What to ask any Costa del Sol rental manager before you sign

Every rental management company on this coast will tell you they are professional, local and attentive. The claims are identical, which makes them useless for choosing between one and another.

These are the questions that produce different answers from different companies. Ask all of them, and ask for the answers in writing. We would rather you asked us these than not.

1. What is the commission, and what does it cover? A percentage on its own tells you nothing. Ask which services sit inside it and which are billed separately.

2. What is charged on top? Changeover cleaning, linen, maintenance call-outs, photography, listing fees, card processing. Get the list.

3. Who pays for what when something breaks? Ask for the threshold below which they simply fix things, and above which they call you.

4. When am I paid, and what do I receive with it? Monthly settlement with a statement showing gross booking value, deductions and net is the standard you should expect.

5. Is it exclusive, and how long is the term? Both are negotiable more often than owners assume.

6. What notice do I give to leave? Ask this before you sign, not after. A company confident in its service will not make leaving difficult.

7. How many weeks can I use it myself, and how far ahead must I block them? If you want Christmas in your own apartment, establish that now.

8. Who is responsible if the property is not compliant? The licence, the guest registration obligation, the community statutes. Ask who carries that responsibility and what happens if it goes wrong.

9. Will you tell me what my community is voting on? Since 3 April 2025 a new holiday let needs the community’s express approval by a three-fifths majority, and communities may also add up to twenty per cent to the common expenses charged to tourist properties. If you were already operating before that date you are protected, but you still need to know what is being proposed.

10. Who physically attends when something goes wrong on a Sunday? Ask for the name of the office and where it is. Distance is the whole answer to this question.

11. How many properties does each person look after? This is the question that most predicts the standard of service, and the one companies are least keen to answer plainly.

Maximum occupancy and maximum care are not the same objective. A company that fills every week of the calendar will put more wear on the apartment, and more turnover through it, than one that targets longer stays and fewer changeovers.

Neither is wrong. But decide which you want before you sign, because the two produce different years and different apartments at the end of them.

For our part: Glaser Group has operated on the Costa del Sol since 2019, added holiday rental management in 2025, and keeps the portfolio deliberately small. Our office is in Arroyo de la Miel and the properties we manage are within a short drive of it.