Telling your landlord or agent that something is broken

Key rules

• 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.
• Small repairs: Small repairs from ordinary use usually fall on you, not the landlord.
• Serious problems: For ongoing damp or a refused repair, send a burofax or certified email instead of only WhatsApp.

Tell the landlord or agent, in writing, straight away

Contact the person named in your lease. That is the landlord (arrendador), or the letting agency if it manages the flat for the landlord. As a tenant on a normal long-term lease, you must tell them about repairs that are needed. The landlord must fix faults that stop the home being habitable, unless you caused the damage. Small repairs from ordinary use, such as a bulb or a tap washer, are usually yours. Your lease may name other contacts or give you other small-repair duties, so read it first.

Short-term and tourist lets follow the contract instead, so check what yours says.

Gas smell or flooding: act first

If you smell gas ("huele a gas"), leave the home and call 112. Tell the landlord afterwards.

For a burst pipe you cannot stop, do what you need to limit the damage first, then report it straight away.

What to put in your message

1. What is wrong and where. "Hay una fuga en el baño."
2. Since when, and whether it is getting worse.
3. How urgent it is.
4. A request for a time. Ask when someone can come.
5. Photos or a short video.

Keep the tone polite and cooperative. It gets faster results. Phrases like "por favor" and "le agradecería" help.

Words you will need

• avería: breakdown or fault
• fuga: leak of water or gas
• goteo or gotera: drip, or a roof leak
• filtración: seepage from outside or from a neighbour's flat
• humedad and moho: damp and mould
• caldera: boiler
• calentador: water heater
• termo: electric water tank
• grifo: tap
• atasco: blockage
• desagüe: drain
• cuadro eléctrico: fuse box
• cerradura: lock
• persiana: shutter

Examples:

• "La caldera no enciende."
• "Tengo una filtración del vecino de arriba."
• "No tengo agua", "No tengo luz" or "No tengo calefacción."

Showing urgency

Urgent:

• "Es urgente."
• "Es una emergencia."
• "Tengo una fuga de agua y no puedo cerrar la llave."
• "¿Puede venir hoy?"
• "¿Puede venir lo antes posible?"

Not urgent:

• "No corre prisa."
• "Cuando pueda."
• "Esta semana, si es posible."

Asking when someone will come:

• "¿Cuándo podría venir?"
• "¿Me puede dar una hora aproximada?"
• "¿Para cuándo estaría arreglado?"

Keep a written trail

A WhatsApp message is valid notice in principle. It works best if the landlord replies or your lease names WhatsApp as a channel. If the other side later disputes it, you may need to prove the messages are genuine. Take screenshots and export the chat.

For serious or disputed problems, use a stronger channel. These include ongoing damp, a refusal to repair, withholding rent, or ending the lease. Send a burofax, which is a postal notice with certified text and proof of delivery. A certified email service also works. The decision box below helps you choose.

If you speak to someone by phone, send a message straight after to confirm what was said and agreed.

Faults in shared areas

Roofs, stairs, lifts, façades and shared pipes are handled by the building's administrador de fincas or the community president. Usually you report through your landlord, who is a member of the community. You can also tell the administrador directly about problems you can see.

If nothing happens

Follow up in writing, quoting your first message and its date. If the fault is serious and the landlord ignores you, move to a burofax. The FAQ below covers slow landlords.

Choosing between options

Is a WhatsApp message enough to report the fault, or should you use a stronger written channel?

• WhatsApp message: Use it for ordinary faults like a dripping tap or a broken bulb, especially if the landlord already replies there or the lease names it. Keep screenshots and export the chat.

• Burofax or certified email: Use it for serious or disputed matters: ongoing damp, a refusal to repair, withholding rent or ending the lease. It certifies the text and proves delivery.

If you may need to prove the report later in a dispute, use a burofax or certified email. Otherwise a WhatsApp message counts as written notice, and the landlord's reply makes it stronger.

Frequently asked questions

What do I say if there is a gas smell at home?

Say "huele a gas" and call 112 straight away. This is an emergency, so deal with it before you message your landlord.

How do I ask in Spanish when someone can come to fix a fault?

Ask "¿Cuándo podría venir?" or "¿Me puede dar una hora aproximada?" to get a time. Add "por favor" to keep the tone friendly. If you have no water, light or heating, add "Es urgente" and ask "¿Puede venir hoy?".

Who do I tell about a broken shared roof, lift or stairs?

Tell your landlord first, because they belong to the building's owners' community. You can also tell the administrador de fincas (the building manager) directly about visible problems in shared areas. Keep a written copy of what you send.

What do I do if the landlord is slow to repair something?

Keep every message and send your report again in writing. For ongoing damp or a clear refusal to repair, send a burofax, which is a letter with certified text and proof of delivery.