What to put in a key-holder agreement for your boat in Spain

Plenty of owners hand boat keys to a friend, a neighbour or a local contact on a verbal "give me a shout if anything goes wrong" basis. It usually works fine — until it doesn't, and then nobody can agree on who was supposed to do what.

If you're going to give someone keys to a boat worth tens or hundreds of thousands of euros, get the basics in writing. It doesn't need to be a contract a lawyer drafts. It does need to cover the things that go wrong when expectations don't match.

What the agreement should cover

Who holds what

• Names of every key holder
• Which keys they have (boat, cockpit locker, engine bay, marina gate fob)
• Where spares are held and who has access

If you give a second set "in case" to someone different, write it down. The number of lost-key dramas that start with "I thought you had the spare" is high.

What the visits cover

Be specific:

• How often visits happen (weekly, fortnightly, on demand)
• What the visit includes — walk-round only, or board and check
• Whether the engine is run, batteries checked, bilge pumped
• Whether photos are sent after each visit, and where (WhatsApp, email)

Vague arrangements get vague results.

When they can board the boat

• For scheduled visits
• For emergencies (define what counts — storm warning, neighbour reports a problem, etc.)
• For contractors you've sent
• Never for personal use (worth saying explicitly, even with people you trust)

What they're allowed to spend

If a fender has gone or a line has parted, do you want them to:

• Just tell you and wait
• Replace it up to €X without asking
• Get approval for everything

Set a small standing budget (€50, €100) and a process for anything bigger. Saves a lot of "I didn't want to bother you" delays.

Who's there if there's a problem

• Your contact details (WhatsApp + email + emergency number)
• A second contact if you're unreachable (spouse, family member)
• The marina office number
• The boat's insurer and policy number

Insurance and liability

The key holder isn't insuring your boat — your insurer is. But the agreement should be clear that:

• They're not liable for damage that happens between visits
• They are expected to act in good faith and report problems promptly
• You'll cover any out-of-pocket costs for materials they buy on your behalf

If money is changing hands for the service, the relationship is contractual and worth a proper one-page agreement. If it isn't (a genuine favour), an email exchange laying out the same points is still worth doing.

What happens if it stops

• How either side gives notice (30 days is normal)
• How keys are returned
• Whether any final visits or handover are expected

Why this matters

The bad scenarios that come from informal arrangements are mostly avoidable:

• Owner thinks weekly checks are happening; key holder thinks monthly
• A storm hits; nobody is sure whose job a pre-check was
• A contractor turns up; key holder is away and didn't know
• Owner ends the arrangement; keys are never returned

A single page covering the points above prevents all of it. If you're paying for caretaking, the provider should be offering this as standard — that's part of what you're paying for.

If you'd like to see what our standard arrangement looks like, send us a message and we'll share an example.