Water and electric, whats the process?
Depending on what type of property you have decided to buy, determines what the cost will be and what process has to be carried out, the process is very different for private sale properties or bank repossessions.
Private sale properties that have already connected the mains water and electric, in general, is to contact the electricity and water company, change the name and bank details, and then sign new contracts taking on the existing contract numbers, as many of our clients do not speak Spanish, if you buy a property from our company with will do this for you for free, although some water companies now are asking for a few extra documents, that you will need to pay for no matter what the costs will be.
Bank repossession properties are totally different, why? These properties are sold to you with no 2nd, living license, no water or electric meter, and no contract numbers.
This means there is a lot of work and documentation to obtain before the electric and water companies will come and fit the meters.
Is this process quick? No.
Is this process expensive. Yes.
The process involves a qualified architect, visiting the property, and then preparing all the documentation ready to submit to the town hall for the 2nd living license, the architect and the town hall taxes will have to be paid. In most towns and cities, a standard charge for the taxes for the town is charged, but in some town halls we have known it to cost over 600 euros though.
Next is the electrician, he will need to visit the property, check where the new meter will be put, if the wires are thick enough for modern day living from the meter room to the property itself, and then if the fuse box inside the property is safe to connect to the mains. He will certificate the property for the number of Kilowatts that the property is safe for only, if you want to contract a higher amount, cables and the fuse box may have to be changed at an extra expense than normal. The electrician will have to be paid for his work for the visit and the certificate, and then extra if anything else needs doing.
Next is the plumber, he will have to visit the property and make sure the pipes for the new meter to be installed are adequate and of the new size for the new size meter, normally that’s it for the plumbers job, but in some cases, you will need a new tube installed from the meter cupboard to the inlet of the property, or the water company as for an extra document before they connect, if this is the case then you will incur extra expenses.
Next is the contraction of the services, this may be able to done on the telephone, or in some cases by visiting the offices and signing the contracts in their offices.
Finally you would think, the services companies visit your property, fit the meters and test to make sure you have water and electric in your property.
And then the shocker, you are then also charged for the initial rights to electric and money for the initial Kilowatts contracted, you are even charged by the water company for the installation of the meter itself and the first months rental of the meter.
So what’s all this going to cost you?
If you live close to the property you are buying, speak fluent Spanish and have a few weeks running around to get the documentation and of course, to be at the property every time the tradesmen need to enter and do the work, then as long as it’s a standard installation and no hidden problems are found as stipulated above, then we calculate that it will costs you around 800 euros. This does not cover the initial rights to electric and for the initial Kilowatts contracted, nor the installation of the water meter nor the first month’s rental.
Our company can handle the complete procedure for you while you are not here in Spain, our flat fee for administration and intervening with the architect, electrician, plumber, services company’s and town halls including visiting the property many times to let the tradesmen in, is 500 euros.
If you are interested in this service, please contact Maria, using whatsapp 0034 674890837.