If you are already an owner, congratulations! You’ve experienced the thrill of realising that long-held dream of buying your own piece of paradise in Barbados…. You’ve also faced the challenge of the property purchase process and survived!

It’s likely that the very mixed experiences of operating and managing your villa or apartment at arms’ length have caused the odd frustration or two. To help, we have assembled a wide range of services both on the island and in the UK for you to tap into. To be recommended by Barbados Dream, each service provider has proved to be reliable and delivered good service at a competitive price.

Property Management Companies

Villa management services in Barbados are in the main provided by the larger real estate companies. They do generally provide a good level of service, but clearly charge for it. Their fees vary substantially and our advice is straightforward: Be specific about what you want them to do, shop around and be prepared to negotiate the costs.

‘Property Management’ covers three broad functions:

1. Caretaking (monthly fee)

· Payment of all bills including utilities and contracted services
· Paying wages to your staff (including NI & PAYE returns)
· Swimming pool servicing and maintenance
· Gardening & irrigation maintenance
· General maintenance (paintwork/plumbing/electrics etc)
· Pest control (property and gardens)
· Security services

2. Looking after Guests (monthly fee)

· Meet & greet on arrival
· Stocking villas with ‘welcome packs’ of groceries
· Arranging hire cars to be delivered/collected
· Organising island tours, sailboat trips etc
· Resolving any guest queries or issues
· Arranging fax check-in for return flights

3. Rental Bookings (%age of rental)

· Sourcing rental clients for your property
· Correspondence with client to confirm details
· Arranging airport transfers
· Organising any advance requests (car rental, groceries etc)
· Handling rental payments

The more you ask for, the more it will cost you. Some agents bespoke their service properly for each client, others will simply give you the lot unless you object.

The range of services you’ll actually need from a Property Management Company depends upon whether you intend to rent, how often you go to Barbados yourselves and any friends there who can help out.

Think what services you might require, and complete our enquiry form.