The verdict in three sentences
For a Basel firm managing short-term and holiday rentals for second-home owners, the website has two audiences with opposite needs: owners who must trust you with a property worth well over a million francs, and guests who want to book in two taps in German, English or French. A local Basel agency is the better pick when you need a new brand, regular on-site shoots of every apartment and a partner who can sit with owners at your office. A remote studio is enough when you already have a brand, a channel manager and decent photos, and you want a clear owner offer, a fast guest site and fixed pricing in CHF.
What does this kind of Liegenschaftsverwaltung site need?
In German-speaking Switzerland a property management firm is usually called a Liegenschaftsverwaltung, in French-speaking cantons a régie. A short-term and holiday rental manager is a specialised version: you look after second homes, pied-à-terre flats of expatriates who spend part of the year abroad, and serviced apartments around peaks such as Art Basel in June or large trade fairs. Basel's position on the French and German borders, and its international life sciences workforce, means guests and owners often expect German, English and French.
For owners, the site should cover:
- What you manage: listing, pricing, check-in, cleaning coordination, maintenance, owner statements.
- How you charge: a percentage of booking revenue, a fixed monthly fee or a hybrid. State yours plainly, with an example.
- A sample monthly owner report and the link to the owner portal (portal integration on quote).
- A short owner enquiry form: address area, size, months available, current letting status.
For guests, the site should cover:
- Apartment pages with photos, floor plan, house rules and minimum stay.
- Direct booking through your booking engine or channel manager, synchronised with Airbnb and Booking.com (integration on quote).
- Arrival guides, parking and public transport, and a fault reporting form during the stay.
Some owners alternate short stays with longer furnished lets, so listings on Homegate, ImmoScout24 or Comparis may also matter (feed integration on quote).
Compliance stays general and factual. The revised Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (nLPD / revFADP) has been in force since 1 September 2023: guest and owner data need a privacy notice, a list of processors (channel manager, payment provider, cleaning app) and retention rules. Swiss tenancy law sits in the Code of Obligations, and cantonal rules on guest registration and tourist tax apply to short stays: check your obligations with the canton rather than relying on the website text. For accessibility, WCAG 2.1 AA is the sensible target for booking flows and forms. This is not legal advice.
Which criteria should decide between a Basel agency and a remote studio?
| Criterion | Basel agency | Remote studio | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time-zone overlap | Full | Full in CET office hours | Ask who answers on a Saturday during Art Basel week |
| Meetings with owners and site visits | Easy, can join owner meetings | Video calls only | Owners rarely meet the web provider; your team does |
| German, English, French copy | German native, others often subcontracted | English and French native; German via independent translator | Name the writer for each language |
| Apartment photography | Often organised | Local photographer to book (third-party cost) | Same licence clause in both cases |
| Build price | CHF 20,000 to 40,000 (2026 ballpark) | Starter CHF 2,700, Growth CHF 4,500, Premium CHF 8,200 | Compare scopes, not only totals |
| Domain, code, content ownership | Check the clause | Check the clause | Domain in your company's name, always |
| Delivery time | 8 to 14 weeks typical | 3 to 4 weeks | Count your own content time in both cases |
When a Basel agency is clearly the better choice
If you are launching a new brand to win owners from established competitors, you will want naming, identity, owner brochures and photos styled in a coherent way, and a Basel agency handles that in one contract. The same goes if you plan to reshoot 30 apartments every year or if your partners want monthly reviews in person. Paying more for that is rational.
When a remote studio is enough
If your brand and channel manager are in place, and your weak points are a slow site, an owner offer nobody understands and no French version, a remote studio solves most of it. Kolonell includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support. The international website offer details each tier.
What will each scenario cost over three years?
Local figures are a 2026 ballpark based on typical Basel agency quotes and public freelance rates. Months 4 to 36 use the same market assumption of CHF 250 per month for maintenance in every row; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote.
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| Scenario | Build | Third-party costs | Maintenance months 4 to 36 (market assumption) | 3-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basel agency, German, English, French | CHF 20,000 to 40,000 | photographer CHF 2,000 | CHF 8,250 | CHF 30,250 to 50,250 |
| Basel freelancer, three languages | CHF 6,000 to 14,000 | translator CHF 1,400, photographer CHF 2,000 | CHF 8,250 | CHF 17,650 to 25,650 |
| Kolonell Growth, English only | CHF 4,500 | photographer CHF 2,000 | CHF 8,250 (assumption; Kolonell on quote) | CHF 14,750 |
| Kolonell Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote) | CHF 8,200 | German translator CHF 1,400, photographer CHF 2,000 | CHF 8,250 (assumption; Kolonell on quote) | CHF 19,850 |
Translator and photographer are independent professionals you contract or we coordinate, not Kolonell fees. Before signing with anyone, ask: who owns the photos and for which channels, how availability syncs between the site and the platforms, where guest ID data is stored, and how fast a broken booking button is fixed.
Mini case study
*Illustrative example.* Jonas co-runs a fictional Basel firm managing 22 second homes and serviced flats in Grossbasel and Kleinbasel. He wants 8 more owners within 18 months. His assumptions for one managed apartment:
- Booking revenue: CHF 36,000 per year
- Management fee: 22 % = CHF 7,920
- Net margin on that fee after staff and cleaning coordination: 30 % = CHF 2,376 per apartment per year
Remote route: Premium CHF 8,200 + German translator CHF 1,400 + photographer CHF 2,000 (third-party) = CHF 11,600. Owners needed to recover it in one year: 11,600 / 2,376 = 4.9, so 5 new owners. With a Basel agency quote of CHF 30,000, he would need 30,000 / 2,376 = 12.6, so 13 owners, more than his 18-month target. He chooses the remote studio and spends part of the difference on an owner open day.
FAQ
Can the site take direct bookings and sync with Airbnb and Booking.com?
Yes, through your channel manager or booking engine. The integration is priced on quote and typically takes 2 to 5 days depending on the tool.
Do we need German, English and French?
In Basel, many owners and guests are international, and the region borders France and Germany. Premium at CHF 8,200 is the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote; German copy is reviewed by an independent translator, around CHF 1,000 to 1,800 as a third-party cost.
Should our fees be on the website?
Publishing your model with one worked example (for example 22 % of booking revenue on CHF 36,000) builds trust with owners. You can keep exact terms for the proposal.
What must the privacy notice cover under the nLPD?
Guest and owner data collected, purposes, processors, storage location and retention periods, such as 12 months for enquiries. It usually fits on one or two pages.
How fast can we launch before the next season?
Kolonell delivers in 3 to 4 weeks once texts and photos are ready, so a project started in March can be live before June. Request a free quote with your apartment list.
Let's scope your project. Send your apartment list, languages and booking tools, and we will return a fixed scope, price and 3 to 4 week plan. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.