Chapter

Managing a Spanish property from abroad

§ 1What has to be done

A Spanish home generates tasks even when nobody lives there. Bills arrive, the community meets, the local tax falls due, the meters are read, the roof leaks, a neighbour complains, and the post accumulates. When you live abroad each of these needs someone in Spain with the authority to act. This page belongs to the section on more on owning and selling and explains the plan before the three pages on the details.

§ 2The structure of a plan

A workable plan answers four questions. Who inspects the home and how often. Who pays the bills and from which account. Who represents you at the community meeting and in dealings with the town hall and the tax office. Who calls you, and how, if something happens.

Holiday-home management explains the choice of a company that manages holiday homes. A caretaker explains using a person.

Empty-home risks covers the risks of an empty home.

§ 3Authority

A representative acts on your behalf only to the extent you authorise. A power of attorney can be general or limited to named tasks. Our legal process section explains how a power is signed before a notary and what it costs. Limit the authority to what is needed, keep a copy, and set an end date. A bank or the tax office may ask for its own form, so ask them what they accept.

§ 4Money

Set up direct debits from an account that always has funds. Keep a record of the amounts paid each month. The local property tax, the community charges and the supplies are the regular costs, and the costs section explains the taxes. A non-resident also files returns, even for an empty home, because imputed income applies, as that section explains. A tax adviser can handle this on your behalf.

§ 5The community

You can attend the owners’ meeting or give a proxy to someone, and you can follow the accounts online if the administrator offers it. Ask to be told of any vote on works, a special charge or tourist lets, since the law sets majorities for them. The chapter on setting up the home in detail covers how to introduce yourself.

§ 6Insurance

Tell the insurer how the home is used and who holds the keys, as the chapter on home insurance explains. Ask which duties it sets for vacancy, and keep a note of each inspection to show that you met them.

§ 7Selling or letting later

A home that is managed well is easier to sell, as the chapter on selling explained explains, and easier to let. Keep the records of the work and the bills in one place.

§ 8Costs and trust

Managers and caretakers charge for their time, and we found no official price list, so ask for quotes. Choose a person or company you can check, and never give full control of your bank account.

§ 9Annual review

Once a year, go through the arrangement. Check that the authority is still wanted, that the keyholders are still in place, that the bills are paid from the right account and that the insurer knows the facts. Update the contact list, ask the administrator for the accounts and the minutes of the meetings, and replace anything that has stopped working. Owners who do this once a year find small problems before they become expensive ones.

§ 10Choosing the right level of help

A home used for a few weeks a year may need little more than a neighbour with a key and an agreed routine. A home that is let, or that stands empty for most of the year, usually needs a paid and accountable service. Write down what could go wrong, how fast someone must react, and what you are prepared to pay. The answer tells you whether a person, a company or a mix suits you. Revisit the choice when the use of the home changes.

§ 11Documents to leave in Spain

Keep copies of the deed, the insurance schedule, the supply contracts, the list of contacts and the authority in the home or with your representative. In an emergency, the person on the spot needs the policy number and the administrator’s phone at once, not after a week of emails.

§ 12Other chapters in this section

The rules on home insurance explains how home insurance works under Spanish law for an owner and ownership structures explained explains the ways a property can be owned or shared in Spain.

General information only. This is not legal, tax or financial advice. Check your own situation with a qualified adviser.