Owner's Guide
The two models for monetising your Spanish holiday home, explained without the sales pitch — and the questions to ask before signing with anyone, including us.
Quick answer
With rent-to-rent, a company pays you a fixed rent and keeps everything your house grosses above it; you gain certainty but lose control, personal use and the upside. With commission-based management, the income is yours and the manager takes a percentage (ours is a flat 18% with no lock-in): incentives stay aligned, because the manager only earns when you do. For properties with healthy demand in the Axarquía, commission is usually the better model over the medium term.
| Commission management | Rent-to-rent (fixed rent) | |
|---|---|---|
| Rental income goes to… | The owner (minus the fee) | The operator (you get the fixed rent) |
| Can you use your house? | Yes — block dates at no cost | Usually not, or very limited |
| Who controls pricing & calendar? | The manager, fully transparent to you | The operator, with no duty to inform you |
| If the house outperforms… | You win | The operator wins |
| If the season is poor… | You earn less that month | You're paid the same (their one advantage) |
| Typical contract | No lock-in (in our case) | 3–5 year terms with exit penalties |
| Condition of the property | Inspections and a report after every stay | Depends on the operator; intensive use |
Our position is transparent: Holidays Malaga works with both models, and what we propose to new owners is commission — a flat 18%, no lock-in — because it's the model where the manager earns exactly when the owner does. We also manage properties on fixed rent where that is the best fit for their owner, so we know both sides well and advise without dogma. That said: if someone offers you a very attractive fixed rent for your house, always run the numbers backwards — that figure is, at minimum, what they expect to make from it.
A company pays you a fixed monthly rent (like a long-term tenant) and operates your house as a holiday rental, keeping the whole difference. You gain certainty, but you give up control of the property, the calendar and the upside: if your house grosses double your rent, that profit isn't yours.
The manager operates your house for a percentage of the income (in our case a flat 18%). The income is yours, the calendar is yours (you can use the house whenever you want), and the manager only earns when you earn — incentives stay aligned.
For properties with decent demand, commission almost always beats rent-to-rent over the medium term: the fixed rent is, logically, set below the expected performance — that gap is the operator's margin. Rent-to-rent can make sense if absolute certainty is your only priority or demand for the property is very weak.
Four things: is there a lock-in period, or can I leave anytime? Can I use my own house and block dates? Do I get a detailed statement for every booking? And who is liable for damage? Be wary of multi-year contracts with exit penalties.
Free guide · PDF · 2026
VUT licence and NRA step by step, tax for residents and non-residents, a checklist to prepare the house and how to choose a manager. 8 pages, no fluff.
Tell us about your property and we'll email you a personalised income estimate under our commission model — free, within 24 hours. Then you can weigh any fixed-rent offer against real data.
