Last checked: 1 October 2026. Fees, payouts, and availability can change. Check the terms for your account and property.
Should you list your shortlet on RentShortlet?
RentShortlet is worth trying if you host a shortlet in Nigeria and want to list the property, manage its dates, handle reservations, and set up payouts in a locally focused service. Start with one property, confirm the fee and payout steps, and see whether the booking process fits how you host.
Booking.com is worth comparing if its wider travel marketplace and apartment-hosting options fit your business. Its host website describes support for apartments and ways to manage bookings and calendars. Ask what setup, payments, and host fees apply to your property.
Keep the booking site that is serving your guests well while you compare. A lower fee on paper does not promise more bookings or a better year for your property.
Decide what your property needs from a booking site
You may own one shortlet, co-host for someone else, or manage several apartments. Before opening another booking site, write down what matters most: the guests you want, the dates you can host, the staff who answer enquiries, and the costs of preparing each stay.
For example, a Lagos host may already have several weekends booked on one site, but still wants to list open weekdays somewhere else. The host needs an accurate calendar, a clear fee for each completed stay, and a person who can reply before the guest's arrival.
If you are choosing where to stay as a traveller, read the separate guest comparison. A host’s commission affects the owner’s earnings; the guest’s checkout price has its own charges.
Compare what happens to your next booking
| Your question | RentShortlet | Booking.com |
|---|---|---|
| Can I list an apartment? | Shortlet-listing setup for Nigerian hosts | Supports apartments and other property types |
| What fee will I pay? | Ask for the fee on your account and booking | Check your property’s agreement |
| How will a guest book? | Follow the request, approval, and reservation steps shown | Select the booking options available for the property |
| How will I manage dates? | Imported calendar dates help coordinate availability | Calendar tools can help coordinate availability |
| When does money reach me? | Stay completion and account checks can affect payout release | Payment method and regional payout availability matter |
| What should I test first? | Set up one property, check the dates, and review the payout steps | Ask how bookings and payouts work for your property |
Confirm terms with RentShortlet hosting and the Booking.com host site before you make dates available.
Prepare accurate details about the property
Confirm what the guest will book: an entire apartment, a private room, or a place with shared facilities. Check the number of beds, occupancy limit, location, parking, internet, power, and any building rules.
Use recent photographs that show the space honestly. Explain who meets the guest, when they can check in, and whether cleaning or utilities have special arrangements. A traveller is more likely to choose well when they can understand the property before booking.
Prepare a list of the existing stays and dates you cannot offer. Include any personal use, repairs, or long-term bookings. Starting with correct information will make it easier to find out whether another booking site helps your business.
Choose booking settings you can manage
Some hosts want to check each request before accepting a stay. Others can keep a live calendar and accept bookings automatically. The available options depend on your account and property.
Decide who will see new requests, including evenings and weekends. Be honest about how quickly your team can confirm dates and prepare the property. A booking site only helps if you can keep its calendar accurate and meet the commitments guests receive.
Ask RentShortlet and Booking.com to show the booking settings for the apartment you plan to list. Have the person who handles guests try them out.
Find out exactly what each booking will cost you
RentShortlet’s host fee depends on your account agreement. Ask for the rate and calculation before you set a price. Check which amount the fee applies to and whether any other charge is deducted from your payout.
Booking.com’s host site offers setup and payment information, but the rate depends on your property’s agreement. Check the commission or other fees shown for your account and the exact booking. Ask whether they apply to the room price, cleaning, taxes, or another amount.
Write down the result for one booking on each booking site. Include the booking total, each deduction, and the amount left for your property. Also account for cleaning, power, repairs, and the person who manages the guest.
Check what guests pay and what you keep
Your hosting income depends on the price guests see, the costs they pay, the booking site’s deductions, and what it costs you to prepare the apartment. A lower fee does not guarantee that a guest will choose your listing.
Use the same property and dates when comparing booking sites. Record the quoted guest total, the amount you expect after fees, cleaning and utility costs, and any extra time you spend managing the reservation. Update the figures after completed stays.
Do not count a booking request as income. Wait until the guest has stayed, you know the fees, and the money has reached your bank.
Set up your bank account and plan for payout timing
RentShortlet checks your selected bank details through Paystack. Complete any verification shown during onboarding, then confirm the account details in Hosting > Payouts.
The booking amount may be held until the stay is complete. A missing account check, an open guest claim, or a failed transfer can delay it. Check your payout status and complete any step it asks for. A pending amount has not reached your bank yet.
Booking.com’s payment options depend on the setup available to the host and the region. Ask when a payout becomes available for your Nigerian property and which bank methods are supported.
Keep enough money available for cleaning, utilities, and repairs before the payout arrives. When comparing booking sites, record the date funds become usable, not only the date the booking was made.
Make sure dates stay correct on both booking sites
RentShortlet can import an iCal calendar link, a basic feed of dates marked as unavailable. Booking.com also offers calendar tools. Sharing calendars helps block dates but does not copy a guest’s name, messages, payment, or booking history into another service.
A calendar update may take time to appear. Connect one property and block a future date. See when the other calendar reflects the change. Then check what happens if the booking is cancelled.
Until you know how quickly dates update, check both calendars when you accept a reservation. Assign one person to correct a date if it appears open on one site and booked on the other.
Check every detail before opening the listing
Make sure the price, open dates, photos, check-in instructions, and house rules match the apartment. Finish the bank verification and confirm the fee agreement. Ask a colleague to review the listing as if they were planning a stay.
Test how your team finds a new booking and where guest messages arrive. Decide who answers a request outside working hours and who prepares the apartment. A page being visible online does not mean the property is ready to host.
Know who to contact when a guest has a problem
Keep important arrival instructions and guest messages with the booking. If a problem comes up, note its date, what happened, and the reservation number before you contact the booking site.
An open claim may affect a RentShortlet payout. Read its payout guide and ask what documents the host should provide. Check what support the Booking.com host team offers for your property.
Review any property-protection or damage terms separately. Confirm whether they apply to a Nigerian apartment and what evidence they require. Do not include possible compensation in your expected income until its terms are clear.
When to try RentShortlet
Try RentShortlet if you host shortlets in Nigeria and want a local place to list an apartment, coordinate dates, manage reservations, and set up bank payouts. The product keeps these tasks together for your booking site.
Start with one apartment. Confirm the fee and bank setup, check that your dates are being handled as expected, and see how the first stays go. If your guests and team can use the process smoothly, consider listing other properties.
Why Booking.com may suit your property
Booking.com supports apartments and has a wider travel marketplace. That may suit a property which already receives suitable guests there, or a host who wants to compare its apartment options, booking settings, and support.
Its host site offers information about setting up a property and managing bookings. Ask which payment choices are available to your account in Nigeria and check the commission in the agreement for your apartment.
If that booking site is bringing useful stays, keep it while you compare another option. Do not cancel confirmed bookings or discard useful listing history just to try RentShortlet.
Add one apartment and review the results
Choose one property and assign a person to look after its listing, dates, messages, and payout. Complete onboarding and bank checks before opening dates.
Add dates you know are free. If you share calendars, test a blocked date and check when it appears on the other site. Keep accepted reservations under the booking site where they were made and follow their original conditions.
After the first completed stays, write down the guest total, fees, property costs, payout timing, and hours spent hosting. Compare with similar stays on your current booking site before deciding whether to expand.
Keep a simple record for each booking site
For the first few stays, record the booking total, platform deductions, cleaning and running costs, payout date, and time spent answering guests. Note which dates came from a shared calendar and whether any needed correction.
This lets you compare the work as well as the fee. A booking site may pay a different amount and require more guest communication. Use your own completed bookings to decide whether the difference matters.
Give one person responsibility for dates. When a booking arrives through another site, block it and check that the date has updated everywhere before you offer it again.
Plan for the work between bookings
A booking site affects the days around a stay as well as the reservation itself. Someone must answer a guest, give arrival instructions, prepare the apartment, and check for damage or maintenance needs afterwards.
Before you add another booking site, decide which team member handles each job. A host with a cleaner and co-host can share work differently from an owner who manages everything alone. Include that time when you compare the booking site’s fees and payout.
Ask both platforms where new messages appear and how your staff can find the booking details. If a colleague cannot find an arrival instruction, that can create work or confusion even when the calendar is correct.
Questions hosts ask
Does Booking.com accept apartments in Nigeria?
Its host site supports apartments and other property types. Ask what listing setup and payout choices apply to your property.
How much commission does Booking.com charge Nigerian hosts?
Check your property's host agreement. Confirm which price the commission is calculated from and whether other charges apply.
Does RentShortlet charge every host the same fee?
No. Ask for the rate and calculation for your account and booking before you set your price.
When will my RentShortlet payout reach the bank?
The stay needs to be completed and the payout checks cleared. Check Hosting > Payouts, and make sure your bank details are verified.
Will calendar sharing transfer guest details?
No. Calendar links help coordinate blocked dates; they do not move the guest's reservation, payment, or messages.
Should I list every property at once?
Start with one apartment, check the calendar and payout steps, and see how your guests and team handle the first stays.
Start with one property
Start hosting on RentShortlet and confirm the listing, fee, calendar, and bank setup for your apartment. Read the payout guide so you know what needs to happen before a payment is released.
Compare RentShortlet and Airbnb for hosts if you are considering more than one booking site.
