Most Algarve second homes already have someone for the pool, someone for the garden, and often a cleaner. Those relationships are worth keeping. They are also a common source of confusion: each provider sees their own slice of the property, keys circulate, and the owner still has no single picture of the house.

Guardemar’s role in that mix is coordination and an independent visual overview — not a replacement pool technician.

Keep the specialists. Give them a single access story.

If your pool company already does the chemistry, they should continue. If your gardener already knows the irrigation, they should continue. A property-care company that pretends to absorb those trades is either overclaiming or about to do the work badly.

What often is missing is the door. Who lets them in, who is there if they need a decision, and who looks at the rest of the house after they leave. Contractor access and key holding exist for that. Access should be authorised by you, recorded, and not labelled with a complete address.

Tell the existing team that a keyholder may meet them. Introductions avoid a stand-off at the gate.

Do not ask one person to certify another’s work

A home-watch visit can photograph the pool after the technician has been, or note that the garden looks dry. It cannot sign off the filtration, the planting or the quality of a clean. If a cleaner has been and a shutter is still open, the report can say so. That is a visible fact, not a performance review.

Keep invoices and specialist reports in the same evidence file as inspection photographs. When something goes wrong, you want one chronology, not three WhatsApp threads.

Write the split of responsibility

A short note is enough:

  • pool company: water treatment and equipment, on stated days
  • gardener: irrigation and planting, on stated days
  • cleaner: which rooms, which products if that matters to you, whether they lock as instructed
  • Guardemar: scheduled visual inspections, access, reporting, and calling the relevant person when something visible is wrong

If two people both think the other is checking the bathrooms, nobody is.

When a concern crosses trades

A wet wall might be irrigation, a pool leak or an internal pipe. The inspector’s job is to describe what is visible and to contact you, then the person you have authorised. The first specialist on site may then say it is not their system. That is normal. A keyholder who can let the next trade in saves a week.

See small water leaks, leaving a pool while you are away and irrigation during a long absence.

Arrival weeks

Cleaners and gardeners are often busiest just before you fly. Arrival preparation is the moment to confirm they have been, and to photograph the result, early enough to fix a miss.

If you already have a local team and still want a whole-property record, compare plans or request a property assessment.