Frequently asked questions

For owners weighing up whether to hand an apartment over. If your question is not here, ask us directly.

General

What does Niche Stays do?

Niche Stays manages apartments in Egypt as short-term rentals. We furnish the apartment, list it on Airbnb and the other booking platforms, handle pricing and host the guests. The owner earns from it without running it.

Is Niche Stays a booking site or an estate agent?

Neither. Niche Stays is a short-term rental operator: we take apartments on and run them ourselves. We are not a marketplace, and we are not a broker finding you a tenant.

Where in Egypt does Niche Stays operate?

Niche Stays works across Egypt. Cairo is the focus, particularly Zamalek and the Khedivial quarter of Downtown Cairo. We also take apartments in Garden City, Maadi, Mohandessin, Heliopolis, New Cairo, Sheikh Zayed, the North Coast and Ain Sokhna.

The arrangement

How does Niche Stays pay owners?

Owners are paid monthly on a revenue share with a minimum guarantee. The share, the floor and when the guarantee starts are all set per apartment before anything is signed.

How are the terms decided?

Niche Stays sets terms per apartment, and only after modelling it. We forecast occupancy and revenue for that specific property before anything is signed, so both sides go in with the same expectations. There is no standard rate.

Who pays for the furniture?

Niche Stays does. We buy and own the furniture, and it is listed on an inventory schedule attached to the agreement. Finishing work on the apartment is separate and is negotiated as part of the terms.

Who pays the utilities?

Niche Stays does. Electricity, water, gas, internet and the building's monthly fees are paid by us for as long as we are running the apartment. Anything owed from before the agreement starts stays with the owner.

What do I have to do as the owner?

Nothing, once the agreement is signed. Preparation, listing, pricing, guest communication, housekeeping and maintenance are handled by the Niche Stays team. The owner receives monthly income and is not involved in running the apartment.

Your apartment

What kind of apartments does Niche Stays take on?

Niche Stays takes on apartments that sit idle, are under-let, or earn less than they should, usually because running them properly is more work than the owner wants. Furnished, part-furnished and unfurnished all work.

Should I rent my apartment short-term in Cairo?

It depends on the apartment and on who runs it. Short-term letting usually earns more per night than a long let, but only if occupancy, pricing and turnover are managed properly. Niche Stays models the specific apartment first.

Will my apartment be looked after?

Yes. Housekeeping runs between every stay, the furniture sits on a signed inventory schedule, and maintenance is handled by the Niche Stays team rather than passed back to the owner.

Can I still use my apartment myself?

Yes. Owner stays are agreed in advance and blocked in the calendar so no guest booking is taken over them. How many nights, and how they affect the month's income, is set in the agreement.

What happens if a guest damages something?

Niche Stays handles it. Guests are screened before arrival, the booking platforms carry their own damage cover, and anything beyond that is repaired by our team. The furniture is ours and sits on the inventory schedule.

What if I already have a tenant?

That is fine. Niche Stays can agree terms now and start on the date the current tenancy ends, so the apartment moves from one arrangement to the next without sitting empty in between.

Getting started

How do I get started?

Fill in the enquiry form with the apartment's area, size and furnishing. It takes about a minute, and Niche Stays follows up on WhatsApp.

What happens after I send an enquiry?

Niche Stays replies to every enquiry. We look at the apartment's area, size and furnishing, model what it can do as a short-term rental, and come back with terms built around it.

Still have a question?

Ask it in the enquiry form and we will answer it directly, or email us.