Edita and Lenc's Story: a House by the Sea in Slovenia

This is a composite story based on real situations — several families from Austria and Germany whom we work with on the coast. The names and some of the details have been changed. We are telling it because the path Edita and Lenc took is a very typical path for European owners of a country house in Slovenia.

How the house came to be

Edita and Lenc are an Austrian couple from Graz, both a little over sixty. The children have grown up, the grandchildren have school holidays, and the Adriatic coast is a five-hour drive away. They had long had their eye on Slovenia: not Croatia with its summer traffic jams, not expensive Italy — but the quiet Slovenian coast, with decent infrastructure and prices that still seemed reasonable. For several years they came as tourists, rented villas, and finally took the plunge.

They found the house in Portorož through a local estate agent. Old, in need of attention, but with a garden and a sea view — exactly what they had dreamed of. They closed the deal, signed the papers, and came with their family for their first summer.

The first season went exactly as it does with any old house: a few problems turned up that the agent had not seen fit to mention when selling. They called in local tradesmen, fixed some things themselves, and let other things wait until next time. In early September they closed up the house, handed the key to a neighbour — a good man living two plots away — and drove back to Graz.

The call from the neighbour

A storm came in the autumn. On the Slovenian coast that happens — the bora, a strong wind that arrives unexpectedly and leaves with damage behind it. Part of the roof tiling was torn off Lenc’s house, and before anyone noticed, water had got inside.

The neighbour called: “Come over, something has happened to the roof.” Edita and Lenc arrived two days later. Inside — water marks on the ceiling, a soaked floor in one room, ruined plaster. Not a catastrophe, but not a triviality either.

That was when they first found us — online, while looking for someone to help deal with the damage. We went out, assessed the situation, and coordinated a roofer and builders for the interior finishing. These were One-off Visits for specific tasks — nothing ongoing.

But while we were working through the aftermath together, Lenc said something important: “We don’t want to call the neighbour every time. It’s awkward for him and awkward for us.”

Keys and the first subscription

After that incident they left the keys with us — they arranged key holding. There was still no regular property care: just secure storage, the ability to let in whoever was needed, and a priority response if something happened again. The neighbour was no longer troubled.

The house, however, turned out to be livelier than it had seemed at the purchase. Old plumbing, a boiler with a character of its own, a garden that does not wait. In the first winter alone they called us three times — not emergencies, but real matters. After that Lenc himself suggested: “Maybe we need something regular?”

They moved to the Standard property care subscription: a scheduled visit once a month, an hour of work included, one urgent call-out a year. Now the house did not stand in uncertainty between seasons — it was inspected regularly, small things were dealt with on the spot, and serious matters were reported.

Several years together

Over three or four years a rhythm of its own took shape. We knew that house: where the main valve was, what kind of boiler it had, which tradesman had done the roof after the storm, where the weak spots in the garden were. Edita and Lenc came for the summer with their children and grandchildren — and the house was always ready: heated, cleaned, with everything that should work working.

When a lot of people were coming, help with cleaning or a small repair before arrival was sometimes needed. When they left, the house was closed up by checklist, the heating system was checked, and meter readings were taken. Ordinary work that goes unnoticed precisely because it is done on time.

Lenc once said: “We bought a house by the sea, not a problem out in the country. DomCare made it a house by the sea again.”

The decision about a new house

Around the fourth year, Edita and Lenc began to talk about how the house was ageing faster than they could keep up. Every summer something new, every year decisions carried over from the one before. They started thinking about selling and buying a different property — younger, simpler to maintain, with no accumulated questions.

We helped here too. We went out to viewings with them or instead of them — assessing the condition of properties they had no time to come and see in person. We drew up an honest list of what would need doing after a purchase. One of the houses that looked attractive in the photos was ruled out straight after the first in-person inspection — too many hidden questions with the installations.

In the end they bought a newer house — also on the coast, but with a different character. And again they left the keys with us.

What is universal in this story

An old private house calls for a different approach than an apartment. The roof, the perimeter, the boiler, the garden — all of it lives a life of its own, and not all of it is visible from inside. The first season in a new house almost always brings surprises.

A neighbour with a key is not a plan — it is a fallback. He will call if he sees something obvious. But he bears no responsibility, does not know whom to call, and does not make rounds. That is enough up until the first serious situation.

A long-term relationship with a service is accumulated knowledge of the property. After several years we know the house better than any random tradesman. That saves time and money with every new situation.

“Buy and keep an eye on it from a distance” is a strategy that works. But it requires the right instrument on the spot.

How DomCare helps

Edita and Lenc’s story shows what a full life-cycle of support looks like: from a One-off Visit for an urgent situation — through key holding — to regular property care and, in the end, help in choosing a new property. We work on the coast — Piran, Portorož, Izola, Koper — and we are there throughout.

The easiest way to start: write to us via the form or on WhatsApp. The first inspection is free.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the real story of specific people? This is a composite picture, based on several stories of European families — owners of houses on the Slovenian coast whom we work with. The names and some of the details have been changed, but the path described is very common.

Is it enough to leave a key with a neighbour if the house stands empty for several months? For an emergency call — yes. But a neighbour bears no responsibility, does not know whom to call, and does not make preventive rounds. After the first serious event, most owners switch to professional key holding with a contract.

How is a house harder to maintain than an apartment? The roof, the perimeter, the external installations, the garden, the boiler — all of it needs regular attention. In an apartment, most risks are contained within the walls; in a house, they are not. An old house in particular lives a life of its own.

Can the subscription tier be changed along the way? Yes. Many start with key holding or a basic subscription and later move to a higher tier once they understand the property’s real needs. Without cancelling the contract, from the start of the next billing month.

Do you also help with buying a new property? Yes. Whether you are already a client or only thinking about buying property in Slovenia, we go out to viewings, assess the real condition of the house, and draw up an honest list of what will need doing after the deal. More on this in the Buyer Assistance section.

Edita and Lenc’s story began with a storm and a key left with a neighbour. It ended — for now — with a new house by the same sea they had chosen many years before. Between those two points lie several years of working together, which made owning a house what it should be: a pleasure, not a source of anxiety.

If you recognise your own situation in this story — write to us.

Sources and further reading

• A Home in Bled in Winter: what a remote owner needs to know
• Off-Season Care for a Coastal Home
• Key Holding: why this service, if you have a neighbour
• DomCare — Property Care — what the service includes
• DomCare — The Coast: Piran, Portorož, Izola, Koper