If you own an AL property in the Algarve and you're not here most of the time, yes — you need an independent set of eyes on it. Here's why: right now, the only reports you're getting come from the same people managing your property day to day, and they have no real reason to tell you when something's wrong.
Why can't you just trust your management company's reports?
We're not saying your management company is being dishonest. Most aren't. But think about it from their side — they're reporting on their own work. If they tell you the pool's fine and the cleaning's up to standard, that's the same person marking their own homework. It's not a trust issue with any particular company. It's just how the setup works, no matter who you hire.
What actually goes wrong when nobody's checking?
Usually it's small stuff that piles up quietly. A slow leak nobody flags because it's not stopping guests from checking in. The garden slipping. A pool filter that's not quite running right. Damage from a previous guest that never makes it into a report because nobody wants to be the one bringing you bad news.
What do we actually do when we check?
We walk through your property the way a guest would. We document what we find — photos, notes, the real condition — and check it against what you've been told. If you want something more detailed, our Property Condition inspections go further into structural and maintenance detail, though we're always upfront that this isn't a full engineering survey.
How often should you get this done?
If your property's actively rented, we'd say quarterly is a sensible baseline, or monthly if it's higher-value or you've already had concerns. We've built both into recurring plans — have a look at our Pricing page for details.
If it's been a while since anyone independent looked at your property, book an AL Secret Shopper assessment or get in touch and we'll talk through what makes sense for you.