Short-term rental cleaning and maintenance in 2027: staff, contracts and costs

On Airbnb, cleanliness gets its own rating after every stay, and maintenance decides whether a busy weekend ends with good reviews or with refunds. For 2027, staff planning starts from three changes made in 2026: the minimum wage rose to 4,325 lei gross, the new procedure for hiring workers from outside the EU was blocked following a court decision, and the fine for undeclared work doubled. This guide explains what these changes mean for a host with one or more apartments, how to choose between a cleaning company, a freelancer and a property manager, what to put in the contract and how many people you need on peak days.

The labour market in autumn 2026: three changes that matter

The minimum wage has risen, and the 2027 level is still to be negotiated. On 1 July 2026, the gross basic minimum wage rose to 4,325 lei, 275 lei (6.8%) more, or 2,699 lei net. According to Ministry of Labour data, the measure covers 1,759,027 employees. The level from 1 January 2027 will be set after negotiations with the social partners, under Law 283/2024, and the National Trade Union Bloc is asking for 5,000 lei gross. Until there is an official decision, budget for a scenario in which cleaning and maintenance rates rise again.

The new procedure for non-EU workers is blocked. For 2026, the Government approved a quota of 90,000 newly admitted foreign workers, down from 100,000 the year before. Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 32/2026 of 23 April moved the procedure to the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform, and Order 1073/2026, published on 6 August, approved a list of 289 shortage occupations, including HoReCa workers and cleaning staff. The Bucharest Court of Appeal then suspended the order, at the request of the Employers’ Association of Labour Force Importers, and the General Inspectorate for Immigration temporarily deactivated employer registration and authorisation on the platform, as well as the single application for a long-stay employment visa (D/AM2). The Ministry of Labour said it would challenge the decision. On 11 October 2026, the platform still showed these flows as deactivated.

For a host, the effect is indirect. Cleaning companies that relied on recruiting from outside the EU may have fewer people available in winter and spring, in a market where, according to The Romania Journal, HoReCa and retail are facing high staff turnover in 2026. Ask your partner how they cover peaks and who replaces the usual team if it is unavailable.

Undeclared work now costs twice as much. Law 239/2025, in force since 18 December 2025, doubled the fine for putting someone to work without an individual employment contract: 40,000 lei for each person identified, with an overall cap of 1,000,000 lei. Labour inspectors can also use body-worn cameras, and the recordings can be used as evidence. The person working without a contract can be fined too, by 500–1,000 lei.

We looked at how the staff shortage played out during the summer season in our article on the HoReCa staff shortage in 2026.

Who does the cleaning: four options

No single option suits everyone. It depends on how many apartments you have, how far you live from them and how big your seasonal peaks are.

If you have a business (a PFA or an SRL, the Romanian limited company) and want to hire staff, the individual employment contract must be submitted to the general employee register (REGES-ONLINE) no later than the day before work starts. For a host renting as a private individual, the simpler option is still a contract with a provider that issues invoices.

A tax detail: if you rent out no more than 7 rooms as a private individual, net income is calculated on a flat-rate basis, as 70% of gross income, so cleaning invoices do not reduce your tax separately. Keep them anyway: they show that you work legally with a provider, they help you ask for a poor job to be put right, and they show your real cost per stay. How income tax and the health contribution (CASS) are calculated is covered in our tax guide for short-term rental income.

What to put in the contract with your cleaning company

A clear contract protects you better than a low rate. Check at least these points:

• What a standard clean includes. A room-by-room list: bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and living room, changing bed linen and towels, taking out the rubbish and checking supplies.
• The working window. For example, between an 11:00 check-out and a 15:00 check-in, plus what happens when a guest leaves late.
• Photos after every clean. Taken from the same angles and sent before guests arrive. They also help in disputes over damage.
• Same-day reporting of problems. Damage, forgotten items, faults and supplies running low.
• Linen. Who supplies it, who washes it and where the spare sets are kept. A common rule of thumb is three sets per bed: one on the bed, one in the wash and one spare.
• Access. Who has keys or codes, and how codes are changed when the collaboration ends.
• Guest data. The cleaning team does not need guests’ names, ID documents or phone numbers, only check-out and check-in times. Share only what is necessary.
• Liability for damage. What the company’s insurance covers and how damage is recorded.
• The rate. Per clean, per hour or a monthly package, plus the price of a deep clean, same-day call-outs and last-minute cancellations.
• Cover. Who comes if the usual team is ill or on holiday, especially on peak days.
• Term and termination. A trial period and reasonable notice for both sides.

What is at stake shows up in your reviews. On Airbnb, guests give an overall rating and separate ratings, from 1 to 5 stars, in 6 categories, including cleanliness. Superhost status requires, among other criteria, an average overall rating of at least 4.8. For Guest Favorites, the criteria include an average above 4.9 and high marks in all 6 categories.

How many people you need: plan for peaks, not averages

The monthly average is reassuring, but bad reviews come on the days when many guests leave and arrive at the same time. The example below is hypothetical.

You have three levers for peak days:

• Check-in time. One more hour in the working window can reduce the team you need.
• A free night on busy days. You lose a night, but you avoid a rushed clean.
• A back-up team written into the contract. Don’t negotiate it on Sunday morning.

In our example, a 16:00 check-in and one free night reduce the team needed from 3 people to 2.

Cost is calculated per stay. In the illustrative model from our short-term rental margin analysis, 9 cleans cost €240 a month, or about €27 per stay. If the rate rises in 2027 by another 6.8%, as much as the minimum wage rose in 2026, the cost goes up to about €28.5 per stay, or roughly €256 a month for the same apartment. How to cut the cost per stay without lowering quality is explained in our guide to operating costs.

Maintenance: a schedule, not just emergencies

The most expensive faults are the ones guests discover. A simple schedule moves some of the work to days without bookings.

If the gas installation has not been used for more than 6 months, for example in a seaside apartment closed over the winter, ANRE, the energy regulator, requires a technical revision, and the distribution operator must be notified before the installation is used again. For emergencies, keep a list with a plumber, an electrician, a locksmith and an appliance technician, with response times agreed in writing, and keep a small stock of bulbs, batteries and supplies in the apartment.

The 2027 calendar: when to book your team

The peaks of the coming months are already known. Confirm early that your team is available and agree the rates for public holidays:

• Winter school holiday: 23 December 2026 – 10 January 2027, with Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
• Ski holiday: one week in February–March 2027, set by each county.
• Orthodox Easter: 2 May 2027, during the spring holiday from 24 April to 4 May; 1 May falls on a Saturday.
• Orthodox Pentecost (Rusalii): 20–21 June 2027, right after the summer holiday starts on 19 June.

How to adjust prices for the same periods is covered in our cold-season pricing calendar.

How to find partners on KeyBid

On KeyBid, cleaning companies and maintenance technicians create a profile, and owners find them in their owner account. Listing properties costs nothing, and there is no limit on how many you list. A contact is unlocked with one credit, and credits are bought in packs of 4, 7 or 15, with no subscription. If you would rather have someone else coordinate everything, the platform also lists property managers, who usually charge a commission of 15–25% or a fixed fee.

If you provide cleaning or maintenance services, see how it works on the pages for cleaning companies and technicians; creating an account costs nothing.

Common mistakes

• Paying someone who cleans every week without a contract. The fine is 40,000 lei per person, and the person can be fined as well.
• Planning around the monthly average. In our example, a busy Sunday needs three times as many people as a typical day.
• Having no stand-in. One person off sick on a peak weekend means delayed check-ins and weak reviews.
• Sending the team full guest details. Check-out and check-in times are enough for cleaning.
• Putting off the boiler and gas installation checks. A fault discovered by your first November guests costs more than the check.
• Not asking for photos after cleaning. Without them, you can’t check anything remotely and you have no evidence in damage disputes.
• Negotiating only the rate. Compare what is included too: linen, supplies, checking the apartment and same-day call-outs.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pay an individual to clean without any contract?

It is not advisable. If the person works for you without an individual employment contract, the fine is 40,000 lei for each person identified, and the person can also be fined 500–1,000 lei. The simple options are a cleaning company or a freelancer registered as a PFA, with a service contract and an invoice. For your specific situation, check with an accountant.

How much does cleaning a short-term rental apartment cost in 2027?

It depends on the city, the size of the apartment and what the rate includes. In our illustrative model, a clean costs about €27 per stay, and another 6.8% increase would take it to about €28.5. Ask at least two companies for quotes and also work out the cost per night: the cost per stay divided by the average length of stay.

Can I hire workers from outside the EU for cleaning?

The 2026 quota is 90,000 workers, and cleaning staff are on the list of shortage occupations. However, since the court suspended the list, employer registration and D/AM2 visa applications have been deactivated on WorkinRomania. Follow the announcements from the General Inspectorate for Immigration and on the platform. For a host renting as a private individual, the practical option is still a company that already has the staff it needs.

Which maintenance checks are mandatory?

For the gas installation, a technical check is mandatory at least every 2 years, and a technical revision every 10 years and after more than 6 months of non-use. Both are carried out by an ANRE-authorised operator. Servicing the boiler and cleaning the air conditioning are checks you schedule for safety and guest comfort, before winter and before summer.