Short-Term Rental Starter Kit: The 15 Essentials and What They Really Cost

You have just picked up the keys to a flat and you want to list it as a short-term rental. Between what guests expect, what French law requires and what the listings next door already offer, the shopping list grows fast. Here are the 15 items that actually matter, each with a price range checked in October 2026 on French retailer websites, followed by a total budget for a two-bedroom flat. Prices move, so treat these as a solid order of magnitude, not a quote.

Bed and bathroom

1. Two sets of bed linen per bed

Between two guests, one set goes in the wash while the other is on the bed. With a single set, an 11 am checkout followed by a 3 pm check-in depends on your washing machine. Buy white, in cotton or percale, easy to bleach and to mix from one batch to the next. To decide between buying and renting linen, read our guide on Airbnb bed linen.

Prices: 240x220 duvet cover with two pillowcases from €19.99 (SORGMANTEL) to €29.99 (ÄNGSLILJA), 160x200 fitted sheet from €11.99 (DVALA) to €25.99 (ULLVIDE), 140x200 fitted sheet from €9.99 to €22.99 (Ikea, October 2026). That is €30 to €56 per set. Add the 240x220 duvet, from €19.99 (SÄFFEROT) to €59.99 (SMÅSPORRE), and pillows, from €6.99 (LAPPTÅTEL) to €9.99 (SMÅSPORRE) (Ikea, October 2026).

2. Mattress protectors

A stained mattress cannot be replaced between two stays. The protector absorbs the accident, goes in the machine and shields a purchase worth several hundred euros. Ideally two per bed, for the same reason as the linen.

Prices: 160x200 mattress protector at €17.99 (LUDDROS) or €22.99 (GRUSNARV) (Ikea, October 2026).

3. Towels

One bath towel and one hand towel per guest, doubled. For four people, eight bath towels and eight hand towels, in white so you can wash at 60 degrees and mix batches. Add a few tea towels.

Prices: 100x150 bath towel from €7.99 (VÅGSJÖN) to €14.99 (BROKGINST), 50x100 hand towel from €2.99 to €6.99, tea towel from €0.99 (HILDEGUN) to €3.99 (RINNIG) (Ikea, October 2026).

Kitchen and comfort

4. Basic tableware and cookware

Not every guest cooks, but every guest wants a coffee in the morning and a way to reheat a meal. The minimum: a dinner set for six, cutlery, glasses, one frying pan and two saucepans, knives, a chopping board, a kettle, a coffee maker. Plan one plate more than the advertised capacity, one always breaks.

Prices: FÄRGKLAR 18-piece dinner set €39.99, 24-piece cutlery set from €12.99 (FÖRNUFT) to €29.99 (IKEA 365+), glass from €0.99 (POKAL) to €1.99 (IVRIG), 3-piece cookware set from €16.99 (ANNONS) to €49.99 (IKEA 365+), 3-piece knife set from €8.99 (ÄNDLIG) to €28 (IKEA 365+), chopping board from €2.99 to €12.99, VATTENTÄT kettle €19.99, UPPHETTA French press €12.99 (Ikea, October 2026).

5. Wi-Fi

This is the item most often named in negative reviews when it is missing or slow. A no-commitment fibre box is enough in most cases. It is a recurring cost, not a purchase, and it belongs in the first-year budget.

Prices: B&You Pure fibre at €24.99 per month with no commitment (Bouygues Telecom, October 2026), Freebox Pop at €29.99 per month for one year, then €39.99 (Free, October 2026). That is €300 to €360 for the first year. If the building has no fibre, a 4G or 5G router with a SIM card does the job well.

6. Smart lock or key safe

Self check-in solves late trains and 11 pm arrivals. A combination key safe is the budget option. A smart lock generates one code per stay and removes the key that gets passed from hand to hand. Some French cities ban key safes on the public street, so mount it inside the private areas of the building.

Prices: combination key safe from €18.90 (Smith & Locke) to €23.90 (Master Lock, wall-mounted) (Castorama, October 2026). Nuki Smart Lock Go €149, Smart Lock Pro €279, Keypad 2 €159 (nuki.io, October 2026).

7. Welcome amenities

Soap, shower gel, shampoo, toilet paper, coffee, tea, salt and oil. This is not luxury, it is what keeps a guest from running to the supermarket the minute they put their bags down. Suppliers who work with property managers sell single-use kits by the unit, far cheaper than retail formats. You will find more of them, with their prices, in our supplier directory.

Prices: bathroom kit from €0.69 excl. VAT, shower gel €0.25 and soap bar €0.16 per unit excl. VAT (Kitotel, October 2026), bathroom kit at €1.99 (kits-accueil.fr, October 2026), sleeve of ten Volluto capsules at €4.30 (Nespresso, October 2026), soap dispenser from €0.99 (TACKAN) to €5.99 (EKOLN) (Ikea, October 2026).

Cleaning and safety

8. Cleaning kit

Even if you outsource the cleaning, the flat needs its own equipment: vacuum cleaner, broom, bucket and mop, microfibre cloths, products. A guest who knocks over a glass of wine needs to be able to react too. Our cleaning checklist lists what to do between two stays.

Prices: PEPPRIG cleaning kit €19.99, bucket with lid €12.99, dustpan and broom €9.99 (Ikea, October 2026). Black+Decker corded stick vacuum €64.13, Bosch BBHF214R cordless stick vacuum €90.13 (Castorama, October 2026).

9. Smoke alarm, the legal requirement

Since law no. 2010-238 of 9 March 2010, known as the loi Morange, every dwelling in France must have at least one smoke alarm. The rules now sit in the Code de la construction et de l'habitation, articles L142-1 to L142-4 and R142-1 to R142-5. The device must carry the CE marking and a reference to standard NF EN 14604, and ionisation models are banned. In a furnished or seasonal rental, the owner installs, maintains and replaces the alarm and cannot pass that duty on to the occupant (service-public.fr, page verified 13 May 2026). Fix it to the ceiling, in the hallway serving the bedrooms. A sealed ten-year battery model saves you changing batteries between stays.

Prices: Kidde 3Y29 with 3-year battery €12.90, Kidde 10Y29 with 10-year battery €21.90, Cavius sealed 10-year €33.90 (Castorama, October 2026).

10. First-aid kit

Nothing requires it in a holiday rental, but a kitchen cut at 10 pm with no plaster in the flat leaves a bad memory. A family kit is enough, kept in the bathroom and mentioned in the welcome book.

Prices: family first-aid kit €22.74 (MediSafe, October 2026), filled 70-piece kit €34.89 (Newpharma, October 2026).

11. Fire extinguisher and fire blanket

Not compulsory in a dwelling either, but recommended, especially with an open kitchen. A 1 or 2 kg ABC powder extinguisher covers domestic fires, and the fire blanket is the right reflex for a pan that catches fire. Check the expiry date on every visit.

Prices: Lifebox 1 kg ABC powder extinguisher €25.90, Kidde 1 kg ABC €29.90, Kidde 2 kg ABC €44.90, Kidde 1.2 x 1.8 m fire blanket €27.90 (Castorama, October 2026).

Listing and paperwork

12. A digital welcome book

Wi-Fi code, how the induction hob works, recycling rules, the plumber's number, good addresses nearby: everything you repeat by message to every guest. A digital welcome book is shared by link or QR code and updated without reprinting anything. With LivretAccueil, the basic version is free, which makes it the only item on this list at €0.

13. Photos

Photos decide whether anyone clicks on the listing, and therefore the price you can charge. A professional shoot of a one or two-bedroom flat pays for itself in a few nights. If money is tight, take them yourself in daylight, room tidied, without an extreme wide angle.

Prices: essential session from €150 to €250 for a studio or one-bedroom flat (jasonmarinho.com, October 2026), €150 to €300 for a one or two-bedroom flat (perfecthost.io, October 2026).

14. Non-occupying owner insurance (PNO)

Your standard home insurance does not cover a property you rent to third parties. PNO insurance covers the building and your liability as owner, and some policies explicitly include seasonal rentals. Airbnb's AirCover is not insurance and does not replace it.

Prices: PNO policy from €95 per year, policy dedicated to seasonal rentals (Airbnb, Booking, Abritel) from €129 per year (Jelouebien, October 2026).

15. Registration number and SIRET

The last item costs nothing, but it blocks everything else if you forget it. Declaring the property at the town hall is mandatory for a second home rented as a furnished tourist accommodation. In most large cities, an online service issues a 13-character registration number that must appear on the listing. Registering with the Sirène directory, which gives you a SIRET number, is free (service-public.fr, October 2026). The city-by-city details are in our guide to the registration number.

Total budget for a two-bedroom flat

Assumptions: one 160 cm bed and one 140 cm bed, four guests, everything bought new at the prices above. The "budget" column takes the lowest price in each range and the minimum quantities. The "comfortable" column takes the next model up, doubles the mattress protectors, adds a second smoke alarm, the fire blanket and a smart lock with keypad. Welcome amenities cover 50 kits, two to four sleeves of coffee and two dispensers.

Two lines come back every year, Wi-Fi and insurance, €395 to €489 a year. Everything else is a one-off purchase, replaced as it wears out, linen first. This budget leaves out furniture, appliances and decoration, which depend entirely on the state of the flat.

Frequently asked questions

Is the smoke alarm still my responsibility if I use a property manager?

Yes. In a furnished or seasonal rental, installing, maintaining and replacing the alarm falls to the owner. The property manager can handle it for you as part of their mandate, but the legal responsibility does not change sides.

Is a fire extinguisher compulsory in a holiday rental?

No, nothing requires it in a dwelling rented to private individuals, unlike premises open to the public. At €26 to €45 for a 1 or 2 kg model, it is still a purchase most hosts make.

How many sets of linen do I really need?

Two per bed is the minimum to chain a checkout and a check-in on the same day. Three if you do the cleaning yourself with a single washing machine, or if turnovers are very close together in high season. Beyond that, you are tying up money in a cupboard.

Key safe or smart lock for a first property?

Start with the key safe if you live close to the flat. Move to a smart lock as soon as you delegate arrivals or manage remotely: the per-stay code and the opening history earn their price the first time a key goes missing.

Are these purchases tax-deductible?

Under the French "réel" regime for furnished rentals, small equipment is expensed and more costly furniture is depreciated over several years. Under the micro-BIC regime, the flat-rate allowance already covers these costs. Keep every receipt from the first purchase, even before you have chosen your regime.