If you own a villa, a studio or an apartment in town, short-term rental in Saint-François is probably one of the best ways to make the most of your property in Guadeloupe. With its marina, its 18-hole international golf course, its lagoon and its position as a gateway to the Pointe des Châteaux and the islands of La Désirade and Petite-Terre, Saint-François draws strong tourist demand for much of the year. But renting out a furnished tourist accommodation isn’t something to improvise: town hall declaration, registration number, taxation, managing arrivals… Here’s what we see on the ground, as a property management company that handles homes across Grande-Terre every day.
Why Saint-François is a market unlike any other in Guadeloupe
Saint-François isn’t a seaside town like the rest. Along with Le Gosier and Sainte-Anne, it’s one of the three major tourist hubs of Grande-Terre, but with a more upscale positioning.
A clientele built around the golf course and the marina
- The international golf course (an 18-hole layout designed by Robert Trent Jones) attracts a senior, upper-income clientele who book early, stay long (7 to 21 nights) and come back year after year. Villas with a pool bordering the green commonly rent for between €180 and €350 a night in high season.
- The marina and the Avenue de l’Europe bring together restaurants, a casino and shops: studios and one-bedroom apartments less than a 10-minute walk away rent for between €60 and €110 a night, with occupancy rates topping 80% from December to April.
- The lagoon and Raisins Clairs beach appeal to families, while the watersports base attracts kitesurfers and boaters outside school holidays.
A more spread-out seasonality than elsewhere
The dry season (December to April) remains the absolute peak, with surges at Christmas and in February when everything is booked solid from September. But Saint-François benefits from unique pockets of demand: golf tournaments, shuttles to La Désirade, excursions to Petite-Terre, and mainland French visitors coming to see family in July and August. A well-managed property can aim for 200 to 240 booked nights a year, versus around 150 on average across the archipelago.
To place the town in context, see our complete guide to Guadeloupe: Saint-François lies at the far eastern tip of Grande-Terre, about 35 km and a 45-minute drive from Pôle Caraïbes airport in Pointe-à-Pitre.
Short-term rental in Saint-François: what the regulations say
This is the point that worries the owners we meet the most, and yet it’s the easiest to secure if you go about it in order.
The declaration at Saint-François town hall: a requirement
Every furnished tourist accommodation — a home rented to passing guests who do not make it their main residence — must be the subject of a prior declaration at the town hall via the Cerfa form no. 14004. The process applies to:
- second homes rented short-term: declaration mandatory in all cases;
- main residences rented for fewer than 120 days a year: a lighter regime, but the declaration remains strongly recommended and the town hall may require it;
- bed-and-breakfasts, which come under a separate declaration.
The declaration is free, and the receipt issued by the town hall is your first supporting document in the event of an inspection. Allow a few days to two weeks for processing depending on the season.
Registration number: where do things stand in Guadeloupe’s towns?
Since the so-called “Le Meur” law of November 2024, the registration number is gradually becoming the national standard for all furnished tourist accommodation. Several tourist towns in Guadeloupe have already set up or are preparing the registration procedure with a 13-character number, which platforms such as Airbnb or Booking then require in the listing. Our advice: check with Saint-François town hall whether registration is active before publishing anything. A listing without a number where one is required exposes you to a fine of up to €5,000.
Tourist tax and tax obligations
- Tourist tax: Saint-François falls under the Riviera du Levant agglomeration community. In practice, count on roughly €0.65 to €2 per adult per night depending on the accommodation. Platforms often collect it on your behalf; with direct bookings, it’s up to you to remit it.
- Rental income tax: income falls under the BIC (industrial and commercial profits) category. Under the micro-BIC regime, the deduction is 50% for a classified accommodation (cap of €77,700) and 30% for an unclassified one (cap of €15,000) since the 2025 reform. Classification as a furnished tourist accommodation (1 to 5 stars, an inspection by an accredited body, roughly €150 to €250) has therefore become a real profitability lever.
- SIRET: operating as a furnished-rental landlord requires registration with the INPI (single business window), free of charge.
Profitability of a rental in Saint-François: the figures we observe
The profitability of a rental in Saint-François depends above all on the micro-neighbourhood and the level of fit-out. Here are realistic ballpark figures observed on well-presented properties:
- Studio near the marina (€60–110/night): €12,000 to €18,000 in gross annual revenue.
- Two-bedroom apartment with shared pool, golf area (€120–180/night): €22,000 to €32,000 gross per year.
- 3- to 4-bedroom villa with private pool (€200–350/night): €40,000 to €60,000 gross per year, provided there is active marketing and flawless reviews.
Three factors make the difference:
- Air conditioning in every bedroom and a genuine internet connection (fibre is available across much of the town): non-negotiable for the golf and remote-work clientele.
- The pool: in Saint-François, the lagoon beaches are stunning but the pool remains families’ first search filter.
- Responsiveness: a traveller writing from Paris (a 5- to 6-hour time difference) wants a reply the same day. This is where remote management quickly shows its limits.
Delegating to a local property manager: how Hostel Toucan works
Many Saint-François owners live in mainland France and can neither hand over the keys nor deal with a broken water heater on a Sunday. That is exactly the job of a property management company. At Hostel Toucan, we take care of:
- compliance: town hall declaration, registration number where applicable, setting up the tourist tax, guidance towards furnished-tourism classification;
- multichannel marketing, with priority given to direct booking with no platform fees: the traveller pays less, you earn more, and they enjoy free cancellation up to 7 days before arrival;
- guest welcome and assistance via WhatsApp 7 days a week, from self check-in to troubleshooting during the stay;
- professional cleaning and hotel-grade linen between each stay, with photo checks.
If you’re considering entrusting your property, our dedicated owners page details our packages and our performance-based fee model. And if you’re a traveller planning your stay on Grande-Terre, find our verified homes on our accommodation in Guadeloupe page.
The common mistakes owners make in Saint-François
- Publishing before declaring: the Cerfa declaration takes a few days, and the fine for forgetting can reach €450 (and far more if a registration number is required).
- Copying the neighbour’s prices: between a studio on the lagoon side and the same studio 800 m inland, the justifiable price gap is 20 to 30%.
- Neglecting the low season: September–October is worked with adjusted rates (-25 to -35%) and longer stays, not by closing the calendar.
- Underestimating tropical wear: salt, humidity and trade winds call for an annual maintenance budget of 3 to 5% of revenue (paint, sealant joints, bedding, air conditioning).
Properly declared, properly equipped and properly managed, a property in Saint-François ranks among the most solid tourist rental investments in the archipelago. The regulatory framework isn’t an obstacle: on the contrary, it’s what reassures a demanding and loyal clientele.
FAQ
Do you need a registration number to rent short-term in Saint-François?
The town hall declaration via the Cerfa form no. 14004 is mandatory for any second home rented as furnished tourist accommodation. The 13-character registration number has been spreading since the November 2024 law: check with Saint-François town hall before publishing your listing.
What profitability can you expect from a short-term rental in Saint-François?
Depending on the property and the neighbourhood: roughly €12,000 to €18,000 gross per year for a studio near the marina, €22,000 to €32,000 for a two-bedroom apartment with a pool, and €40,000 to €60,000 for a villa with a private pool on the golf side. High season runs from December to April, with occupancy rates above 80% on well-managed properties.
Who collects the tourist tax in Saint-François?
The tourist tax falls under the Riviera du Levant agglomeration community. Platforms such as Airbnb generally collect it for you; with direct bookings, it’s up to the landlord (or their property manager) to charge it to the traveller and remit it.
Can I manage my rental from mainland France?
It’s possible but demanding: a 5- to 6-hour time difference, handing over keys, breakdowns, cleaning between stays. A local property manager like Hostel Toucan handles everything on site — welcome, WhatsApp assistance 7 days a week, cleaning, regulatory compliance — while you track your income from a distance.
