Chapter
Setting up a home in Spain after you buy
Quick answer
After completion, put each supply in your name, starting with electricity, where the regulator’s guidance is clear. Ask the seller for the latest bills and the community for its rules. We found no official tariff guidance for water, gas or internet, so we only explain the questions to ask.
Applies toNew owners who have the keys and need to know what to arrange, in what order, and who to tell.
On this page: 12 sections
§ 1Start with the handover
On the day of completion, take the keys, the meter readings and the latest bills. Photograph each meter, with the date visible, and ask the seller for the supplier’s name and the customer reference for each supply. These details let you change the holder without delay. Keep the papers from the purchase together, because suppliers often ask for the deed or a lease as proof that you have the right to use the home. This page belongs to the section on owning and selling, and it covers the practical order of the first weeks.
§ 2Electricity
The regulator’s guide explains how to change the holder of an electricity contract: the new holder asks for it, signs a contract and pays nothing for the change. You can take over the existing tariff, or change the holder and the tariff together. Electricity goes through the documents and the options. It also explains the supply point code, which appears on every bill.
§ 3Water
Water is a local matter. In many towns the council or a regional company supplies it, and the contract has to be put in your name with the deed or proof of occupancy. We did not find an official national guide with prices or procedures that we could stand behind, so water explains the questions to ask and the risks, such as unpaid bills left by a previous owner.
§ 4Gas and internet
Where the home has mains gas, or a tank, the supplier will ask for proof of ownership and for the installation certificate. Internet depends on what the building can receive. Gas and internet explains how to check what is installed before you sign, because an installer needs access to the home and a free appointment, which can take time.
§ 5The first weeks
The first month turns this into a checklist for the first month: meters, locks, insurance, the community, the post and the bank. It is worth doing even if you come only for holidays, because a home with unnamed contracts can accumulate bills in a former owner’s name.
§ 6Insurance and the building
A policy should be in force from the day of completion, and the lender may require one. The chapter on the chapter on home insurance explains the duties the insurance contract law places on you. If the home is in a block, the community has its own rules and its own policy for the common parts, which you should ask about.
§ 7Paperwork to keep
Keep a folder, on paper and in a scan, with the deed, the registry note, the energy certificate, the cadastral reference, the tax receipts, the supply contracts and the insurance schedule. A buyer, a lender and the tax office may ask for any of them later, and the chapter on the chapter on selling lists the ones a sale needs.
§ 8Who can help
A gestor can change the holders for you with a power of attorney, which suits an owner who lives abroad. Check what the authority covers and keep a copy. If you use a company that offers to arrange everything, ask who the contract is with, what it costs and whether it keeps copies of your papers.
§ 9What we could not confirm
Prices, deposits and connection times for water, gas and internet vary by place and supplier, and we did not find an official source for them. Ask each supplier in writing and keep the answers.
§ 10Common mistakes
Owners often assume the seller closed the accounts and later find bills still arriving in the old name. Others sign a long internet contract before checking coverage, or leave the water on in a home that will stand empty for months. Another frequent mistake is to forget to give the community an address for notices, which means a vote on a special charge can pass without you. A short written list kept in the property folder avoids most of these. Tick each item off as you complete it, and put the date next to it.
§ 11If you are not there
If you cannot be in Spain during the first weeks, give a trusted person a limited power of attorney and a written list of tasks. The legal process section explains how a power is signed. Do not hand over control of your bank account. Ask for a photograph or a message after each task, and keep the replies with your papers.
§ 12Other chapters in this section
The chapter on managing from abroad explains how to run a Spanish home from another country and the chapter on ownership structures explains the ways a property can be owned or shared in Spain.
FAQRelated questions
Which supply should I arrange first?
Electricity, because it is needed to test the installation and to complete other jobs. Then water, which is often managed by the town or a local company, then gas if the home has it, and internet last because installers need dates.
Can the seller keep the contracts running?
Only until the change of holder. After that the new owner must be on the contract, since the old holder stays responsible until the supplier records the switch. Agree a handover date and read the meters together.
Do I need a Spanish bank account for the bills?
Suppliers normally collect by direct debit, so a Spanish account helps and the contract forms ask for bank details. Ask each supplier what it accepts if you do not have one yet.
Sources
- Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia: Cómo cambiar la titularidad del contrato de electricidad (undated) (official source, opens in a new window), Traspaso and subrogación; documents; timeframeLast checked 18 October 2026
- Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia: Guía informativa para los consumidores de electricidad (January 2022) (official source, opens in a new window), Contracting, PVPC and free market, changing supplier, claimsLast checked 18 October 2026
General information only. This is not legal, tax or financial advice. Check your own situation with a qualified adviser.