Home, services and phone scripts

This topic helps you with the Spanish you need at home and around town. It covers flat viewings, telling a landlord or agent that something is broken, booking repairs, talking to neighbours and the building community, local errands, polite complaints and saying no to sales approaches. It is for anyone thinking about, planning or carrying out a move to Spain.

After reading, you will be able to describe a problem, arrange a visit or make a call in Spanish, and understand what was agreed.

Tenancy rights and contracts, bank terminology, formal complaint procedures and online shopping are covered elsewhere.

Where to start

Start with "Making phone calls to Spanish businesses when you are not fluent". It gives you a scripted method for answering, calling, getting through automated menus and taking down details. Every other article in this topic builds on that method.

Key rules

• Withdrawal period: If you agree to a contract by phone, you have 14 calendar days to withdraw without giving a reason.
• Correos holding time: Correos normally holds a parcel or letter for about 15 calendar days before returning it to the sender.
• Register: Use the polite usted form with businesses and strangers.
• Repeat back: Confirm every time, date, number and address by saying it back before you hang up.
• Who to tell: Tell the landlord or the agency named in your lease, and keep the message in writing.
• Gas smell: If you smell gas, leave the home and call 112.

Home, services and phone scripts: the whole process, step by step

• Practise your phone scripts before you need them (Making phone calls to Spanish businesses when you are not fluent): before you start

• Report a broken item to your landlord or agent in writing (Telling your landlord or agent that something is broken): as soon as you notice the fault; in an emergency, act first and tell them straight after

• Book the repair and agree the visit fee and the written quote (Booking a repair visit and agreeing the price): before the visit, confirming any call-out fee in writing

• Confirm the arrival time with the tradesperson (Booking a repair visit and agreeing the price): the evening before or the morning of the visit, as "a primera hora" usually means about 8:00 to 9:30 and a window can run two to four hours

• Check the building's and town's quiet hours, and speak to neighbours and the community (Talking to neighbours and the building community): when you move in and before any noisy work

• If a noise problem continues, escalate step by step (Handling a noise complaint with limited Spanish): talk first, then the president or administrator, then the Policía Local while the noise is happening

• Collect a missed letter or parcel (Post office, parcels and other local errands in Spanish): before the 15 calendar days Correos holds it run out; couriers' pick-up points hold parcels about 5 to 10 days

• Ask for a refund or complain about faulty goods or services (Complaining politely but clearly in Spanish): as soon as you find the problem; shops need not take back non-faulty goods, but faulty goods have a three-year guarantee

• Decline street sellers and sales calls, and withdraw from any contract you agreed to (Saying no to street sellers, fundraisers and sales calls): never sign on the spot; you have 14 calendar days to withdraw

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Your ID — Spanish for arranging and attending a flat viewing, Post office, parcels and other local errands in Spanish
• Your DNI or NIE number — Making phone calls to Spanish businesses when you are not fluent

Income and work

• Recent payslips — Spanish for arranging and attending a flat viewing
• Your employment contract — Spanish for arranging and attending a flat viewing

Payments and receipts

• An itemised factura — Booking a repair visit and agreeing the price

Other documents

• A written presupuesto — Booking a repair visit and agreeing the price
• The aviso de llegada — Post office, parcels and other local errands in Spanish
• A written or message confirmation of any call-out or diagnosis fee — Booking a repair visit and agreeing the price

Home, services and phone scripts: questions that cross several articles

Can a WhatsApp message count as proof that I reported a fault to my landlord?

Yes, a WhatsApp message can serve as proof that you reported a fault, though you may have to prove it is genuine if the landlord challenges it. Keep screenshots and the chat export. For serious problems, such as ongoing damp or a refusal to repair, send a burofax (a postal message with certified text and delivery). Read Telling your landlord or agent that something is broken.

Can a tradesperson charge me a call-out fee if they do not repair anything?

Yes, a tradesperson can charge a call-out or travel fee even when no repair follows, but only if you were told the price and accepted it beforehand. Get the fee confirmed in writing, for example by WhatsApp. If you were not told, you can dispute the charge and ask for an itemised invoice. See Booking a repair visit and agreeing the price and Complaining politely but clearly in Spanish.

Who do I contact first when something breaks in my rented flat?

You normally contact first the landlord, or the letting agency if it manages the flat for the landlord. Faults in shared areas such as the roof, lift or stairs usually go through the landlord to the building's administrator.

What are the quiet hours in my building, and what can I do if neighbours ignore them?

No single national rule sets quiet hours; your town's noise ordinance and your building's rules decide, and night quiet time often runs from about 22:00 or 23:00 to 07:00 or 08:00. If talking does not work, tell the president or administrator, then call the Policía Local while the noise is happening. Keep a noise diary with dates and times. Read Handling a noise complaint with limited Spanish and Talking to neighbours and the building community.

Do I have the right to a written quote before a repair at home?

Yes, you can ask for a written quote (presupuesto) before a repair, and for appliance repairs the repairer must give one unless you waive it in writing. In an emergency you can waive it, but ask for an itemised invoice afterwards.