The team looking after your property on the Costa del Sol
You will have one single point of contact: me. But behind me there are some fifteen trades, because buying a property and then keeping it running far from home cannot be handled with a single phone number. Here is who does what. And I will tell you plainly who works at VivaStay and who is an independent professional I coordinate: the difference matters, and you will see why below.
Your point of contact is me
Hannah De Oliveira. I am French, based in Málaga, and the VivaStay team works in English, Spanish and French. I follow your file from start to finish: the negotiation, the notary, and afterwards, once you have the keys. Viewings are done with the VivaStay agent who speaks your language.
I do two jobs under the same roof: I sell properties, and I manage them as rentals. It is this second half that changes what I can tell you before you sign, because I know the real running costs, the quiet months and the August bills.
What I am personally responsible for: the search and shortlisting, viewings, negotiation, checking the nota simple (land registry extract) and the community of owners’ statutes, putting the file together up to signing, then the holiday let licence, letting the property and day-to-day management.
What I am not responsible for, and I will tell you before you ask: I am not a lawyer, a tax adviser or a notary. When a question falls to one of them, I tell you so and put you in touch with the right person. That is exactly why this page exists.
The VivaStay team, day to day
These are the people who work for VivaStay. They are the reason a flat is ready at 3 pm when guests arrive, and why an owner in London knows what is happening at their place in Fuengirola.
Area manager
Our eyes on the ground. She visits the properties, checks, takes photos, reports damage before it turns into a dispute, and welcomes guests when needed. It is the difference between “I was told everything is fine” and “here are this morning’s photos”.
Cleaning and laundry
The most underestimated role in holiday letting, and the one behind bad reviews. Sheets, towels, checks between stays, restocking. A rushed clean in August costs more than a month without bookings.
The specialists I coordinate
These people are not VivaStay employees : each has their own practice, professional liability and fees. I know them, I have worked with them for years, and I am the link so that you do not have to explain your case to them three times.
Tax adviser
Non-resident taxation is not a detail: tax on rental income, the annual return even when you do not let, the withholding on resale. An EU resident and a non-EU resident are not treated the same way, and since Brexit that includes UK buyers. It needs preparing before you buy, not after.
Lawyer
For anything with legal consequences: the deposit contract (arras), an inheritance, a difficult community of owners, a seller who drags their feet, a property with a charge registered against it. When a file looks like trouble, I do not improvise: I hand it over.
Wealth management
For projects where Spanish property is only one piece of a bigger picture: ownership structure, financing, succession, how it fits with what you already own at home. It is not compulsory, but for certain amounts it changes the plan.
What about the notary? The notary is nobody’s team member, and that is a good thing. In Spain, the notary is a public official: they act for neither the buyer nor the seller, they guarantee that the deed is lawful. The buyer chooses the notary. My role is to be with you that day, check the deed before signing and explain what you are signing, line by line. Be wary of anyone who introduces “their” notary as part of their team.
Tradespeople, the ones nobody mentions
Yet this is where a non-resident owner’s peace of mind is won or lost. A water heater that breaks down on a Saturday in August, with guests in the property, is not solved by searching for a plumber online from Manchester.
Plumber · Electrician
The two emergencies that cannot wait until Monday. A leak, air conditioning failing in a heatwave, a fuse box tripping. These are people I call by their first name, and who turn up because they know I give them work all year round.
Builder · Handyman
Damp repairs, terrace tiling, joinery, small repairs between tenants. Also for getting a property ready before it goes on the market: on the Costa del Sol, a few thousand euros well spent can change the asking price.
Gardener · Pool maintenance
A villa with a pool is not a flat: it means weekly maintenance, tested water, a garden that does not burn in July. It is also an obligation towards guests, and the number one cause of complaints when it is neglected.
Why I make clear who is an employee and who is not
Because many agencies show off a fifteen-person “team” that is really just an address book. There is nothing wrong with working with independents, it is in fact the norm here, and often better: you get real specialists rather than a generalist who dabbles in everything.
But you have the right to know what you are signing up for:
- What falls to VivaStay, I take responsibility for. Management, follow-up, coordination, the condition of your property: it is my name on it, and my Google reviews that suffer if things go wrong.
- What falls to an independent professional, they take responsibility for. The lawyer answers for their legal advice, the tax adviser for their return, the plumber for their work. Each has their own professional insurance. You know who does what, and who answers for what.
- You are never obliged to use them. If you already have a lawyer in Spain or your own tax adviser, that is fine. I work with them.
What this means in practice
| What happens | Who handles it | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| You spot a property from the UK | Us: viewing with the VivaStay agent who speaks your language, photos, nota simple, community statutes, the town’s holiday let licence rules | You wait for my feedback before getting carried away |
| The seller accepts your offer | Me for the negotiation and timetable; the lawyer for the deposit contract if the case warrants it; the notary you choose for the deed | You sign knowing what you are signing |
| Water leak in August, guests in the property | The area manager checks, the plumber steps in, the cleaners come back afterwards | You receive the photos and the invoice, often after the fact |
Talk your project through with someone on the ground
The simplest step is a thirty-minute call before any viewing: your budget, your goal, your tax situation. If your project is not feasible here, I will tell you then and there: it is the best service I can offer you.
To find out more before we talk: the page explaining how I work, the town-by-town investment overview, and the mistakes to avoid when buying in Spain.
