What running two bases, Spain and home, really costs

Terms used

• IBI — The IBI is the yearly municipal property tax charged to the owner of a property in Spain.
• Gastos de comunidad — Gastos de comunidad are the fees owners pay to run shared parts of a building or urbanisation.
• Derrama — A derrama is a one-off special charge on owners to pay for repairs or works to shared areas.
• ITV — The ITV is Spain's compulsory roadworthiness inspection for vehicles.

Key rules

• IBI: The owner pays the yearly property tax (IBI) in full even if the home is used only part of the year.
• Community fees: Community fees are payable even when the home is empty, and special levies can come on top.
• Fixed utility charges: Electricity, water and piped gas keep fixed charges unless you lower the contracted power or cancel the supply.
• Empty-home insurance: Tell the insurer the home is a second home and read what the policy requires once it stays empty for long periods.
• Waste fee: The town can charge a waste fee on an empty home.

The bottom line

Most costs of a Spanish home carry on whether or not you are there. Property tax, community fees, the fixed parts of your utility bills, insurance and the waste fee all arrive while the home sits empty. Add flights and upkeep, and the total is often well above what you expect from the mortgage or purchase price alone. The worksheet below helps you add it up for your own case.

Property tax (IBI)

The IBI is a yearly municipal tax charged to the owner. It is based on the cadastral value (valor catastral), which is set by the property registry and is not the market price, multiplied by the rate your town sets. Typical bills for a second-home apartment were roughly 200 to 600 euros a year. Villas often pay 500 to 1,500 euros or more. Most towns bill once a year, often in autumn, and many give a discount for direct debit. Check your latest receipt or ask the town hall.

Community fees

If your home is in a block or an urbanisation, you pay community fees (gastos de comunidad) set by the owners' meeting.

• Basic block with no lift or pool: about 30 to 80 euros a month.
• Block with a lift, concierge, or pool and gardens: usually 80 to 200 euros a month.
• Urbanisation home with shared pool, roads and security: about 50 to 200 euros a month, or 600 to 2,400 euros a year.
• Standalone villa with nothing shared: little or nothing.

Repairs can bring a special levy (derrama) on top. Ask the administrator what is planned.

Utilities that keep billing

• Electricity: the power charge is billed for the contracted kW even if you use nothing. Lowering the contracted power is cheap and often allowed once a year at no extra cost. Cancelling means a new contract and possibly a fee when you return.
• Water: most suppliers charge a fixed service fee or minimum consumption. You can ask for the supply to be cut, but reconnecting costs a connection fee.
• Gas: piped gas has a fixed monthly charge and a compulsory periodic safety inspection. You can cancel it. Bottled butane has no fixed charge.
• Internet and phone: many broadband contracts have minimum-term penalties. Pause or cancel if you can, or use a mobile data plan with no commitment.

Terms differ by supplier, so ask each company about suspension and reconnection fees. The decision block below helps you choose what to keep.

Insurance

Expect about 150 to 500 euros a year for an apartment and 300 to 900 euros or more for a villa. Tell the insurer the home is a second or holiday home. Many policies limit theft or water-damage cover, or require an alarm, shutters or a locked home, once the home is empty for long periods, often more than 30 to 60 days. Renting the home out needs a specific policy. Community insurance covers only common areas.

Waste fee

Towns charge a waste fee even on empty homes, usually a flat amount by property type. Homes typically pay about 60 to 250 euros a year, and rates have been rising. Ask your town hall for the exact amount.

Upkeep while you are away

Get quotes from several local firms. Prices are higher in expat coastal areas and the islands.

• Key-holder or home-checking visits: charged per visit or as a monthly package. A basic plan costs less than full property management.
• Cleaning: charged by the hour, with a deep clean before arrival costing more.
• Pool and garden care: separate monthly services, with pool care costing more in summer.
• Full property management: a monthly or annual fee, or a percentage, often higher for villas with gardens and pools.

Travel

Return fares depend on your route, airport and how early you book. Fares are cheapest outside school holidays and highest in July, August, Easter and Christmas. Long-haul fares, for example from North America, swing more between seasons. Booking early, flexible dates and midweek travel usually lower the price. Price your own route and dates, then multiply by the trips you plan for the whole household.

A car kept in Spain

• Road tax: paid yearly to the town hall where the car is registered. A small car typically pays about 15 to 40 euros, a larger car 100 to 200 euros or more.
• Insurance: compulsory third party typically runs about 250 to 600 euros a year. Comprehensive runs about 400 to 900 euros.
• ITV inspection: the roadworthiness test costs roughly 30 to 60 euros for a petrol car and a little more for diesel. It is first due four years after registration, then every two years until the car is ten years old, then yearly.

Foreign-plated cars face different rules.

Choosing between options

Should you keep the utilities connected while the home is empty, or cut them back?

• Keep everything connected: You visit often or need the heating, fridge or alarm to run while you are away.

• Lower the contracted electricity power and keep the supplies: You are away for long stretches but want to keep the contracts, since this cuts the fixed power charge without a new contract.

• Cancel supplies you will not use: The home stays empty for months at a time. Reconnecting needs a new contract and possibly a connection fee, and bottled butane has no fixed charge.

Compare the fixed charges you would save with the reconnection fees and the minimum-term penalties. Cut back only what you can restart easily before your next stay.

Timeline and deadlines

• Tell the insurer the home is a second or holiday home when you take out the policy: before the policy starts

• Read the empty-home clause and add any required alarm, shutters or locked-home measures: before the home is empty for more than 30 to 60 days

• Expect a waste fee bill from the town, even for an empty home, and ask the town hall for the amount: every year; councils had to introduce the fee by April 2025

Documents you need

• The administrator's certificate from your community of owners, showing what you owe and the current fee

• The most recent community accounts, which show the fee, the services it covers and any planned special levies

• Your electricity, water, gas and internet contracts, to see the fixed charges, suspension or cancellation terms, and any minimum-term penalty

Checklist

• Ask the administrator for the community fee; a basic block typically costs 30 to 80 euros a month, a block with lift or pool 80 to 200, an urbanisation home about 600 to 2,400 a year

• Ask your electricity supplier what the fixed power charge is and whether you can lower the contracted power

• Ask your water, gas and internet providers about fixed fees, suspension and reconnection costs, and any minimum-term penalty

• Ask several local firms for quotes on key-holder visits, cleaning, and pool or garden care

• Compare return fares for your own route and dates, allowing for higher prices in July, August, Easter and Christmas

• If you keep a car in Spain, check the yearly road tax with the town hall, about 15 to 40 euros for a small car and 100 to 200 or more for a larger one, plus insurance and the ITV fee

Worksheet for the yearly cost of two bases

Fill in a yearly amount for every line that applies to you. Leave the others blank. If a bill is monthly, multiply it by 12. If a cost is in another currency, convert it to euros first. At the end you get one yearly total for the two bases.

Part 1: Your Spain base

Part 2: Your other home

Part 3: Travel between the two

Multiply the cost of one trip by the number of trips you expect in a year.

Part 4: Costs you pay twice

These are easy to miss because each one looks small on its own.

Part 5: Buffer

Add a cushion for repairs, exchange-rate swings and one-off tax or legal costs. Choose an amount you are comfortable with.

Your yearly total

If the total is higher than you expected, check Part 4 and Part 3 first. These are usually the lines people underestimate.

Frequently asked questions

Do I still pay community fees when my Spanish home is empty?

Yes, you still pay community fees when the home is empty, because the owners' meeting sets them whether or not anyone lives there. Special levies (derramas) for repairs come on top of the regular fee. Ask the administrator whether any are planned.

Can I cut the electricity bill while the home is empty?

Yes, you can lower the contracted power with your supplier, which cuts the fixed power charge that is billed even when nobody is there. In many cases you can do this once a year at no extra cost. Cancelling the contract is the other option, but reconnecting needs a new contract and possibly a fee.

Does home insurance still cover my place if it stays empty for weeks?

Yes, but only if the policy states the home as a second or holiday home, and many policies limit cover once it is empty for long. Insurers often set the limit at more than 30 to 60 days. They may then reduce theft or water-damage cover unless you have an alarm, shutters or security doors.

How often does a car kept in Spain need the ITV inspection?

A car needs its first ITV four years after registration, then every two years until it is ten years old, then every year. The fee varies by region and is roughly 30 to 60 euros for a petrol car, a little more for diesel.