Hi All,

Another newbie wanting to get some feedback on an idea I have about working in Spain.
I have read a lot of posts about 'work in Spain' or rather the lack of it!
I have also read about lots of Brits & other expats having to go back home and not being able to sell their properties in Spain.

As I am quite handy and have lots of experience in the building trade & DIY and my OH is an accountant, I thought there may be a gap in the market to work as a property manager?

So I have a few questions; would I need any qualifications or certificates to work as a PM in Spain?
Does anyone know of any online courses or training in becoming a PM in Spain? I have trawled the internet and cannot find anything! At least not with any relevance to Spain.

It looks as there could be a market for an online property management course for Spain too?

If there are any property managers on here already working in Spain, may be you can give some advice, as to whether it is a good idea or no.

Many thanks in advance

What exactly would you do as a Property Manager?

There are lots of people who act as 'key holders' or who look after holiday properties (I do for example).

There are also many companies that offer a property maintenance service.

Hello and welcome to the forum. There are lots of expats doing property management, whether all or any have any qualifications I have no idea but many are dubious in their 'business' to say the least !

That is a market sector which is overflowing. You will find it difficult to break into unless you have an USP to offer?

Hi Guy's,

Thank you for your replies.

I am still in the investigation stages and not ready to jump in two footed yet!

Although statistics and articles can be misleading, I read this article : www.spanishpropertyinsight.com

My thinking and of course I may be wrong, in that a good percentage of these second home purchasers would want to let for holiday rentals. Also, if the people who have already had to return to their home Country because they cannot sell their property, it would surely be a good idea to make it pay for itself and rent it out?

My Spanish is passable and I am taking classes. Are there not any complexes that are mostly owned by foreigners that need property managers?

Snikpoh, do you just hold keys for holiday makers and meet & greet? I would like to offer a full property management service; IE meet & greet, key holding, security and maintenance checks, advertising & marketing properties etc

I am guessing that this type of work would be on any of the busy coasts. To my mind there are very few start up costs and although obviously only seasonal, it would give me a start.

Sorry to ramble on and I really appreciate all your input & help.

Jonjo

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Thank you Rosemary

Completely agree with this.
There are enough people on here that will go to lengths at painting a dark and bleak picture regarding new business ideas in Spain. I always try to find the positive.
However, as missile has said, the market place is flooded with people doing just this. Some good, some bad and some worse than bad.
I live in La Cala de Mijas which is a very small town. Within this area alone, there are five to six (at least) agents offering this service. Two years ago, there were more but a few have closed down. Down the road in Calahonda there are many many more.
Then there are the guys without offices which can be found on line.
I personally know a bunch of people that "look after" properties.
I´m sorry but I simply can´t see where you could squeeze into an industry, overflowing with what would be your competition.

I do all of that (and more) with the exception of marketing - there are simply too many GOOD websites that offer that service already.

As we are not on the coast, our market is fairly limited. I really just do it to help others who don't live in Spain.

I usually try to see the positives as well, but I can't with this.

The only USP I can see is doing something like some rental agents do in the UK, which is to offer homeowners a guaranteed income from their properties regardless of occupancy. The thing is, I only see this kind of business in densely populated areas where it's easy to rent a property out. Therefore, such companies have little risk.

The trouble is, this would need capital and involves risk.

The kind of property management you are talking about I just cannot see a market for. You haven't spotted a gap.

Thank you all again for your valued comments,

It obviously seems that none of you (so far) seem to think the idea is workable. You guys are on the ground, so to speak and have been living in Spain for some time. So I appreciate your time and honesty.

I have no USP and I am not trying to re-invent the wheel but I see it as a low start up cost and a way of being able to move to Spain and start and grow a business.

IamStu, you say; 'Some good, some bad and some worse than bad'. Right there, I have a chance as I want to be GOOD!

Is there by any chance (guess I should look before writing) a thread of people who have property in Spain but have had to move back to the UK etc but would like to at least cover the costs of their home in Spain or even make a little profit?

Snikpoh, I wonder how many of 'there are simply too many GOOD websites that offer that service already' are making a profit? Do you think they have all the market share?

Horlics, there is no way I would or could 'which is to offer homeowners a guaranteed income from their properties regardless of occupancy' There is no such thing as guaranteed occupancy!

You have dampened my expectations but that is a good thing. Reality check and back to research. There are loads of property management companies / services on a Google search 'property management services Spain' and what seems like millions of properties of 'holiday rentals in Spain'

Gracias Amigos

Unlike in the UK, if you want to be legal the start up costs for any business are high.

Hi Jonjo, there are several factors that you should consider before starting this business, where you plan to live is vital as there will varying numbers of properties to manage, to start officially will be costly and as self employed you will have to pay social security monthly but there are no qualifications needed. The one major factor is contacts and as a new person in an area you won't have any. In our village in Andalucia there are a dozen or more people looking after friends properties and that's through contacts and word of mouth. It's not an easy business to start as its already being done to death! If you can live from other sources for a while and check out what is going on in the area you choose then it might be possible to get going but it will take time to build a successful business which needs about twenty properties fully managed. Good luck.

Hi again Jonjo,

I don't know of a thread of these people.

Just a word about the people who are returning. Earlier this year there was mention in the press about huge numbers of people giving up on Spain and returning to the UK. My view, in common with many others discussing it on this site and others, was that the numbers were greatly exaggerated. I think the exodus was in fact a case of local town halls cleaning up their registers of foreign residents.

That said, of course there is always churn - people going and new ones coming, but how many of them effectively dessert their properties I have no idea, although I would guess it is few of them. We hear stories of people stuck in Spain until they are able to sell their properties. No doubt some just leave, but not many without working out what happens to their homes, and there is plentiful supply of services for those who need help.

The fact that there is competition should not put you off, though. I would be more concerned if I'd managed to convince myself that I could sell a service that nobody else was offering.

Good luck if you decide to go ahead.

Thank you again, Chris Jolly, Horlics & Missile

Yes, I have read that being an autonomo is a complete nightmare as apposed to being self employed in the UK. As well as paying SS a monthly minimum sum of 260 euros whether you have any income or not!

Whether I should say this or not I don't know but my plan was to test the water first before setting up a business legally. I am working on the outgoings being minimal and the business can be run from home. I realise, as in any business, it will take time. I have even seen some for sale around Malaga & Marbella.

As I say; I will not rush into it. Probably look at doing some property management course to get mtself properly prepared and continue doing the market research.

Happy Xmas