A property-care arrangement works when the local contact can act without inventing your instructions. It fails when the only brief is “keep an eye on the house”. A useful briefing is a file, not a conversation you hope someone remembers.
The list below is what Guardemar needs to inspect, report and coordinate without crossing into work that belongs to a plumber, electrician or insurer. Another reputable company will need much the same.
Identify the property and how to enter it
Provide the exact address, any name used by the condominium or urbanisation, parking notes and a description that would still make sense at night. Include every access device: door keys, gate fobs, garage remotes, mailbox keys and alarm tags.
Keys should be coded, not labelled with a complete address. Say who else already has a set. If a neighbour, gardener or pool technician holds access, that belongs in the same note. See key holding in Portugal.
Describe how the home should be left
Write the intended state of water, electricity, alarms, refrigeration, air conditioning, shutters and any pool or garden equipment. If a circuit must stay on for the alarm, say so. If a shutter is left open on purpose, say so.
A visual inspection can confirm that the property matches those instructions. It should not guess a new electrical or plumbing layout. Where the building’s own design is unclear, ask the relevant qualified professional — not the inspector — to explain it.
Name the people who may be called
List the owner contacts, a backup contact in another time zone if useful, and the existing pool, garden, cleaning, alarm and technical providers you want used. Say whether Guardemar may contact them directly, and whether spend up to a stated amount may be authorised without a further message.
Emergency instructions should be boringly specific: who is telephoned, whether water may be isolated where it is safe, and what is not to be attempted. Guardemar coordinates; specialists remain responsible for diagnosis and workmanship. Contractor access is the process for letting them in.
Define the inspection, not a feeling
Point to the rooms and exterior areas that are in scope. A villa with a pool and a lower garden is not inspected by walking the hallway. An apartment may stop at the owner’s interior plus a balcony.
Ask for photographs and a simple status, including anything that needs attention. If you already have a baseline, share it so later visits are a comparison. The public inspection checklist is a reasonable starting point for that conversation.
Say how often, and what happens before you travel
Frequency should follow the home, season and systems. Monthly, fortnightly and weekly options exist because the properties differ. How often to inspect explains the trade-off.
Add arrival and departure if you use the home yourself. Arrival preparation is only useful if it happens early enough for a contractor to attend.
What not to put in the brief
Do not ask a home-watch company to certify a roof, sign off electrical work, guarantee an insurance claim or supervise a builder as if they were the contract administrator. Those are different jobs. A clear brief is also a boundary: visual inspection, reporting, access and coordination.
If you want that file turned into a Guardemar routine, request a property assessment or compare plans.