Inside

Services - Electricity, Gas, Water & Telephone - in Spain

Moving in? Information on the essential services in Spain and how to get them connected to your home or office on the Costa Blanca. Who to call and what paperwork to have handy in order to get your telephone and Internet, electricity, water and gas.

When moving into a property with mains gas (currently only in the major cities), contact the local gas company to have the gas switched on, the meter read and to sign a supply contract. A bill will be sent bi-monthly (every two months), which will include VAT (IVA) at 16 percent. Gas can be paid by direct debit (domiciliación bancaria). Gas Natural is the main supplier for all regions of Spain.

If there is no mains gas, butane bottled gas (bombonas) can be delivered or may be available from local petrol stations, supermarkets and other suppliers, depending on the area.

A contract with a supplier is needed initially in order to receive bottled gas. Before this contract is approved, the supplier will require a safety inspection where it will check the property where the gas appliance is to be used.

The property owner will also need to provide the following paperwork:

Photocopy and original of passport or NIE
Photocopy of another utility bill for the same address
Certificate provided by technician for gas inspection.

A refundable deposit is payable on the gas bottle. Appliances must be serviced every five years (servicing can be arranged through the bottled-gas supplier or an authorised distributor). The price of gas fluctuates from time to time, but is fixed at the same rate at all suppliers.

Gas Companies

Repsol Butano (the largest Spanish bottled gas supplier)
CEPSA
Tel: 913 376 000
Gas Natural
Tel: 902 200 605

Domestic Water Supply in Spain

The seller of the house or the landlord must supply the new resident with the most recent water bills paid to the utility company. (The Town Hall provides information on which water company supplies a property.)

The following documents are necessary to obtain water:

Photocopy of the property title deed (Escritura) or rental contract of the property in the applicants name
Photocopy of the passport or NIE number
Official water installation certificate (Boletin del agua) provided by a certified plumber (in the case of a new property)
Payment of the contract fee
Bank account details in order to set up payment of bills on Standing Order.

There is usually a quarterly charge for minimum consumption, even if no water is used during the billing period.