Hired help

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bayman

New member
Jan 23, 2010
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I am looking at purchasing a villa on North coast, and would like a guideline on what to pay for a maintainance person, security person, and a maid, on a weekly/monthly basis.
Am I better to go to one of those property management service companies, rather than hire direct myself?
Any pitfalls to look out for, on hiring direct?
All suggestions welcomed
 
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Bob K

Silver
Aug 16, 2004
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First i have to ask, as the answer will be very different, are you planning on living here full time or is this going to be a vacation property that you will rent when not using it or leave empty when not using it?

Let us know and we can give you some guidlines.

Bob K
 
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DMV123

Bronze
Mar 31, 2010
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How much you pay for each will depend on so many particulars. For example - where will you be living? Are positions live in or out? Hours? Days? Will you feed employees? etc etc.
 
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bayman

New member
Jan 23, 2010
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Bob K said:
First i have to ask, as the answer will be very different, are you planning on living here full time or is this going to be a vacation property that you will rent when not using it or leave empty when not using it?

Let us know and we can give you some guidlines.

Bob K
Click to expand...

Lived in by myself and family for most of the year, possible rental options for 2/3 months, possible may leave empty, with necessary security arrangements in place
 
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Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
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One option you have is to hire a maid, etc., and leave the house with them when you are gone. However, this requires finding people that you can absolutely trust so that when you return everything is as you left it. Finding one person like this is difficult, finding several even more so. That is the risk. Hiring somebody to maintain the property and the grounds outside of the house much less risky; when you open the doors in your absence, the risk increases substantially. This person should be paid more than the minimum as evidence that you are depending on him to maintain the property in good condition and serve as the security person during the day.

If the house is closed up, you do not need a full time maid or personnel regularly inside. I'd suggest you look for a rental management company that would send somebody once a week or every 10 days to clean the inside. This will keep the dust and other crap that is always floating around from causing a problem.

For night security, you can check with security companies to see what is available.
 
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Bob K

Silver
Aug 16, 2004
2,520
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I think Ken is correct. If you are not going to be here full time you will do bettter with a security company and hiring a management company to maintain the property and even handle the rentals.
Finiding someone to "trust" to take care of the villa when you are not here is very hard and more times then not you will have a problem.


Bob K
 
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william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
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I think , under all circumstances, you need a house manager to oversee the situation.
Checks to write and distribute, employee absence for sickness etc,power problems, repairs, storms...... ad infinitum

That may be a trusted person or an agency.... the above headaches become theirs, not yours for the short term.

This would be a good job for somebody on the forum.. or their spouse or child, etc.
Business in the making

Thats how we do it.

WW
 
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bayman

New member
Jan 23, 2010
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Thanks for all advice and information.
What would be $ figure approx per month be for total property management services?
Obviously I will be looking for quotes from management companies, closer to requirement
 
J D Sauser

J D Sauser

Silver
Nov 20, 2004
2,940
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www.hispanosuizainvest.com
IF you will LIVE HERE, you will want to hire directly.
You should hire based on proven recommendations and feed back from neighbors and friends you make and also learn to recognize even "silent" warnings.
You will pay a little more than what locals are said to pay their slaves, but then, you might eventually build up a staff of people who actually are loyal to you and yours. That takes some time and some expertise of course.
Going thru a property management firm as a permanent resident, will not allow you to build that vital loyalty link with whom enters your home. They will be paid "rack slavery rate" for hard work and will likely be changed around as they ware out, while you will be billed in Dolares for a service you can't seem to even start trusting.

Property "management" especially paired with absentee ownership is the gateway to overpaying and still getting screwed.
I am sure, there may be a very few property management firms in this country which will not "silently" rent your home, or over bill YOU for repairs done by it's own "handymen" on a different property, or over bill you for services which are typically cheap here... but they are hard to be found.

I have always voiced my doubt that this is an ideal country for absentee property ownership, as I don't seem to see many having a successful experience with that. That's my opinion and you will hear others having a different one (often from "agents" and property and condo management "firms" or people linked to them).


... J-D.
 
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Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
J D Sauser said:
IF you will LIVE HERE, you will want to hire directly.
You should hire based on proven recommendations and feed back from neighbors and friends you make and also learn to recognize even "silent" warnings.
You will pay a little more than what locals are said to pay their slaves, but then, you might eventually build up a staff of people who actually are loyal to you and yours. That takes some time and some expertise of course.
Going thru a property management firm as a permanent resident, will not allow you to build that vital loyalty link with whom enters your home. They will be paid "rack slavery rate" for hard work and will likely be changed around as they ware out, while you will be billed in Dolares for a service you can't seem to even start trusting.

Property "management" especially paired with absentee ownership is the gateway to overpaying and still getting screwed.
I am sure, there may be a very few property management firms in this country which will not "silently" rent your home, or over bill YOU for repairs done by it's own "handymen" on a different property, or over bill you for services which are typically cheap here... but they are hard to be found.

I have always voiced my doubt that this is an ideal country for absentee property ownership, as I don't seem to see many having a successful experience with that. That's my opinion and you will hear others having a different one (often from "agents" and property and condo management "firms" or people linked to them).


... J-D.
Click to expand...

I agree that this is ideal and preferable to using a management company. But it takes time and effort to find and train and gain the loyalty of a honest staff, very likely more time than the OP will be spending in his house with his staff before taking off for several months.

If he would like to eventually have a staff he can trust with his place when traveling outside of the country, this is something he should work towards while in the meantime using the services of companies dealing in these services.

The fact of the matter is that there is no guarantee you won't be robbed if you use an agency. There is a good reason why whenever there is a robbery the first people the police interrogate are the security man and any other people hired to care for the house in the absence of the owner. It is quite common to hear of a watchman who allowed himself to be tied up in the hope of avoiding suspicion when his confederates robbed the property he was guarding.

The point about paying above average is especially important. It doesn't guarantee loyalty, but it helps.
 
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whirleybird

Silver
Feb 27, 2006
3,264
322
83
Yes, I know that we are incredibly lucky with the quality of our 'hired help' which we acquired when we bought our home here. We had 3 months to decide whether they were the 'right' people for us (prior to paying severance pay) and there was never any hesitation in our minds as they have been our educators and tutors in learning to adapt and live in this country which offers its differences and challenges to any expat who moves here with little knowledge of the culture or language.

We don't pay above average but we do give them fair wages and reward them in as many different ways that we can on a limited budget. They live on our property in their own small casita where they have electricity, running water with shower room and toilet and they enjoy and 'respect' what they have from us. In return, we have loyalty, honesty, hard work, help and friendship whilst always maintaining the boss/ employee relationship. It works well for us...
 
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