Hiring someone to look after your home while you are away

Terms used

• Llavero — A llavero is a person who holds a copy of your keys and handles basic access tasks.
• IVA — IVA is Spain's value-added tax, added to most services.
• Autónomo — An autónomo is a self-employed person registered to work and invoice on their own account.
• Seguro de responsabilidad civil profesional — The seguro de responsabilidad civil profesional is insurance covering damage a provider causes to others while doing their work.
• CIF — The CIF is the tax ID number of a company.
• NIF — The NIF is the tax ID number of an individual.

Key rules

• Match the service: A key-holder gives access, a caretaker makes scheduled visits and reports, and a property manager runs the home more widely.
• Written scope: Get tasks, visit frequency and exclusions in writing before handing over keys.
• Insurance: The provider should hold civil liability insurance, and you should ask for the certificate.
• Individuals: Regular work by an individual can make you an employer who must register them with Social Security.
• Trial first: Meet in person and start with a short trial before full access.

Which one do you need?

Pick the lightest service that covers your real risk. Providers use these labels loosely, so judge them by the tasks they list, not by the name.

• Key-holder (llavero or persona de confianza): holds a copy of your keys. They open up for tradespeople, take deliveries and check the home after a storm. Choose this if you only need someone to be able to get in.
• Caretaker (cuidador): makes scheduled visits. They air the rooms, run taps, flush toilets, check for leaks, damp, pests and signs of break-ins, collect mail and report by message or photo. Choose this if the home sits empty for weeks or months.
• Property manager (administración or gestión de propiedades): a business that runs the home more widely. It coordinates repairs, pays bills and community fees, handles tenants or holiday lets and invoices you. Choose this if you let the home or cannot supervise anything from abroad.

A property manager is not the same as an administrador de fincas, who runs a whole building's community of owners.

Set the scope in writing

Ask the provider to list the tasks and the visit frequency (weekly, fortnightly or monthly). Typical caretaker visits also include a visual check of the garden or pool, and switching on the heating or air conditioning before you arrive.

Fuller management adds meter readings, insurance claims, stocking and opening before you arrive, cleaning and laundry, and tenant handling.

Ask what is excluded. Usually these cost extra:

• Repairs and materials.
• Pool maintenance, gardening and pest control.
• Emergency call-outs outside working hours.
• Legal or tax filings, unless agreed.
• Damage the provider did not cause.

The instruction sheet below helps you spell out your rules for the home.

What it costs

Each provider sets its own prices. They vary by region, home size and visit frequency, and they are higher on the Costa del Sol, the Balearics, the Canaries and in big cities.

• Key-holders are usually the cheapest, often a small monthly or per-visit fee.
• Caretakers charge per visit or a monthly subscription, with extras billed separately.
• Property managers charge a fixed monthly fee, or a percentage of rent if the home is let.

Ask several local providers for itemised quotes that include IVA.

Protect yourself with a contract

Use a written contract (contrato de arrendamiento de servicios or mandato). It should cover:

• The exact tasks and visit frequency.
• Who holds keys, with no copies and no letting in third parties without your permission.
• Photos and a report after each visit, and urgent notice of any incident.
• A spending limit for emergency repairs without your approval.
• Fees, invoicing and IVA.
• Confidentiality and data protection for any personal data.
• The term, and the notice needed to end it.
• Who is liable for loss or damage.

The provider should hold professional civil liability insurance (seguro de responsabilidad civil profesional). Ask for the certificate showing the policy number and the sum insured. Check that your own home insurance says who may enter the property. For a high-value home, have a lawyer review the contract.

Hiring an individual can make you an employer

If one person looks after your home regularly under your direction, this can count as domestic employment. Since 2023 you must then register them with Social Security and pay contributions, even for a few hours a week. Using an unregistered person for regular work risks fines.

A self-employed person (autónomo) with several clients, their own tools and their own organisation can instead invoice you with IVA and tax withholding. Truly one-off jobs are not employment. The line depends on the facts, so ask a gestor if unsure. Hiring a company avoids the question.

Check the provider before handing over keys

• Ask for their tax ID (CIF for a company, NIF for an individual). A company should be in the commercial register, and an individual registered as an autónomo.
• Ask for proof of insurance and certificates that tax and Social Security payments are up to date.
• Get at least two references from current clients and read online reviews.
• For an individual, ask for a police clearance certificate or agree a trial period instead.
• Meet in person, and start with a short trial.

Alarm monitoring is private security work and needs an authorised security company. If a caretaker offers it, ask who actually provides it.

The documents list, checklist and FAQ below cover the paperwork and the questions people ask most.

Documents you need

• Written service contract (contrato de arrendamiento de servicios or mandato) setting out tasks, visit frequency, key access, reporting, emergency spending limit, fees with VAT, data protection, notice for ending it and who is liable for damage.

• Provider's civil liability insurance certificate (seguro de responsabilidad civil profesional), showing the policy number and the sum insured.

• Provider's tax ID (CIF for a company, NIF for an individual), plus proof that a company is in the commercial register or that an individual is registered as self-employed (autónomo).

• Certificates showing the provider is up to date with tax and Social Security payments.

• Police clearance certificate for an individual, if you do not use a trial period instead.

Checklist

• Decide whether you need a key-holder (opens up, takes deliveries), a caretaker (scheduled visits and reports) or a property manager (repairs, bills, tenants).

• Ask the provider to list the tasks and visit frequency in writing, including what is excluded.

• Check what is charged separately, such as repairs, pool, garden, pest control and out-of-hours call-outs.

• Check whether an individual would count as your employee; if so, register them with Social Security, or hire a company or registered autónomo instead.

• Ask for the tax ID and proof of civil liability insurance.

• Ask for at least two references from current clients.

• Meet the provider in person before handing over keys.

• Start with a short trial and a signed written contract.

• Tell your home insurer who will have access to the home.

Instruction sheet for a caretaker or key-holder

Instruction sheet for our home while we are away

Fill in the blanks and print or send this sheet. Give alarm codes separately, never on this sheet.

1. The property

• Address: ______________________________
• Owner: ______________________ Phone: ______________ Email: ______________
• Away from: ____________ to: ____________
• Best way to reach me while away: ______________________________

2. Your regular tasks

Visit every: ☐ week ☐ two weeks ☐ month. Usual day: ____________

• Open the shutters or windows briefly to air the rooms.
• Run every tap and flush every toilet for a minute.
• Check ceilings, walls and floors for leaks, damp, pests and signs of a break-in.
• Look at the garden and pool by eye. Tell me if anything looks wrong. (Gardening, pool care and pest control are separate jobs and are not part of this sheet.)
• Collect the post and keep it at: ______________________
• Send me a short report with photos after each visit.

Extra tasks agreed: ______________________________

You are not asked to pay for repairs or materials unless we agree it first in writing. Call-outs outside agreed hours: ☐ not included ☐ included, at the price of ______

3. Keys and access

• Number of keys you hold: ____ Key safe or lock code: given to you separately
• Please do not copy the keys or hand them to anyone else.
• Sign the key receipt when you take the keys and when you return them.
• If a key is lost, tell me the same day so I can change the lock.
• People allowed to enter: ______________________________

4. Emergency numbers

• Any emergency (fire, flood, medical, break-in in progress): 112
• Policía Nacional: 091
• Guardia Civil: 062
• Local police (many towns): 092
• Gas leak: the gas company's emergency line, printed on the gas bill: ______________
• Electrical fault: the electricity company's emergency line, printed on the bill: ______________
• Water leak in the street: the water company's 24-hour fault line: ______________
• Home insurer's 24-hour assistance line: ______________ Policy number: ______________
• Plumber I trust: ______________ Electrician: ______________

5. If you find a leak

1. Close the main stopcock (llave de paso) of the flat. The stopcock is at: ______________________
2. If water has reached sockets or the electrical panel, do not touch anything wet. Switch off the power at the board only if the board is dry and safe. If not, call the electricity company or 112.
3. Take photos and video of the damage and the source before cleaning anything.
4. Call me, then call the insurer's assistance line straight away. Many policies set a deadline, often within 7 days.
5. Tell the neighbours below and beside, and the community administrator. Swap insurance details with them.
6. Call the plumber to find and fix the source. Keep every invoice.
7. Dry out the property. Help fill in the amicable accident report (parte amistoso) with the neighbours.

6. If you find a break-in

Do not go in if someone may still be inside. Call 112, 091 or 062. Then call me and the insurer. Take photos and touch nothing more than you must.

7. Community details

• Community administrator (administrador de fincas): ______________ Phone: ______________ Email: ______________
• Community president: ______________ Phone: ______________
• Neighbours who know you will visit: ______________________________
• Alarm company (if any): ______________ Authorised people on file: ______________

The administrator and the president have your name and phone number, so they can reach you quickly about urgent matters.

8. Agreed by

Owner: ______________ Date: ________

Caretaker: ______________ Date: ________

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to register a person I pay to look after my home with Social Security?

Yes, if the person works for you regularly under your direction, even a few hours a week, you must register them as a domestic worker with Social Security and pay contributions. A one-off job is not employment. Hiring a company or a registered self-employed person (autónomo) who invoices you avoids this.

Does a caretaker's price usually include repairs and pool or garden work?

No, a caretaker's price normally covers the visits and report only. Repair costs, materials, pool maintenance, gardening and pest control are usually charged separately, as are emergency call-outs outside hours. Ask for an itemised quote that includes VAT (IVA).

Can a key-holder or caretaker offer alarm monitoring?

Only an authorised private security company can do alarm monitoring, so a key-holder or caretaker cannot offer it on their own. If a provider offers it, ask to see their security authorisation before you sign.

Should I start with a trial period before handing over my keys?

Yes, start with a short trial and a written contract, especially with an individual. Meet them in person first and ask for at least two references from current clients.