Paying utility bills in Spain
The standard running costs of your Spanish property are: Local property tax Tax for garbage collection Community fees Electricity charges Gas and telephone charges
![Paying utility bills in Spain](/files/country_posts/cover_image/46/4b/464bf074c18f637bec413e081b0d25e8/Jak-zaplatit-ucty-za-elektrinu-a-vodu-ve-Spanelsku-19_w480.jpeg)
Everyone should be cautious about paying their bills not only in their home country but also in their second home. In Spain it is important to pay the following bills:
Local property tax (I.B.I.)
Tax for garbage collection
Community Charges
Electricity Charges
Gas and Telephone Charges
Most of these bills can be paid both physically on site and online.
To pay bills online, you usually need to have a Spanish bank account and activate internet banking. Once you have logged into your online banking, you can set up standing orders or make one-off payments. In some cases, it is also possible to pay bills directly through the service providers' websites. If you are unsure how to proceed, you can contact your local authorities, service providers or us and we will give you expert advice on how to do this.
I.B.I.
Local property tax (I.B.I.) and waste collection bills
Once the deed of sale is signed before a Spanish notary, we inform the municipal authority that you are the owner of your Spanish property. Although this IBI is issued annually, it can sometimes take up to 2 years for the municipal authority to issue the first bill. Notices are usually sent to the address of your Spanish property.
Water and electricity
Payment for the ongoing supply of water and electricity is made either monthly or every two months.
Community charges
If you buy a property in a "community", as the owner you are responsible for paying your share of the cost of maintenance and repairs to the common property. Community charges depend on many factors. However, we always share the amount of community fees for each property sold, how often they must be paid and contact information.
Phone
For second-hand properties, we recommend you cancel your existing phone line. The cost of a new line is approximately €200. For new properties, we can arrange for a new connection if needed nowadays.