9818 Management costs for rented houses

Jane
If you send me a PM I can tell you what I pay for managing our 4 bed house.

Lorraine

Here are some typical figures from our business in Umbria.

Meet-and-greet/check-out: €60
Cleaners/gardeners: €8-€10/hour
Pool cleaning €25: once a week

Some of our rental management clients who live a long way away also pay €50/month for us to visit, check and do small manaintenance jobs while they're away.

For the person doing meeting-and-greeting, it is really important that you ask the guests for a time-of-arrival and give them a contact phone number. The time my wife spends waiting for people who've got lost or decided to stop for lunch frequently doubles her workload.

Hope this helps!

Hi there

My business is based in puglia, and the prices that mark has based above are very similar to my own.

I tend to price on what the client needs, but the costs change on the property size and what the clients would like to provide their guests.

A typical 3 bed villa in puglia(br) would cost about 100euro a changeover and it includes preparation, meet and greet welcome package and a point of call for guests should they have any difficulties. Explaination of alarm systems and point of call for vigili.

Pool cleaning is 25e a week plus the chemicals.

I personally tailor make all my services to fit the client requirements. Just ask around and choose someone you can comunicate with well and you trust. After all they are a being a representative for you and your property.

Mark- i understand how your wife feels, as i have been in the same position, it is not nice, especially when it is a nice day for a trip to the beach.

So it is important to have system that works for all involved.!!!!

Gill.

Unfortunately this will cost, and if you do not pay a reasonable fee you will be constantly looking for someone,
You need to respect your property manager and know that without this person your business cannot succeed, cleaners are not second class citizens and work very hard so should be paid what they are worth.
Make regular contact, listen to thier ideas, they are on site and can see/listen to the clients. They often end up doing unpaid jobs, (as mentioned above sitting around waiting for clients who get lost, then after 2 hours still smile and be polite) and checking the house after storms, meeting plumbers, etc etc.
So if you find someone good who you can trust make sure you keep them happy and things can run smoothly for years.

i agree - with Here already - you get what you pay for. Think of what is paid locally and then add a bit extra on top.

Interesting replies, thanks to everyone! We are often asked to do this service but to be honest I am reluctant due to the problems already mentioned above. Instead I have found another British couple who have just moved over here to do this for our clients.

I think you also need to add in an emergency call out charge as when we have managed rentals and friends visiting as a favour for people we always end up getting called in the middle of the night!

This is a good point, in my services i add this, it depends on the emergency what it cost. If it is in the night /anti-social hours there should be a minum call out. Most hings can be sorted by the phone.

But who ever you make resposible for your property make it clear to you and the person looking after property what your requirements are, and there charges.

gill

QUOTE=Salento;92697]Interesting replies, thanks to everyone! We are often asked to do this service but to be honest I am reluctant due to the problems already mentioned above. Instead I have found another British couple who have just moved over here to do this for our clients.

I think you also need to add in an emergency call out charge as when we have managed rentals and friends visiting as a favour for people we always end up getting called in the middle of the night![/QUOTE]

Hello There,
Just felt I should reply to this post as I'm abit shocked and surprised that these so called property management replies can be done for so little.
Having quick alot of experience of these so called costs I feel certain points need to be corrected.
Firstly the costs involved in cleaning and maintaining a pool would completely depend on size of pool, weather conditions and use of said pool. I think to say 25 euros once a week to clean a pool is very much an underestimate. In the height of summer a daily check is really needed if the pool is being used regularly and minimum 3 times a week if not. I myself have a pool that I maintain and currently it is using 2 to 3 kg of chlorine a week plus anti algae. It would be entirely impossible to maintain a pool at the so called rates and very much doubt they are realistic.
Furthermore cleaning costs again depend on size of house and type of clean.
One quote for all wouldn't be realistic.
Also gardeners cleaning for 8 to 10 euros an hour just isn't clear. They would have to consider the size of the garden, type of plants and maintenance needed. What if they need to use motor equipment, the cost of the petrol and oil would be more.
I think really its all down to what you need and what type of property you have here in Italy. There are alot of so called property management companies who quote low prices to get trade, but then either fail to maintain your property properly or charge other costs afterwards.
Sometimes its just down to taking references from others living in the area of who is good and cost effective.

Just a little note,
I don't think anyone minds a friend or neighbour looking after your house and paying them a fee, but lets remember if they are a properly registered property management company they should be paying tax and have a P IVA number.

unless they are getting paid in sterling, into a uk account then they would pay uk tax. assuming they earned enough.

Hello herealready,
I think your missing my point.
I don't think anyone has a problem with a person helping another and earning a fee. What I am saying is not appropriate is for these so called "property management" businesses to set up websites, advertise and openly publise themselves without any intention of paying tax whether it be in sterling or euros!
I think the saying is "Chiusa la bocca".

Hi Jane,
With regards to your question on a reputable key holding/property management company based in Calabria. Myself and my partner are in the process of setting up a company called 'Calabria Management' which will be based in Pizzo. We have 15 years of experience in similar fields and we will be moving permanently to Calabria in June of this year. We have our website currently under construction and are going to inspect suitable office premises in February. We have our team of professionals already organised, we are just in the process of finishing off the finer details.
If you would like more details on the nature of our business etc; please don't hesitate to contact myself @ [email]paulmdonnell@hotmail.com[/email].
Yours sincerely,
Paul McDonnell

Well I find myself agreeing with il Cacciatore. Marc is offering very good prices for his services. In this part of Umbria cleaning and gardening costs are higher. If anyone wants to work for foreigners around our area they have as much work as they can cope with. A good cleaner starts at 10 euros and gardener/poolman 15. There are many people who have an amicable arrangement with an Italian couple to "look after their place" but such service doesn't come cheap near Lago Trasimeno because there's a shortage of reliable helpers for a start.

I live near Servigliano and am looking for more house management work this summer. I clean, prepare, provide welcome pack, am available for problems, meet and greet and also can pool clean (with some help) Any offers. prices on application but are all in to include laundry, etc. on a monthly basis. Also looking after property during the winter too. any work would be welcome.

what a lot of chlorine you appear to use... no sun cream allowed in my pool and a teeshirt essential. I have a solar panel I use which deionised the water and I use very very little chlorine. Also I agree with you comments on costs. It is essential to be very firm about charges and write them down, keep a log of all work and make sure all extras are charged for. It is important that the houses look good, are clean and the garden maintained. Like you would want for your wont house.

A very interesting thread as this is something I'm investigating at the mo for my property.

I have found a firm who do not charge for key holding or being an emergency contact. They will charge if they get called out, but not just being a key holder.

Is this normal?

C