Seasonal Rental in Punta del Este: How to Estimate the Net Return

The rate for a two-week stay isn't enough to calculate the result for the whole year. To estimate a seasonal rental you have to combine the likely booking calendar with the costs the owner pays, even when the property is empty.

Start with the calendar, not with the highest rate

A listing shows an asking price. On its own it doesn't tell you how much was actually collected or for how many days the property was occupied.

Build a calendar and mark each period as:

• rented and collected;
• reserved for own use;
• available without a booking;
• out of operation for maintenance or another reason.

Assign income to the actual bookings. If there's no history yet, use comparables with similar features and keep the projection identified as a hypothesis. There's no official number of weeks that can be applied to any house or apartment in Punta del Este.

Which data help you project

For the property and its comparables, ask for:

1. the dates of each stay;
2. the final rate collected;
3. cancellations and refunds;
4. the commission and cost of each check-in or check-out;
5. periods occupied by the owner;
6. days on which the unit was not available.

Separate inquiries from confirmed bookings. Also distinguish the rate paid by the guest from the net amount the owner received.

A prudent projection includes a scenario with fewer bookings and the same fixed costs. That way you can see how much the result depends on a particular stay.

Costs the owner must account for

Management. Ask for the fee, its calculation base and the breakdown of services. Marketing, collection, guest check-in and emergency handling may be quoted together or separately.

Cleaning and laundry. Define who pays them and what part is recovered from the guest. Include replacements and deep cleans where applicable.

Common expenses. Load the full year's statements and known extraordinary contributions, not just the months with rental.

Property tax (Contribución Inmobiliaria). Use the parcel's bill and the Intendencia de Maldonado's calendar. Don't estimate it as a percentage of the purchase price.

Primary Education Tax. For 2026 the DGI publishes the brackets and rates according to the assessed value. For the specific figure, check the parcel or the receipt (DGI, Primary Education Tax brackets 2026).

Maintenance. Budget for repairs, painting, appliances, damp, bed linen and wear. There's no percentage that works for every property.

Income tax. It depends on tax residence and on the method of assessment. A professional must calculate it based on the owner's situation.

Financing. If there's a loan, show the buyer the property's return and the cost of the debt separately.

Vacancy is not an invoice: it's the absence of income. If you've already reflected it in the calendar, don't subtract it again as an additional percentage.

Owner who is a tax resident in Uruguay: IRPF

For a resident individual, renting out a property falls under income from real-estate capital. The DGI reports that the general assessment applies a rate of 12% on the computable income and deducts the withholdings or advance payments made. It also publishes a regime of withholdings and advances for leases, generally calculated at 10.5% of accrued income (DGI, IRPF on income from real-estate capital).

Taxable income is not the same as the economic result. Some costs that reduce what the owner keeps may not be deductible in the tax assessment. The DGI guide details the deductions allowed and the proportional treatment of Property Tax and Primary Education Tax in contracts of less than twelve months.

An accountant must confirm whether an annual return applies, what amounts were withheld and whether a final-assessment option applies to the case.

Non-resident owner: IRNR

Seasonal rental income earned by a non-resident individual is subject to IRNR. When a withholding agent takes part —for example, a real-estate agency— the DGI indicates a monthly withholding of 10.5% of accrued income. If there's no agent, the taxpayer must make the corresponding advance payments and filings. The official guide also explains the option to make the withholdings or advances final under certain conditions (DGI, seasonal rentals of non-resident owners).

The treatment may change if the owner is a company, acts through a permanent establishment or is in another special situation. Taxation in the country of residence is analyzed separately.

Since July 1, 2026, operators of digital platforms that intermediate leases of properties located in Uruguay must report quarterly to the DGI the transactions and the identification of those who receive the income (DGI, information regime for rental platforms). Using a platform doesn't replace the owner's tax obligations.

Two different calculations

Estimated gross return = the year's rental income / total invested capital

Estimated net return = (income collected − management − uncovered cleaning − common expenses − taxes − maintenance − income tax − other costs) / total invested capital

Total invested capital includes the price and the outlays needed to buy, furnish and make the unit operational. If it's sold in the future, the realized change in value is calculated separately, after costs and taxes. It shouldn't be added to the rental flow in advance.

The security deposit is not income either. It's returned to the guest unless there's a documented, contractual reason to retain it.

Own use

When the owner occupies the home, they obtain a personal benefit but not cash income. Show it on a separate line:

• financial result: rent actually collected minus costs;
• own use: periods the owner chose to reserve.

If you want to assign a value to the use, take as reference a comparable stay that was actually booked and state it as a non-monetary benefit. Don't automatically use the highest published rate.

Seasonal rental and annual rental are not equivalent

An annual contract lets you work with an agreed periodic flow. A seasonal rental requires modeling each stay, the turnover, own use and the costs that continue without guests.

Don't claim that one arrangement yields more than the other without a like-for-like comparison of purchase price, occupancy, costs, taxes and risk. If the owner needs regular income to meet an obligation, the distribution of the flow matters as much as the estimated annual percentage.

Frequently asked questions

Does January's rental pay for the whole year?

You can't tell without the rate collected and the unit's costs. Add up the actual income and subtract common expenses, taxes, management, cleaning, maintenance and income tax.

How many weeks does an apartment in Punta del Este rent for?

There's no official figure applicable to every area and typology. Ask for the unit's history and verifiable comparables. If none exist, treat occupancy as a hypothesis and present it clearly.

What tax does a non-resident Argentine pay on the rental?

In Uruguay, the income is subject to IRNR. The DGI publishes withholdings or advances of 10.5% on accrued income for these rentals, with specific assessment conditions. Argentine obligations must be reviewed separately.

Is the return calculated on the price alone?

To evaluate the decision, include the capital needed to buy and operate: price, acquisition costs and furnishing. Using only the price can overstate the result.

Does own use count as return?

It's a benefit of use, not money collected. Separate it from the financial result and remove those dates from the calendar available to rent.

To continue the analysis:

• Common Expenses in Punta del Este: How to Assess the Annual Cost
• Buying in Punta del Este as an Argentine: Key Points of the Deal

General information reviewed against official sources available as of August 21, 2026. Tax rules and the owner's situation can change; before publishing an estimate or making a decision, ask an accountant for an assessment.