# What exactly does a holiday rental manager do? The 12 tasks you get off your plate

> Licence, listings, pricing, messages, keys, cleaning, traveller registration, maintenance, collections, statements, reviews and the three-in-the-morning call. What full management includes and what it does not.
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> Topic: The manager · Reviewed: 2026-09-22 · URL: https://mipisoturistico.app/en/guides/what-exactly-does-a-holiday-rental-manager-do
> Published by Mi Piso Turístico (Torremolinos Gestión Vacacional), a holiday-rental management company on the Costa del Sol.

**Short answer:** a full-service manager turns your flat into a business that runs without you: **they process the licence, create and maintain the listings, set the prices, answer guests, hand over keys, organise cleaning, register travellers, sort out breakdowns, collect payments, pay you every month and answer the phone at any hour**. You receive a bank transfer and a report. For that they charge a percentage of what comes in, normally between 15 and 20 % of what the owner receives.

## The 12 tasks of full management

1. **Registration and licence**: registration with the Tourism Registry, change of holder if you already had it, checking the flat's requirements, advice with the owners' association.
2. **Set-up**: what is missing, what is surplus, what needs buying. Professional photos.
3. **Listings**: texts in several languages, photos, configuration on Booking, Airbnb, Vrbo and whichever apply, licence code, house rules.
4. **Pricing**: season calendar, minimum stays, weekly adjustments according to the real market.
5. **Guest service**: messages before, during and after; enquiries in several languages; the 24-hour phone.
6. **Check-ins and check-outs**: lock codes or key handover, arrival instructions, times.
7. **Cleaning and linen**: own or contracted team, laundry, replacements, quality control with photos.
8. **Traveller registration**: collecting data and sending it to SES.Hospedajes for every booking.
9. **Maintenance**: preventive checks, trusted technicians, breakdowns handled within hours.
10. **Incidents**: neighbours, noise, damage, claims to platforms, deposits.
11. **Collections and statements**: checking what platforms pay, monthly itemised statement, commission invoice, annual summary for the tax office.
12. **Reviews**: replying to all of them, following up on complaints that repeat.

## What does it usually not include?

- **Building work and renovations** (handled separately, with a quote).
- **The cost of repairs** (small labour sometimes yes; materials and technicians are invoiced at cost).
- **Your taxes** (the manager gives you the data; the return is done by your adviser or you).
- **The flat's insurance** and utilities, which are in your name.
- **Equipment purchases**, made with your approval and at your expense.

## Full management or "marketing only"?

Some companies offer a partial service: only the listings and pricing (8-12 %), and you take care of keys, cleaning and guests. Worth it if you live next door and have time. If you live far away or do not want calls, it is full management.

## How can you tell a good manager?

By three things you can check before signing: **their Google reviews** (from owners and from guests), **the occupancy and pricing** of flats they already manage (visible on Booking and Airbnb) and **the sample statement** they show you: if you do not understand where each number comes from, do not sign. We develop it in [20 questions before signing](/guias/20-preguntas-antes-de-firmar) and in [Signs of a bad manager](/guias/senales-de-un-mal-gestor).

## What if I would rather do it myself?

It is possible, and there are owners who do it well. It requires living nearby, having time (about 5-8 hours a week per flat in high season), a trusted cleaner with a plan B, knowing how to price and being available by phone. We compare it with numbers in [Manager or do it myself?](/guias/gestor-o-hacerlo-yo).

## Sources

- [Torremolinos Gestión Vacacional: full management services](https://www.gestion-apartamentos-turisticos-torremolinos.com)