Agency, platform or on your own: the 3 ways to hire domestic staff in Spain
We compare, plainly, the real cost, time, vetting and guarantee of each route so you choose the one that best fits your home.
Hiring someone for your home is a decision built on trust, not just price. In Spain there are three ways to do it: search on your own, use a platform or app, or go through a specialist agency. None is "best" in the abstract; each balances cost, time, safety and peace of mind differently.
What really matters is how much you are willing to invest and how much risk you are prepared to carry. The private route is usually the cheapest in fees, but it demands your time and puts all the risk on you. A platform is quick and convenient, though the vetting tends to be shallow. An agency is a bigger outlay in exchange for checked references, a guarantee and time saved.
This comparison lays it out plainly, so you can decide with your eyes open. And yes, we are an agency, which is exactly why we also tell you when you don't need one.
The three ways to hire domestic staff in Spain, compared: cost, time, vetting, guarantee, legal setup and risk (2026 figures).
| Criterion | Hiring privately | Platform / app | Agency (Maids & Co) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real cost | Only the employee's salary (2026 minimum wage from €1,221/month over 14 payments, about €9.55/hour; the market usually pays more), with Social Security separate and borne by the employer; no agency fee, but you pay in time and risk. | Recurring subscription or commission, on top of the employee's salary and Social Security. | One-off fee of one month's salary + VAT (21%), paid only if you hire; salary and Social Security are separate. |
| Time to hire | Weeks of adverts, screening and interviews on your own. | Fast: instant access to a listing, but you do the filtering. | First vetted profiles in under 3 hours. |
| Reference checks | Down to you; hard to confirm previous jobs. | Shallow: self-declared profiles and reviews; vetting varies. | Direct checks with previous employers, plus a personal interview. |
| Guarantee / replacement | None; if it doesn't work out, you start from scratch. | Limited or none, depending on the app's policy. | 6-month guarantee with a free replacement. |
| Legal setup & Social Security | On you: contract and Social Security registration (mandatory from the first hour). | Usually on you; the app rarely handles it. | Guidance on the contract and Social Security registration. |
| Risk if it doesn't fit | High: lost time, money and possible legal exposure. | Medium: you repeat the search, with little cover. | Low: replacement covered for 6 months. |
Hiring privately (on your own)
You post an advert, sift through applications, interview and decide yourself. It is the option with the lowest fees: you only pay the employee's salary (full-time, from the 2026 minimum wage: €1,221/month over 14 payments or €1,424.50 over 12, about €9.55/hour; the market usually pays more) and, separately, their Social Security, borne by the employer, as set out on our prices page. For families with the time and some hiring experience, it is a perfectly valid route.
You pay the price in another currency: time and risk. Sifting through dozens of messages, arranging interviews and checking genuine references takes weeks, and confirming previous jobs on your own is hard. If the person doesn't fit, there is no safety net: you go back to the start.
The legal side is yours too: the contract, Social Security registration from the very first hour (including hourly work), payslips and the final settlement. Employing someone without registering them for Social Security (paying off the books) is not legal and leaves you without cover in the event of sick leave or an accident.
Platform or online app
Platforms give you instant access to a list of profiles and typically charge a subscription or commission. Their big advantage is speed and convenience: within minutes you can see candidates available in your area. For one-off needs or tighter budgets, they can work well.
The catch is the vetting. Most rely on self-declared profiles and user reviews rather than a direct check with previous employers. The filtering and interviews are still your job, and any guarantee tends to be limited.
The legal admin, the contract and Social Security registration, almost always sits with you. It is a middle route: faster than searching alone, but with less backing than an agency if something doesn't go to plan.
Specialist agency (Maids & Co)
An agency does the heavy lifting for you: it gets to know your home, draws up a shortlist, interviews in person and checks references directly with previous employers. At Maids & Co we present the first profiles in under 3 hours and only show you candidates who fit.
It is the option with the largest outlay, but also the most backing. The fee is one-off, one month's gross salary plus VAT (21%), and it is payable only if you hire (on success). The service includes 2 trial days with the candidate before you confirm the hire. It includes a 6-month guarantee with free replacement in our main hubs (Madrid, Barcelona and Marbella); outside those hubs, if the person doesn't fit during the first month, we refund 50% of the fee.
As a licensed SNE agency (no. 1300000318), we guide you through the contract and Social Security registration, which is mandatory from the first hour. Our track record speaks for itself: 4.8 stars from 78 Google reviews.
The real cost: agency fee vs. employee cost
This is where most confusion arises. The employee cost is the same whichever route you choose: the gross salary (full-time, from the 2026 minimum wage: €1,221/month over 14 payments or €1,424.50 over 12; the market usually pays more) and, as a separate cost borne by the employer, Social Security.
What changes between the options is what you pay to find and secure that person: nothing on your own (but with your time and risk), a recurring fee on platforms, or a one-off success fee with an agency. At Maids & Co that fee equals one month's salary plus VAT and is only paid if you hire. The salary and Social Security figures are set out in full on our prices page.
When each option makes sense
Hire privately if you have the time, some experience selecting staff and you can handle the contract and Social Security registration yourself; it is the cheapest in fees and you carry the risk.
Use a platform if you want speed for a one-off or hourly need, you already know who you are looking for, and you don't mind doing the vetting and the legal side yourself.
Choose an agency if you value your time, want checked references and a genuine guarantee, or need a hard-to-find profile (live-in, with languages, elderly or newborn care). It is the biggest investment and the route that leaves the least risk and admin on your plate.
Frequently asked questions
- Is it cheaper to hire privately or through an agency?
- Hiring privately saves the agency fee, but not the employee cost (the salary, from the 2026 minimum wage: €1,221/month over 14 payments full-time, plus Social Security separately, borne by the employer), and you take on the search time and the risk. An agency adds a one-off fee of one month's salary plus VAT, payable only if you hire; in return you get reference checks and a guarantee. Cheaper in money isn't always cheaper in time and risk.
- How much does a domestic staff agency charge?
- At Maids & Co, a single fee equal to one month's gross salary plus VAT (21%). It is a one-off payment, with no subscriptions or tie-ins, and it is only paid if you hire (on success). It covers the selection, the reference checks, 2 trial days with the candidate before you confirm the hire, and the 6-month guarantee with free replacement.
- Do online platforms check references?
- It varies by platform, but vetting is generally shallow: they lean on self-declared profiles and user reviews rather than a direct check with previous employers. If real verification matters to you, an agency confirms references one by one before introducing anyone.
- What happens if the person I hire doesn't work out?
- On your own, or with many platforms, you go back and start the search again yourself. With Maids & Co, in our main hubs (Madrid, Barcelona and Marbella) you have a 6-month guarantee: if it doesn't work out, we find a replacement at no extra cost. Outside those hubs, if the person doesn't fit during the first month, we refund 50% of the fee.
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