live-in housekeepers, elderly carers and couples for villas and farmhouses
Across Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa and Álava we fill roles that come with accommodation and nothing else: housekeepers, elderly carers, nannies and couples who live at the villa or the farmhouse, year-round or for the season. In-depth interviews, verified references and the first candidates in under 3 hours.
Placement agency licensed by the SNE, no. 1300000318
4.8 · 79 Google reviews
One-off fee · 6-month guarantee
DOMESTIC STAFF IN BILBAO AND SAN SEBASTIÁN
Live-in staff in Bilbao, Getxo and San Sebastián
The Basque Country has some of the highest household incomes in Spain and a very particular kind of home: the villas of Neguri and Getxo, the spacious apartments of Indautxu, the houses of Ondarreta and Miraconcha looking out over La Concha. These are multi-generational homes where staff stay for years, with one trusted person who knows the house, the routines and the grandparents.
Here we select live-in staff only, and in the Basque Country that is no restriction: it is exactly what these homes ask for. The housekeeper used to a three-floor villa, the carer who moves in with the grandparents so they never have to leave their house, the nanny who lives with the family when both parents travel, and the couple who run house and grounds at a farmhouse. Live-out and hourly work we don't cover in Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa or Álava.
At Maids & Co we help Basque families find that person through in-depth interviews and direct reference checks with previous employers. Before we put anyone forward we have a clear picture of what each home needs. We know that in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa discretion is a condition, not an extra, and we select accordingly.
We don't have an office in Bilbao or San Sebastián. We select from Madrid, interview candidates there and introduce the shortlist to you there before anyone heads north; we always ask about Basque before putting a name forward, because in Getxo and Donostia it makes the difference in homes with children. The first profiles reach your portal in under 3 hours, very specific ones can take up to 48 hours, and the six-month guarantee is the same in Getxo as it is in Madrid.
We work on success: you only pay if you hire.No cost until the selection is complete. Replacement guarantee included.
+ the whole Basque Country and the coast to Hondarribia
AREAS OF BILBAO AND SAN SEBASTIÁN
Where we work in Bilbao and San Sebastián
Neguri / Getxo
The villas of Neguri, Las Arenas and Algorta are Bizkaia's family homes par excellence: three floors, a garden and plenty to keep up. Here families ask for a live-in housekeeper experienced in large houses and, very often, a live-in carer for grandparents who still live in the villa.
Indautxu
Bilbao's most sought-after residential district, with spacious high-ceilinged apartments beside Doña Casilda park. Families with long working days, in flats that still have a staff room off the kitchen: they ask for a live-in housekeeper who runs the home and does the school pick-up, or a live-in nanny when both parents travel.
Ondarreta
Stately villas and apartments at the foot of Igeldo, at the quiet end of La Concha. Multi-generational homes where the usual profile is a trusted live-in housekeeper who runs the house and looks after the elderly.
Miraconcha
The San Sebastián promenade overlooking the whole bay. Large homes and long-established families who value discretion, with live-in housekeepers and carers who stay for years.
Zarautz
The summer house for many Bilbao and San Sebastián families, and increasingly a main residence. From June to September the beach house needs staff: the live-in housekeeper who travels with the family from Bilbao or San Sebastián, or a seasonal live-in with fixed June-to-September dates.
Hondarribia
Stone houses in the old town, villas in Jaizubia and French families who cross the Bidasoa. Requests here are for live-in housekeepers with French or English and couples for the houses that open at Easter and over the summer and stand empty the rest of the year.
MOST REQUESTED
Most requested profiles in Bilbao and San Sebastián
Demand for household staff in the Basque Country is steady all year: these are resident families, not seasonal ones. What changes with the calendar is where the home is. Between June and September many Bilbao and San Sebastián families move to Zarautz, Getaria, Hondarribia or Plentzia and their live-in housekeeper goes with them; we agree it in the contract from the outset, with accommodation, rest days and travel clearly set out.
The elderly usually stay in the city. That is why the other role that grows in summer is the live-in carer who moves in with the parents in Indautxu, Ondarreta or Neguri while the rest of the family is away, and who very often stays on after September.
Basque is a real asset in many homes, especially in Gipuzkoa and for the care of young children. English and French are just as valuable in Hondarribia and Irún, and among families connected to the Guggenheim, the university and the businesses of Greater Bilbao. We ask which languages are spoken in your home before proposing anyone.
DOMESTIC COUPLES
Couples and domestic couples in Bilbao and San Sebastián
Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa have homes with grounds that need more than one person: Neguri villas with a garden and garage, restored farmhouses in Gipuzkoa, summer houses in Zarautz or Hondarribia that open and close with the season. For these we look for couples: two people settled on the property who divide what happens indoors from what happens outside, each with their own contract and their own hours.
For the inland farmhouses and estates that are only opened a few weekends a year, caretakers are what fit: they live there all twelve months, keep an eye on the land and the animals and have the house open and warm when the family turns up.
How you hire domestic staff in Bilbao and San Sebastián with Maids & Co
A clear process from start to finish, with a single point of contact who knows your home.
1
Tell us what you need
A five-minute brief by phone, WhatsApp or the form: duties, schedule, area and salary. We define the exact profile with you.
2
Profiles in under 3 hours
The first matching profiles reach your client portal: in-depth interview done and references checked with their previous employers.
3
Interviews and a 2-day trial
Schedule in-person or video interviews from the portal and, if you wish, try the candidate at home for two days before deciding.
4
Contract and Social Security registration
You only pay when you hire. We advise you on the terms and, if you prefer, our labour team handles the contract and the registration.
WHAT THE FEE INCLUDES
What's included and what we never charge
What's included
Selection with an in-depth interview of every candidate
References verified directly with previous employers
Advice on the contract and Social Security registration
Free replacement during the first 6 months
Support until onboarding, plus your client portal
What we never charge
The search: you pay nothing until you hire
Monthly or sign-up fees
Lock-in or commitment of any kind
FEES & GUARANTEE
One-off fee and a 6-month guarantee
You pay nothing during the search. Only once you take the person on and you're happy do you pay a single fee: the equivalent of one month of the agreed salary, plus VAT. No subscriptions or lock-in.
Other domestic services in Bilbao and San SebastiánLive-in cooks, housekeepers who run the home, drivers, gardeners and caretaker couples for farmhouses and inland estates.
COSTS & SALARIES IN BILBAO AND SAN SEBASTIÁN
Live-in staff in Bilbao and San Sebastián: salary and monthly cost
Live-in staff in Bilbao and San Sebastián: salary and monthly cost
Type
Market salary (2026)
Estimated total cost
Live-in housekeeper
€1,500 – €2,500/month
+ employer's Social Security (≈ 22%)
Indicative 2026 market figures for Bilbao and San Sebastián based on the current minimum wage (RD 126/2026). The real cost depends on the hours, location and each home's needs. At Maids & Co you pay no agency fee until the selection is complete.
Clients who hire domestic staff with Maids & Co in Bilbao and San Sebastián
★★★★★
“Maids and co is the best agency we have dealt with. We contacted them on Sunday and they replied the same day. We had an initial chat regarding our requirements and after a few days they sent us 3 suitable Curricula. All the candidates were…”
Hiring domestic staff in Bilbao and San Sebastián: what you need to know
The national range we publish runs from €1,500 to €2,500 gross per month; on top of that sit the Social Security contributions, paid by the family. Three things move the number here: years of experience in a house of several floors, whether an elderly relative is involved, and the languages the household needs. The figure for your role comes with the quote, and the calculator gives you the full cost.
Yes, it is what we are asked for most in Bilbao, Getxo and Donostia: live-in carers with care qualifications so that grandparents never have to leave the villa they have always lived in. We speak to previous families one by one and ask about reduced mobility, cognitive decline and medication. And about the nights: who gets up if there is a fall at three in the morning is the question that weighs most.
Yes, it's what many Bilbao and San Sebastián families do. We select candidates who accept the move to the summer house and set it out in the contract: where she stays, which days she has off and how the travel is organised. If you'd rather have staff for the season only, we select that too.
In a bedroom of her own and, in the villas of Neguri or the houses of Ondarreta, almost always with a bathroom to herself. Before putting anyone forward we look at what that space is actually like and match it against what the candidate expects; rest days, overnight stays and on-call time are then set down in writing.
Yes. We ask which languages are spoken in your home before proposing anyone: Basque for childcare in Gipuzkoa, English for the international families of Greater Bilbao and French for homes in Hondarribia and Irún. We never promise a language a candidate doesn't have.
Only roles that come with accommodation: live-in housekeeper, live-in nanny, live-in carer, a housekeeper who runs the home, a cook, a couple and farmhouse caretakers, permanent or seasonal. What we don't do here is live-out or hourly work: if your flat in Indautxu needs two mornings of cleaning, we are not the agency and we will say so.
The family, as the employer, from the first day of work and in seasonal roles too. We tell you which contract fits — permanent or fixed-term — and what each one means; if you prefer, our employment team handles the registration and the payslips.
We don't have an office in Bilbao or San Sebastián, and we would rather say so before you ask. Everything runs out of the Madrid head office: that is where we interview, where we introduce the shortlist and where the six-month guarantee is followed up. We travel when the role calls for it.
The first verified profiles appear in your portal in under 3 hours; when the role calls for Basque, French or particular experience in a large house, it can take up to 48 hours. Alongside candidates in Bilbao and Donostia we draw on live-in housekeepers and carers from other provinces who are ready to settle here, which is normal in a role with accommodation.
