Applies to: Residents renting or buying a home. Electricity and gas retail contracts, water providers and municipal charges have different procedures.
Three common rental arrangements
| Arrangement | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Contracts in your name | Change holder, tariff and payment account; keep handover readings. |
| Bills included in rent | Which services, any fair-use cap and how excess use is evidenced. |
| Landlord forwards bills | Copies, occupation dates, payment method, advances and final reconciliation in writing. |
Read these fields on the bill
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| CUPS | Identifies the electricity/gas supply point; confirm it matches the home. |
| Contracted power (kW) | Capacity and fixed charges; different from consumed energy. |
| Consumption (kWh) | Energy used in the billed period, with actual/estimated readings. |
| Billing dates and meter readings | Help split charges at arrival/departure or reconcile an advance. |
| Add-ons and taxes | Maintenance subscriptions or extras can make a cheap headline tariff expensive. |
Before you start
- Lease or ownership evidence, identity document/NIE where requested, contact details and payment account.
- Latest complete bills, electricity/gas CUPS supply codes, water account number and meter serial numbers.
- Dated handover photos and meter readings; inventory identifying appliances, boiler and heating systems.
- Written agreement on included bills, contract holder, deposits/advances, payment deadlines and reconciliation.
The steps
Inspect the supplies at handover
Test taps, hot water, lights and heating safely with the landlord or agent. Photograph each meter and confirm which meter serves the home. Ask whether contracts are active, which retailer bills electricity/gas and which company distributes the energy. A retailer manages your tariff and payments; the distributor manages the local network. Water is often a municipal or concession service and can require its own change-of-holder application.
Choose transfer versus a new connection
For an active supply, ask for cambio de titular rather than cancelling and reactivating it. The electricity retailer handles changes of holder, account or contracted power. A disconnected/new supply may need an installation certificate, activation charges and appointments. Get a written quote and timing. Do not agree to take responsibility for a previous occupant’s debt without checking the situation and your contractual options.
Compare the whole electricity or gas offer
Compare standing charges, power, energy unit price, time bands, tax treatment, contract length and any maintenance package. The lowest advertised energy price may come with paid extras. Choose power that fits simultaneous use of cooking, cooling and heating; too little can trip the supply, too much increases fixed costs. Ask whether the tariff is regulated or free-market and what happens after a promotional period. Save the signed terms.
If the landlord remains the holder, document reimbursements
Some private landlords forward the supplier bill and the tenant pays the landlord by bank transfer or an agreed deposit into the landlord’s account. Ask for the complete original bill, meter/address, covered dates and opening/closing reading—not just a screenshot of a total. Pay only the agreed share for your occupation. A monthly advance should be reconciled to actual bills, with a clear rule for overpayments, underpayments and the final bill. Keep references such as “electricity, flat address, invoice period”.
Keep utility advances separate from the rental deposit
Write down whether “deposit” means a reimbursable utility advance, a provider security deposit or the statutory rental fianza. They are different amounts with different purposes. Record who holds each payment, what it covers and when the balance is returned. Individually metered services and general building expenses are not interchangeable; the lease and current tenancy law control which costs can be passed on. Ask a local housing adviser about a disputed charge before paying it.
Check the first bill and your exit plan
Verify the holder, CUPS, address, dates, meter readings, tariff, power and bank details. Ask why an estimated reading was used and keep proof of any correction. At departure, take new dated readings, agree the transfer to the next holder and keep the final settlement. Do not cancel a supply someone else must continue using without coordinating the handover.
Important details
Water and waste vary locally
Ask the water provider about sewerage and other components of its bill, and the municipality about waste charges. There is no single Spanish registration portal or uniform national water tariff. Avoid assuming a charge belongs to the tenant merely because it appears on a bill.
Repairs and outages
Report leaks, boiler faults and unsafe wiring promptly in writing. Essential landlord repairs and small repairs due to ordinary use are different under tenancy law. For an outage, first check whether neighbours are affected and use the distributor’s fault contact; for a billing dispute contact the retailer. Never attempt electrical repairs yourself.
A practical monthly budget
Use the previous year’s bills for the same home, then adjust for household size, heating/cooling and working at home. Divide irregular water bills by the months they cover. Keep an arrival reserve for activation or installation, rather than treating every cost as monthly consumption.
Common questions
Can my landlord just tell me the amount?
Request the underlying bill and the agreed calculation. This is particularly important for shared meters, billing periods crossing your move date or monthly advances.
Is internet part of this guide?
Internet and mobile contracts have separate portability, installation and cancellation issues. Use the dedicated mobile and internet guide.
Your final checks
Tick these as you work. This page does not save your selections.
See the bigger picture
Pair these practical steps with the Spain-wide essentials.
Sources & next steps
Reviewed 1 October 2026. This independent guide provides general information. Requirements, fees and office arrangements can change; the responsible authority’s current instructions control your application. Commercial service links explain products, not official rules.