Hiring a caretaker or concierge: what becoming an 'employer' involves

There are fewer of them, but many buildings still have (or are considering) their own staff. Being an employer is another league: worth knowing beforehand.

What it involves

• Registering the community as an employer, with a contract under your province collective agreement for urban property staff (grades, hours, allowances, extra payments).
• Payroll, social security, withholdings (you will need a payroll agency: 40–80 €/month).
• Cover for holidays and sick leave (what nobody budgets for and always happens).
• Occupational risk prevention and its paperwork.
• And at the end of the working life: retirement can trigger compensation, or the well-known question of the caretaker flat if there is one.

The broad numbers

A full-time concierge: between 22,000 and 30,000 €/year in total employer cost depending on the agreement and seniority. Spread across 15 homes: 130–170 €/month per home for concierge service ALONE.

The alternatives the market uses

• Concierge companies (outsourced staff): more expensive per hour, zero employment administration, cover included.
• Part-time concierge (mornings) + electronic access control.
• Splitting the functions: contracted cleaning + video entryphone + digitised administration — the combination that has replaced the caretaker in most mid-sized buildings.

If you already have an employee

Handle the relationship and the paperwork with the same rigour as a company: it is the source of the most expensive litigation a community can face. And ALWAYS budget the full line (with cover and a provision for seniority), not just this month payroll.

The honest decision

Removing a long-standing caretaker post is a delicate resolution (3/5, with employee rights involved: employment advice is essential). Creating one in 2026, with today alternatives, rarely adds up in small buildings.