How companies in Málaga can house employees relocating to Spain

The first home does not have to be the permanent one

When a company in Málaga hires someone from another country, the offer letter settles the job but not the address. The new hire usually arrives without furniture, without a Spanish rental history and without any sense of which neighbourhood suits them. Asking them to sign a conventional long-term lease in their first fortnight puts the hardest decision of the move at the moment they are least equipped to make it.

A furnished residence arranged by the employer for the first months separates the two problems. The employee starts work from a home that functions on day one, and chooses where to live permanently once they know the city, the commute and their own routine. For HR, the relocation stops depending on how quickly a stranger can win a viewing in a competitive rental market.

Why a hotel stops working after the first weeks

A hotel is the right answer for a week of onboarding. Over two or three months it becomes a room without a kitchen, a laundry bill and a desk that is also the bed. The employee is not visiting Málaga; they are trying to live there, and a hotel keeps them in the position of a guest.

A corporate residence gives them a fully equipped kitchen, a washer and dryer, a separate living space and a private bathroom. Those sound like small things until someone has spent six weeks without them. They are also what lets a new hire settle into a normal week rather than living out of a suitcase while they search.

What HR should check before choosing the first residence

Price matters, but the questions that decide whether the first months go well are practical ones:

• Can the employee move in immediately? Furnished, with utilities and internet already active, not a flat that needs a week of setup.
• Can they work from it? A reliable private Wi-Fi network, and somewhere to take a call that is not the bedroom.
• Will they need a car? If so, parking should be arranged with the residence, not discovered afterwards.
• Who is the contracting party, and who invoices? Finance needs to know which entity it is paying and on what documentation.
• What happens if the start date moves or the employee leaves early? Both happen often with new hires, and the contract should say how they are handled.

Ask these before the employee travels. Once they have landed, every unanswered point becomes their problem.

Temporary housing and the new rules for temporary leases

Since 8 October 2026, Spanish law treats temporary residential lettings as arrendamiento de vivienda temporal, under Royal Decree-law 29/2026. The contract must state the real reason the tenant is temporarily away from their habitual home, the landlord must be able to prove it, and the term must be more than 31 days and, as a general rule, no more than twelve months. A contract without a properly stated reason is treated as an ordinary residential lease from the day it was signed.

This matters more for a permanent new hire than for a project consultant. The decree's own preamble says it aims to stop temporary contracts being used for what is really a permanent housing need, and someone who has moved to Málaga for good is closer to that case than an assignee who will go home. Whether a temporary lease fits a particular new hire depends on their actual circumstances, so describe them accurately and take advice from a Spanish lawyer where the position is not obvious. The decree-law also still has to be validated by Congress, so check the position at the time you sign. The legal detail is covered on our blog.

Make the arrival simple

The employee should know everything they need before they board the flight: the address, how to get in, the Wi-Fi details, where to park if they are driving, and who to contact if something does not work. At Palacete 10, access is by smart keyless entry, so arrival does not depend on meeting someone with a key, and enquiries are answered within 24 hours.

The first evening sets the tone. Arriving late at a residence that is ready, with a working kitchen and a proper bed, is a different start from arriving at a hotel and opening a laptop on a property portal.

When several people relocate at once

A company opening or growing a Málaga office rarely relocates one person. Five new hires in five separate flats means five landlords, five contracts and five sets of utility accounts for someone in HR to manage. Housing them in one building under one agreement keeps the administration to a single supplier and a single monthly invoice, while each person still has a residence of their own.

Palacete 10 has five independent residences in a restored 1908 villa, with nine en-suite bedrooms between them. Companies can take one residence, several, or all five for exclusive use. Residents share a 24/7 work suite and a landscaped garden, and each residence has its own private terrace.

Working while living in Málaga

Many international hires work partly from home, and some keep hours that follow colleagues in other time zones. A residence where the only place to work is the dining table wears thin over several months. The residents-only work suite at Palacete 10 is open around the clock, so an early call or a late one does not have to happen in the living room.

What to agree before the employee arrives

Before confirming the residence, HR or Global Mobility should have in writing:

• the occupant, the arrival date and the expected duration
• the real reason for the stay, as it will appear in the contract
• the contracting company, the rent and the VAT treatment applied
• utilities and internet, parking, and any cleaning or linen arrangements
• how an extension or an early departure is handled
• who the employee contacts during the stay

At Palacete 10 the residence comes furnished and move-in ready, with fibre internet, a €200 monthly utility allowance for electricity and water, and one secure parking space. Contracting is company to company with Vamoz Marbella SL, operating on the Costa del Sol since 2013, with one point of contact and one monthly VAT-compliant invoice.

Relocating an employee to Málaga

Tell us who is relocating, how many people need a residence, where they will work and when they arrive, and we will reply within 24 hours. Request a corporate proposal.