For many of our clients the goal of buying an apartment in Spain is to move closer to the sea, the sun and a comfortable life. But many people have a lot of household issues…
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What taxes to pay, where to go? And utility bills? How can I connect the Internet? At first glance, such questions may seem ridiculous. However, after moving to another country, everyone faces them, and at first it may be difficult or unclear. So, for those who have already bought an apartment or are just planning to, we answer the most common questions!
How to reconnect light and water?”
So, the first thing to do after purchase is to reconnect electricity and water. The previous owner at the time of sale is off the hook for paying for utilities. You need to request an architectural certificate plus pay the City Hall tax, after which you will be issued a technical certificate Segunda Ocupacion. With it, you go to any electric company, and request that the light contract be redone in your name. Our preferred company is Airelimpio.
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Light can be paid by paper invoices that arrive in your mailbox. But you have to provide a bank account to formalize the contract. It is most convenient to automate monthly invoice debits (domiciliar cuenta bancaria).
Be in touch with us, we will help you to make all the necessary certificates, recommend the company with the best tariffs and make the connection process faster. We also open bank accounts for non-residents by power of attorney, your presence is not required.
The process is exactly the same with water. The invoices for water, unlike electricity, come once every 3 months (Alicante region).
Water is exactly the same.
What about heating?”
If you buy real estate on the coast, then with a probability of 90% of heating in your house is not. If your house is connected to the central gas supply “gas natural”, we can say that you are very lucky. In this case, we act according to the old scheme: in the company that supplies gas – draw up a contract in your name and pay the invoices. There is an option to use cylinders with propane or butane – “bombona de gas”. They are sold at regular gas stations and cost around 15€. In addition, you can arrange a delivery service: the old cylinder is taken away and a new one is brought.
Do I need condo insurance? How to get it?
The law in Spain does not oblige you to have home insurance, but we strongly advise you to get it. The most common home insurance package “seguro hogar” covers:
- Fire and smoke in the apartment.
- Floods or other natural disasters.
- Damage to third parties. This means that if you flooded your neighbors, the insurance will cover the cost of repairs in their apartment. This clause has often saved our clients from paying out several thousand euros.
- Burned out wiring or burst pipe – the insurance will fix the breakdown (if it was not your fault)
Prices for such insurance in the region of 130 € per year, depending on the year of construction, square meters, etc. If you buy an apartment with a mortgage, you must buy insurance.
What taxes are there and where to pay them?
If you buy an apartment in Spain, get ready to pay the IBI municipal property tax every year. It starts at 80€ per year for economy apartments. You pay this tax from the year you are the legal owner of the dwelling at the time of January 1. There is also an annual garbage tax BASURA from 30 to 40 euros.
These can be paid by invoice, which will arrive in your mailbox in June and July. If you did not receive a paper invoice, your way is to the SUMA office.
Or automate the debits from your account. To do this, you need to come to Ayuntamiento and provide your bank account. We remind you that at the moment you will need to make an appointment on the Ayuntamiento website.
I want to install internet in my apartment, can you recommend a cheaper company?
Local providers have popular packages: fibre + mobile internet or mobile calls. Prices range from 20€ to 50€ per month. Before you want to choose the cheapest provider, prepare yourself for the fact that it may not be available for your home. The fact is that each company has a different coverage area, so there is a variant that not all will be available for your area. Often, handymen need access to the roof of the house to install fiberglass. Therefore, take care to have keys to access the roof in advance. You can always ask your neighbors or the president of the house or urbanization.
You will need a bank account opened at least three months ago to connect your home internet. Without a bank account, as you have already noticed, you will not be able to connect anything.
Residents’ meetings and payment of comunidade.
Every apartment complex or house has its own president. We can call him a representative of the interests of all residents for the management company. About 1-2 times a year there are general house meetings, where tenants discuss such issues as painting the facade, repair work in the entrance, maintenance of the garden in the urbanization, etc. In Spain, some things may seem strange at first glance. For example, you might want to install yellow sunshades on your balcony. But if the whole house hangs green, you will not be allowed to do this, as you will violate the appearance of the house. You will have to put green ones too… On the other hand, this attitude to small things makes the city look neater.
Any repair work certainly needs funds, so all residents pay a certain monthly quota “pago de comunidad“. Depending on the house and the presence of an elevator, the comunidad varies from 10 to 60 euros per month in high-rise buildings. If the apartment is in a gated urbanization with a garden, pool, etc. the quota can go up to 100€ per month. This money is used to pay for lights in the entrance, elevator maintenance, cleaning, and insurance of the house.
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These payments can also be automated. It is enough to come to the bank, specify the comunidade account and the number of euros that will be debited each month.
If one day you receive a bill from the comunidade with the word “derrama“, don’t be alarmed. In cases where the building insurance does not cover the damage, such as a roof leak, or there is not enough money set aside, the amount for repairs is divided among all residents and is paid separately from the monthly comunidad.
If you are facing difficulties when moving to Spain or still in doubt, contact us mail@broadway-consulting.com We can help with any question you may have!
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