What Does a Property Manager Actually Do While You Are Away?
Owner Guide
While you are away, a property manager inspects the house on a fixed schedule, documents its condition in writing, keeps utilities and predial current, runs and supervises the vendors who touch the property, and responds when something breaks. The visible part is the report in your inbox. The valuable part is the small failure caught in week two that never becomes a flooded ground floor in week nine.
An empty house in San Miguel is not static. Water pressure fluctuates, rain finds the one unsealed parapet, gardens grow, dust settles into mechanicals, and small animals look for shelter. Management is the discipline of showing up before any of that compounds.
How often should someone physically visit the house?Weekly is the practical standard for an empty home in San Miguel, with additional visits during rainy season and around any vendor work. Monthly visits are enough only for a very simple, very dry, very secure property. The right interval is the one short enough that a leak is found while it is still a stain.
The full inspection scope is on the home watch page.
What gets checked on a routine inspection?Roof and terrace drains, visible plumbing and water tanks, the pump and pressure system, electrical panel and lighting, damp and mold indicators, doors, windows, locks and alarms, pool chemistry, irrigation, and general interior condition. Each visit ends with dated photographs so changes are visible over time.
Who deals with utilities, predial, and paperwork?The manager does, on your behalf. CFE bills, water, internet, gas deliveries, HOA dues, and the annual predial all have deadlines that do not pause while you are in another country. Missed payments create service cuts and surcharges that cost far more to unwind than to prevent.
Owners who spend most of the year abroad usually want the fuller arrangement described under absentee owner stewardship.
What happens when something breaks at midnight?A manager with real coverage takes the call, sends someone competent, stops the damage, and tells you what happened with photographs and a cost before authorizing anything beyond the emergency. What you should not receive is a message asking you to find a plumber from another time zone.
How do you know the work was actually done?Written reports with dated photographs, vendor invoices passed through at cost, and a monthly account of what was spent and why. Documentation is the only thing that separates stewardship from a promise, and it is the first thing to ask for when you interview anyone.
The way we structure that relationship is set out under our approach for owners.
Common Questions
How often should a property manager visit an empty house?
Weekly is the practical standard in San Miguel, with extra visits during rainy season and whenever vendors are working. Monthly suits only simple, dry, well-secured homes where a slow leak would still be caught early.
What is checked during a routine inspection?
Roof and terrace drains, plumbing and water tanks, pump and pressure system, electrical panel, damp and mold, doors, windows, locks and alarms, pool chemistry, irrigation, and interior condition, all documented with dated photos.
Does a property manager pay my utilities and predial?
Yes. CFE, water, internet, gas, HOA dues, and the annual predial are handled on your behalf so nothing lapses while you are abroad, since service cuts and surcharges cost more to reverse than to prevent.
What happens if there is an emergency while I am away?
The manager takes the call, dispatches a competent trade, stops the damage, then reports back with photographs and a cost before authorizing any work beyond the immediate emergency.
How do I verify the work was really done?
Ask for written reports with dated photographs, vendor invoices passed through at cost, and a monthly statement of spending. Without documentation, management is only a promise.