You own a chalet or an apartment in Torgon and you are weighing a year-round lease against seasonal Airbnb rentals? It is by far the most common question we get from international owners, and the answer is anything but obvious. Between the stability of a classic lease and the high earning potential of short stays in the Portes du Soleil, the two models serve very different goals. Here is a data-driven, operational comparison to help you decide with full visibility.
1. Gross yield: short-term wins, but not always
The first instinct is to compare annual revenue. In Torgon, a well-located 4-person apartment leased year-round commands between CHF 1,200 and CHF 1,600 per month including utilities, which translates to CHF 14,400 to CHF 19,200 annually. The same property on short-term rental, professionally managed, generates between CHF 22,000 and CHF 32,000 per year depending on quality and the occupancy rate achieved across both seasons.
On paper, short-term wins by 30 to 70 percent. But this gross yield hides specific costs that must be deducted before any serious comparison: cleaning, linen, platform commissions, concierge fees, higher electricity bills, tourist tax, and accelerated wear on the property.
Quick math for a 4-person apartment in Torgon:
Long-term: CHF 17,000 of revenue, ~CHF 2,500 of recoverable expenses, ~CHF 14,500 net.
Short-term: CHF 28,000 of revenue, ~CHF 10,500 of operating costs and fees, ~CHF 17,500 net.
The net yield gap therefore favours short-term, but far less dramatically than it appears. For mid-range properties located further from the gondola, short-term can even become less profitable than long-term once all charges are factored in.
2. Tax treatment and legal status
In Switzerland, short-term rental is taxed differently from long-term rental, and the rules vary by canton. In Valais, rental income is declared as personal income, but short-term rental can be reclassified as self-employed activity if it reaches significant scale, which then triggers social contributions and more extensive bookkeeping.
- Long-term rental — Rental income declared simply, classic deductible expenses, no VAT, no tourist tax to handle.
- Short-term rental — Income declared, tourist tax to collect and remit, possible VAT registration if turnover exceeds CHF 100,000 (rare in Torgon), closer scrutiny by tax authorities.
- Condominium rules — Many condominium bylaws in Torgon limit or condition short-term rental. This must be checked before committing.
- Foreign ownership — Non-Swiss owners must verify Lex Koller conditions for any change of use.
3. Time commitment and mental load
This is probably the dimension most underestimated by owners stepping in. A well-drafted long-term lease takes a few hours per year: rent collection, tax filing, an annual inspection and occasional incident handling. By contrast, short-term rental managed solo demands between 8 and 15 hours per week during peak season.
The recurring short-term tasks
Replying to inquiries usually within 60 minutes, managing listings across three or four platforms, calendar updates, post-booking communication, key handover, cleaning oversight, incident handling (boiler, leak, neighbours), review management, and continuous price adjustments. The ski season concentrates all this into four intense months.
What this really means
If you live in Geneva, Lausanne or abroad, managing a Torgon property on short-term rental without local support means accepting to be reachable on almost every weekend of the season. Several of our clients switched to a concierge service after a single season spent chasing cleaners on Sunday evenings.
4. The comparative table at a glance
| Criterion | Long-term | Short-term |
|---|---|---|
| Annual gross income (4 pers.) | CHF 14,400 – 19,200 | CHF 22,000 – 32,000 |
| Net income after costs | ~CHF 14,500 | ~CHF 17,500 |
| Revenue stability | Very high | Season-dependent |
| Annual management time | 5 to 10 hours | 200 to 400 hours unaided |
| Personal use of the property | Not possible | Free between stays |
| Wear and tear | Slow and moderate | Fast, continuous upkeep |
| Unpaid rent risk | Real, long recovery | Almost zero (prepaid) |
| Macro sensitivity | Low | High (weather, snow, events) |
5. Which model for which owner?
There is no universal answer. The right model depends first on your relationship to the property, then only on expected yield. Here are the typical profiles we identify in Torgon:
Long-term is right for you if…
- You want passive, predictable rental income without operational involvement.
- You do not plan to use the property personally over the next five years.
- Your apartment is far from the slopes or poorly suited to tourism (limited view, basic equipment).
- The condominium rules forbid or complicate short-term rental.
- You prefer simple taxation and minimal vacancy.
Short-term is right for you if…
- You want to enjoy your chalet several weeks a year, particularly outside peak season.
- Your property is high quality, well located and can reach a high occupancy rate.
- You are willing to invest in quality (photos, equipment, services).
- You accept delegating to a local concierge to preserve your time.
- You want to maximize net yield rather than simplicity of management.
6. The hybrid option: monthly rental between seasons
An increasingly popular strategy in Torgon is to combine both models. You keep the property on short-term rental during both seasons (winter from December to April, summer from mid-June to mid-September) and offer it on monthly rental during shoulder seasons (May and October to November). Seasonal hospitality workers and digital nomads actively look for one- to three-month leases at intermediate rates: CHF 1,400 to CHF 1,900 per month, without the daily operational load.
This hybrid model often recovers an extra CHF 4,000 to CHF 7,000 during quieter periods while preventing the property from sitting closed and unused. It does, however, require disciplined organisation to transition between the two regimes.
What we see on the ground: across the 60 properties we manage in Torgon, roughly 70 percent are pure short-term, 15 percent long-term, and 15 percent hybrid. Hybrid properties often deliver the best yield-to-effort ratio, but require a local partner able to orchestrate the transitions.
How to decide in practice
Before committing to either model, project yourself three years ahead. How many weeks do you want to occupy the property personally? Are you willing to be reachable on a Sunday evening in winter? Will this become your second home or remain a pure financial investment? The answers to these questions often drive the decision more than yield calculations. An honest rental valuation, based on actual sales and nights booked on your street, then lets you fine-tune the numbers for your specific property.
Undecided about the right model for your property?
We compare both scenarios with hard numbers for your chalet or apartment in Torgon, free of charge and with no commitment.
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