03 · Mid-Stay Serviced Accommodation
The steadier, smarter SA play.
Mid-stay means 3–9 month bookings: contractors, relocators, insurance stays, corporate. Higher occupancy (85% is normal), a fraction of the cleaning of nightly Airbnb, and far fewer guest headaches. We'll compare it to a standard single let so you see the uplift.
01Income
What you charge per booking, per month — NOT a nightly rate. £2,000-3,500 is typical for a 2-bed.
Typical booking length. 3–6 months is the sweet spot for contractors.
% of the year the unit is filled. 85% is the mid-stay benchmark — way above nightly SA.
02Costs
Gas, electric, water, council tax, wifi, TV licence.
What the property costs you each month — rent if R2R, mortgage payment if owned.
Cost to fully reset between guests. Mid-stay means only a few of these per year.
10–20% for mid-stay — less work than nightly so the fee is lower.
Corporate platforms or relocation agents take a cut. Usually much less than nightly OTA fees.
One-off cost to furnish, photo and list the unit. £5-15k for a 2-bed is typical.
03Comparison
What this same property would rent for on a standard AST. We'll show the uplift.
Strong mid-stay deal — the steadier model is paying off.
At 85% occupancy, your £2,400/mo rate brings in £2,040 a month.
Average stay of 4 months means just 3.0 changeovers a year — £540 of cleaning annually. That's the mid-stay advantage: a nightly SA at the same property might run 50+ changeovers.
After utilities, cleaning, 15% management and 8% finder fee, you keep £206 a month — £2,470 a year, or 29.1% ROI on your £8,500 setup.
A standard single let would actually out-earn this mid-stay model by £1,730/yr at your inputs — re-think.
- Occupancy %. ±10% occupancy moves annual profit by roughly £2,218.
- Monthly rate. Mid-stay rates flex with quality — staging and good photos earn their cost back fast.
- Rent / mortgage. Your single biggest cost. Negotiate hard or pick a cheaper unit.
The maths
- Monthly rate × 85% occupancy
- £2,040
- 3.0 changeovers/yr × £180
- £540/yr
- Monthly cleaning (averaged)
- − £45
- Utilities
- − £220
- Management 15%
- − £306
- Finder fee 8%
- − £163
- Rent / mortgage
- − £1,100
- Net monthly profit
- £206