Having decided upon your home in the sun, you will need someone to look after it in your absence.  There are many property management companies to choose from and as in all walks of life, some are better than others.

An alternative to consider is to employ a property manager and to do much of the administrative work yourself.

Management Companies.

The management companies will deal with all aspects of looking after your house.  You will need to issue a Power of Attorney in favour of an official within the management company, normally a senior manager and they will ensure your house complies with all the necessary legalities.

Management companies maintain an escrow account - a sum of money held in your name and from which they pay your monthly bills as they fall due.  You have to replenish your account each month to bring the escrow holding up to a previously agreed figure which can be anything from $1,000 - $3,000.

Many management companies also seek to place guests in your home, normally by arrangement with the major tour operators.  Our experience of these arrangements is that the villa owners often get a small income from this source and the tour operators and management companies retain a part of the payments.  Beware of any management company that gives you a guarantee of a minimum number of weeks of bookings per year. There are usually "get out" clauses which make the guarantees almost worthless.

With management companies, you pay a monthly retainer, currently of the order of $100 - $125 for them to look after your affairs.

Property Managers.

As an alternative to management companies, it is fairly easy to find a good quality property manager.  They don't pay your monthly bills, but simply maintain your home and clean it between guests.

You need to have your bills sent to your UK address so that they can be paid as they fall due.  As an alternative, it is easy to set up arrangements on the internet where you can view your bill, print it for your records and make payments either by credit card or even bank cheque.  Please ask us for further information about paying bills.