keep less of the same final price, because VAT on accommodation rose from 9% to 11%. If you are not VAT-registered, you don't charge VAT on accommodation, but you pay the 21% standard rate on purchases and on services invoiced by VAT-registered firms. Check your specific situation with an accountant.

What happens if I don't adjust my prices on Airbnb?

After the switch to the single 15.5% fee, the displayed price stays the same but you earn less: in Airbnb's example, $84.50 instead of $97 for a $100 rate, before VAT on the fee. For hosts in the European Economic Area, the deadline to adjust is 13 October 2026, and the new fee applies to reservations made after the switch.

How much do I need to raise my rates to keep my net income?

In our example, with costs up 6.2–6.8%, revenue has to rise by about 3.7%. Your percentage depends on your cost structure: the larger the share of revenue your costs take, the bigger the increase you need. Start from your minimum rate per occupied night.