Thinking of buying a house or flat in Spain on the Costa del Sol and wondering how much the extra charges are? We’ve put together an overview of property maintenance costs in Spain to help you find the answers to the questions you’re having.
Flat
Rent – maintenance of common parts i.e. stairwells, garages, garden, swimming pool. This includes, among other things, the cost of maintenance work and often a contribution to the renovation fund. Depending on the total number of flats in an estate, the common areas, possibly heating the swimming pool or round-the-clock security, these costs vary considerably and can range from €80 to around €1,000 per month.
Property tax or Impuesto Sobre Bienes Inmuebles (IBI) – is an annual charge. It varies according to the area of the flat and the location of the property. Each municipality has tables of the amount of the tax, which in Marbella is usually between €450 and €1,500 per year.
Electricity – charged monthly depending on electricity consumption. Some of the most popular energy suppliers in Spain are Endesa and Iberdrola. For a flat, the average monthly electricity consumption costs are around €120. Please note that with heavy use of air-conditioning in summer the bills can increase significantly.
Water – we receive bills monthly or quarterly. The most popular suppliers in the Marbella area are Acosol and Hydralia. Monthly bills are around €30.
Rubbish collection(Basura Tax) – a bi-annual charge of approximately € 90 (this happens to be included in the settlement costs).
Insurance – policies usually cost around €150, but you may have to pay as much as €300 to €700 for comprehensive insurance. The most popular insurance companies are Allianz, Zurich, Mapfre, Axa. It is a good idea to speak to an insurance agent who will prepare quotes from different companies for comparison.
Villa
The costs consist of:
Estate villa: estate costs, known as communidad – we pay these when our house – although located on a private plot of land – is within an estate.
Properties that are not part of a gated community, but are located in a particular neighbourhood, constitute a housing community. In this case, the so-called communidad is spent on the maintenance of the common parts, i.e. lighting, greenery in the respective neighbourhood, gardening work and street cleaning. The charge includes, among other things, the cost of maintenance works and often a contribution to the renovation fund. Maintenance of roads and pavements is mostly left to the municipality. These costs vary considerably and can range from €800 to around €3,000 per year. The amounts depend on the size of the estate/district and the area of our plot (the larger the plot, the more expensive it is).
Property tax, or Impuesto Sobre Bienes Inmuebles (IBI), is an annual charge. It varies significantly depending on the area of the house and plot and its location. Each municipality has tables of fees. The fee for a house can range from €700 to €3,500 per year.
Electricity – a monthly fee depending on the amount of electricity consumed. In Spain, energy is supplied by Endesa and Iberdrola, among others. In the case of a house, the average monthly electricity consumption costs are around €250 to €700. They increase if we use air conditioning or heating throughout the house or heat the swimming pool.
To reduce electricity costs, homeowners are increasingly turning to photovoltaics. If you have a large plot of land or a sizeable roof area, this is the optimal solution in sunny Spain. At current prices, the investment pays for itself in about six years. The consumption cost of 1,500 kWh is €400, while 4,000 kWh is a charge of €850.
Water – we receive bills on a monthly or quarterly basis. If there are large green spaces around the house, the price of water will increase proportionally with water consumption. In addition, a charge for discharging water to the sewerage system is included in the bill. It is not possible to set up a separate meter for the garden (this would reduce the bill by the sewerage charge). Monthly bills, depending on the needs of the garden, will vary considerably. The price for 50m3is €150, for 300m3 you will pay as low as €900. The main water suppliers in the Marbella area are Acosol and Hydralia.
Rubbish collection(Basura Tax) – fee of approximately €120 every six months (happens to be included in settlement costs).
Insurance – policies usually cost around €450, but you may have to pay as much as €800 to €1,400 for comprehensive insurance. The most popular insurance companies are Allianz, Mapfre, Zurich and Axa. In this case, it is best to contact an insurance agent who will prepare a comparison of quotes.
Gardener – depending on the vegetation and type of lawn, the monthly cost is between €200 and €700.
Pool maintenance is between €100 and €150 per month.
We invite you to take advantage of our services, which include comprehensive care for the selection, purchase and maintenance of a property or rental. When thinking about investing in property in Spain, it is worth trusting the experience of our agents, the lawyers, advisors, architects, designers and renovation teams who work with us. Find out more about our service packages.
