Rented room fees in HOF: percentage or flat rate

When an orofacial harmonization professional uses another clinic's room, the question that stalls the conversation is almost always the same: how much do I pay for this? And, on the other side: how much do I charge? Charging too little means subsidizing the visiting professional. Charging too much drives away good professionals and leaves the room empty. The answer is not in a magic percentage but in how you think about what the fee should cover and how to split the risk between the parties.

This page compares the three most common models (flat rate, percentage and hybrid), shows a hypothetical numerical example, lists what the contract needs to define and points out the legal and tax precautions that require an accountant and an attorney. It applies both to whoever rents out the room and to whoever uses it. For the strategic decision between renting and owning a clinic, see rented room or own clinic, and for per-shift cost sharing, the room cost-sharing calculator by shift.

What the fee should cover

Before choosing the model, list what the clinic provides. The amount should cover the space's costs and the margin of whoever makes it available:

• Space and infrastructure: rent, building fees, electricity, water, internet, air conditioning.
• Cleaning and upkeep: cleaning between appointments, maintenance, waste disposal.
• Reception and scheduling: patient service, confirmations and organizing appointments.
• Basic room supplies: shared disposables, paper, sanitizing.
• Equipment: treatment table, lighting, autoclave where there is one, support points.
• Brand and lead generation, if the clinic refers patients to the professional.
• Regulatory obligations: license, technical manager, disposal, the clinic's insurance.

What is not usually included, unless agreed: the professional's injectable products, specific materials, commissions and the professional's own liability insurance. Write down what is in and what is out.

Three fee models

The choice depends on the profile of both parties. A beginner with a still-small schedule may prefer a percentage. A professional with a full schedule may prefer a flat rate, which comes out cheaper when revenue is high. A clinic with a lot of idle capacity may prefer the flat rate to secure cash, and a well-booked clinic may accept a percentage to align interests.

Comparing with hypothetical numbers

Run the comparison with your own numbers in three scenarios: a slow month, an average month and a strong month. Look at how much each model leaves for each party. The break-even calculator and the schedule capacity calculator help. The goal is to prevent either side from losing money in slow months.

How to build a hybrid

The hybrid combines a fixed floor, which covers the room's minimum cost, with a smaller percentage on the excess. For example, a flat amount that covers infrastructure costs and a low percentage that pays for lead generation and reception. The advantage is that the professional does not overpay in a slow month and the clinic does not lose out in a strong month.

Calculation is the delicate point of a percentage: who checks the revenue, with what document and on what date. Without that rule, the percentage becomes a source of distrust. Use objective reports, such as the payment statement or the system report, and fix the closing date.

The contract: what cannot be missing

The fee only works with a contract. It should clearly define:

Use the room rental contract template and the partner professional contract template as a starting point and have them legally reviewed. The difference between the two arrangements (rented room and partnership) matters for tax and labor effects. See also partnerships between professionals in HOF and partner professional commission in HOF.

Patient records, patients and liability

A point often forgotten: whose patient is it and who keeps the patient record? In a rented room, the patient usually belongs to the professional who treats them, and so does the record, but the clinic may hold scheduling and contact data. Define it in writing. Clinical responsibility for the procedure belongs to the professional who performs it, and responsibility for the environment (hygiene, licenses) belongs to the clinic, as agreed and as the rules provide. See professional liability insurance in HOF and technical manager.

And Harmy in this arrangement?

For a professional who sees patients in a rented room, Harmy is useful precisely because it is portable: the app runs on their phone, with their account. Patients' sessions, projections and history stay in the professional's account, and My clinic carries their name, contact and logo, which appear on the shared image and in the PDF quote. This helps keep the professional identity independent of the room being used.

Renegotiation and exit

Review the fee every six or twelve months, looking at room occupancy, both parties' satisfaction and costs. Make the notice period clear and what happens to materials, schedules and booked patients on exit. An orderly exit preserves the relationship and both parties' reputations.

The best fee is the one both parties can explain in one sentence and verify in a spreadsheet. When that happens, the room stops being a source of friction and becomes a partnership that works.