Renovating a Property in Spain While You Live Abroad: How It Works

A large share of the homes on this coast are owned by people who live somewhere else: in Warsaw, Manchester, Gothenburg. They buy in spring, want the place ready by summer, and cannot take six weeks off to stand on site. What follows is the sequence we use for them, and what to insist on whoever you hire.

The sequence, step by step

Step	What happens	You need to be there?
1. First look	Video call walking through the property, or a site visit by us with photos and measurements sent to you	No
2. Scope and quote	A written list of every room: what is removed, what goes in, which products and finishes. Price broken into stages	No
3. Selections	Tiles, kitchen fronts, sanitaryware, lighting — chosen from photos and samples we send, or in our office if you are in Spain	Optional
4. Paperwork	The declaración responsable for the works is filed with the town hall; the community of owners is notified	No
5. Works	Weekly photo and video report; each payment stage released after you have seen the stage completed	No
6. Handover	A walk-through — in person or by video — with a written list of anything to adjust, fixed before the final payment	Recommended

1. A scope you could hand to anyone

The single most important document is the written scope. "Renovate the bathroom" is not a scope. "Remove tiles to the brick, new waterproofing, new pipework, porcelain 60×120 on walls and floor, 120 cm walk-in tray with black-framed screen, wall-hung WC" is. When you are 2,000 km away, anything not written down will be decided by someone else. A good scope also says what is not included — furniture, appliances, the terrace — so there are no surprises at the end.

For budgeting: a complete bathroom refit on this coast starts around €4,800 and a kitchen from €800 per linear metre of cabinets. The breakdowns are in our guides to bathroom costs and kitchen costs.

2. Payments against evidence, not against dates

The way owners abroad lose money is paying ahead of the work: a large deposit, then instalments on fixed dates regardless of progress. Insist instead on stages tied to something you can see. A typical split for an apartment:

• a deposit to order materials — modest, and tied to the materials list;
• strip-out and first-fix plumbing and electrics complete — photographed before the walls close;
• tiling and screeds complete;
• kitchen, bathrooms and fittings installed;
• a retention paid only after the handover list is closed.

The photographs of pipes and cables before they disappear behind tiles are worth asking for anyway. They are the only record of where things run, and the next person to drill a wall will thank you.

3. Reports you can actually read

A weekly report should answer three questions without a phone call: what was done this week, what happens next week, and is anything waiting on a decision from you. Photos from the same angles each week make progress obvious. Short videos walking through each room are better than a dozen stills. We send ours on WhatsApp, in English.

4. Keys, community and neighbours

Decide in writing who holds the keys, who else may enter, and what happens to them at the end. If the property is in a community, the administrator should know works are happening: most communities require notice before starting, restrict noisy work to set hours, and have rules about lifts and rubble. Telling the neighbours before the first drill goes a long way on a small urbanisation.

The 10% VAT rule — and when it does not apply

Spanish VAT on renovation work is normally 21%. It drops to 10% when all of the following are true, according to the Spanish tax agency (article 91 of the VAT law):

• the client is a private individual using the home privately — not a company, and not a property let out as a business;
• the home was built or last rehabilitated more than two years ago;
• the materials supplied by the contractor are no more than 40% of the price of the job.

Appliances are always 21%. That third condition is why the structure of a quotation matters: on a job where the owner buys the expensive materials directly, the contractor's invoice is mostly labour and can qualify. Non-residents are not excluded by residence alone — what decides it is private use. A holiday home run as a rental business is a different case, and your gestor should confirm which applies to you.

Handover furnished and ready to let

Many owners want more than the building work: the apartment furnished, equipped, cleaned and photographed, so it can go on a rental platform or simply be ready when they land. That works best as part of the same contract, with a furniture list approved up front. Our turnkey apartment in Torrevieja and rental refurbishment show what a furnished handover looks like.

Questions we get asked

Can I renovate my apartment in Spain without travelling there?

Yes. With a written scope, a quote in stages, a weekly photo and video report and one person responsible for your keys, the whole renovation can run remotely. Most owners come once for a handover, and some not at all — the walk-through can be done by video.

How should I pay a builder in Spain if I live abroad?

By bank transfer, in stages tied to completed and photographed work rather than to calendar dates, with a small retention kept until the handover list is closed. Avoid large payments ahead of the work, and ask for invoices with VAT shown separately.

Is VAT on a renovation in Spain 10% or 21%?

21% by default. It is 10% when the client is a private individual using the home privately, the home is more than two years old, and the contractor's materials are no more than 40% of the job's price. Appliances are always 21%. A property let out as a business does not qualify.

Do I need a licence to renovate my apartment?

For a renovation that does not touch the structure, a declaración responsable filed with the town hall is enough, and work can start the same day. Structural changes need a certificate as well. The details are in our guide to building licences on the Costa Blanca.

How long does it take to renovate an apartment in Spain?

A reform that keeps the layout and the services — new surfaces, kitchen and bathrooms — typically takes four to six weeks on site. A full strip-out with new plumbing and electrics runs longer. Material lead times, especially kitchens and made-to-measure glazing, often decide the date more than the works themselves.

Start with one message

Send the address, a few photos or a video of the property, and what you want it to be when it is finished. We reply with what is realistic, the order of costs and a date we can actually start — on WhatsApp or by email, in English.

VAT conditions: Agencia Tributaria, «¿Qué tipo se aplica a las obras en viviendas?» and FAQ on works in buildings (Ley 37/1992, art. 91). Licence routes: Decreto Legislativo 1/2021 (TRLOTUP), arts. 233 and 241. General information, not tax or legal advice for a specific case.