Final bills, meter readings and your rental deposit

Terms used

• Baja — The baja is the cancellation of a utility or service contract at your address.
• Fianza — The fianza is one month's rent for a home, held by the landlord as security for the lease.
• Comunidad — The comunidad is the community of owners of a building, which manages shared costs and sometimes a shared water meter.
• Acta de entrega — The acta de entrega is a handover record, signed by you and the landlord, when you return the keys.

Key rules

• Deposit deadline: The landlord must return the deposit within one month of you handing back the property, and late amounts earn legal interest.
• Meter photos: Photograph every meter on move-out day with the date visible, and send the readings to each supplier.
• Deductions: Your landlord can only keep money for utility bills you actually owe under the lease, and should show the invoices.
• Handover record: Sign a handover record when you return the keys, because it fixes the date the deposit clock starts.

The short version

Photograph every meter on move-out day, send the readings to each supplier, and keep proof of every bill you pay. Then your landlord has no utility reason to reduce your deposit. The landlord must return the deposit within one month of you handing back the property, and late amounts earn legal interest.

Meter readings: what to do for each supply

Take a clear photo of each meter on the day you leave, with the date visible. Send the readings to the supplier when you ask for the baja or the change of holder.

• Electricity: Most homes have a smart meter that the distribution company reads remotely. The baja uses the real reading for that date, and no visit is needed. If your meter is not smart, give a self-reading.
• Gas: A technician usually reads the meter during the closing visit.
• Water: The company or you read the meter. A self-reading with a dated photo is often accepted. Otherwise a technician visits.

The method depends on your meter type and supplier, so ask each one what it accepts. If a final bill is based on an estimated reading, dispute it with your photo. The supplier can correct it on the next bill.

Water in a building with a shared meter

If water is billed through the comunidad on a shared meter, the comunidad charges the owner. You pay only if your lease makes you pay water, and then the landlord passes on your share. Agree in writing with the landlord how you will settle consumption up to your leaving date, using the community's reading or an estimate. If you have your own meter, the bill goes straight to the contract holder.

Final bills

Pay each final bill when it arrives and keep the receipt.

• Electricity and gas: usually within a few weeks of the baja, sometimes one to two months.
• Water: depends on the local operator, and can take one to three months.
• Phone and internet: usually in the next billing cycle, and it may include early termination charges or equipment-return fees.

Because some bills arrive after you leave, keep your contact details up to date with each supplier.

What your landlord can keep from the deposit

The fianza guarantees what you owe under the lease. Your landlord can keep money for utility bills that are your responsibility under the lease and are actually owed, such as bills for your time in the home. The landlord should justify any deduction with the invoices or proof of the debt, and return the rest. If you think a deduction is unjustified, ask for the invoices in writing first. You can then challenge it through consumer and mediation routes or in court.

Keep your proof

When you hand back the keys, sign a handover record (acta de entrega) with the landlord and write down the date. The one-month deposit deadline runs from that day. Keep the photos, final invoices, receipts, written confirmations of each baja or transfer, the handover record and the messages agreeing the key date. Keep them for at least several years.

The checklist, documents list and timeline below set this out step by step. The decision below helps you choose how to settle the water bill.

Choosing between options

How do you settle the water bill when you leave?

• Settle it with the water company: The water has its own meter and the contract is in your name. The company bills you directly, so give it the final reading with a dated photo, or let a technician read the meter, and expect the last bill one to three months after the baja.

• Settle it with the landlord: The building has a shared meter and the comunidad (the community of owners) charges the owner.

Look at who receives the water bill. If it comes to you, deal with the water company. If it goes to the owner through the comunidad, check whether your lease makes you pay for water and settle with the landlord in writing.

Check with your landlord or the comunidad how water is billed in your building.

Timeline and deadlines

• Photograph the meters and send the readings to each supplier: on move-out day

• Hand back the keys and sign the handover record with the landlord: on the agreed key return date

• Receive the final water bill: one to three months after the baja, depending on the local operator's billing period

• Receive the final phone and internet bill, which may include early termination or equipment-return fees: in the next billing cycle, about one to two months after the baja

Documents you need

• Dated photos of every meter reading (electricity, gas and water), taken by you on move-out day.

• Dated photos of the home's condition on move-out day.

• The final invoices from each supplier, with your payment receipts.

• Written confirmation from each supplier of the baja (cancellation) or the transfer of the contract to someone else.

• A handover record (acta de entrega) signed by you and the landlord when the keys are returned.

• The messages or emails with the landlord agreeing the key return date.

Checklist

• Photograph the electricity, gas and water meters on move-out day, with the date visible.

• Ask each supplier for written confirmation of the baja or contract transfer.

• Photograph the condition of the home on move-out day.

• Write down the date you hand back the keys, because the deposit return deadline runs from that day.

Frequently asked questions

Can my landlord keep money from my deposit for unpaid utility bills?

Yes, but only for bills that are your responsibility under the lease and are actually owed, such as bills for the time you lived there. The landlord should show you the invoices or proof of the debt and return the rest of the deposit. If money is kept without justification, you can challenge it in court or through consumer and mediation routes.

What can I do if my last bill is based on an estimated reading?

You can dispute an estimated final bill and ask for it to be corrected on the next bill. Send the supplier your dated photo of the meter from move-out day as proof of the real reading.

How long should I keep my meter photos and receipts?

Keep your meter photos, final invoices and payment receipts for at least several years. A landlord can raise a utility debt after you leave, and these papers are your proof.