Who to contact when the power or water goes out

Key rules

• Who to call: Report electricity and gas faults to the distributor, not your supplier.
• Cut discount: If cuts exceed your individual limits, the discount should appear automatically on your next bill.
• Surge damage: Claim in writing quickly; the general time limit for a civil claim is one year from when you learn of the damage.
• Gas leak: Get to safety and call 112 first, then the gas distributor.
• Rented home: For pipes inside a rented home, tell your landlord.

Call the company that runs the network, not the one that bills you

For electricity and gas, the company that sends your bill is usually not the one that fixes faults. The network belongs to a distributor (distribuidora). Your supplier (comercializadora) handles the contract and billing. It does not repair anything.

Electricity

Report a power cut to your distributor. It runs a free 24-hour phone line, a web fault form and often an app. The number is printed on your bill and on the distributor's website.

To find your distributor, look at your bill for its name or for your CUPS code, the supply point code that starts with ES. Common distributors are e-distribución, i-DE, UFD, and the E.ON and Viesgo networks.

Water

Who to call depends on where the problem is:

• No water in the street or at the meter: the municipal or contracted water operator. Its number is on your water bill or your town hall's website.
• Shared pipes, tanks or pumps in your building: the community of owners, through its administrator.
• Pipes inside your home: the owner of the home. If you rent, tell your landlord. A landlord must keep the home habitable, unless you caused the damage.

Local rules differ, so the exact boundary can vary by town and by building.

Gas

If you smell gas, safety comes first. Follow the steps in the warning below, then call 112. After that, call the gas distributor's 24-hour emergency line. For piped gas, the distributor is named on your bill. The main ones are Nedgia, Redexis, Nortegas and Madrileña Red de Gas. For bottled butane, the supplier is Repsol Butano. Gas interruptions are handled by the distributor, not the supplier.

Compensation for repeated electricity cuts

Distributors must meet quality standards for how many cuts you have and how long they last. If your cuts exceed your individual limits, the distributor must give you a discount. It is calculated automatically from the cut time and your contracted power or consumption. It appears on your next bill, through your supplier.

If you think you are owed a discount and do not see it, complain to the distributor first. If that fails, go to your region's energy authority or a consumer body.

Damage to your appliances

The distributor is generally liable for damage caused by faults on its network, such as power surges. To claim:

1. Notify the distributor in writing as soon as possible.
2. Attach photos, repair estimates or invoices, and ideally a technician's report linking the damage to the surge.
3. If it rejects the claim, complain to your regional consumer office or energy authority, or take the case to court.

You generally have one year from when you learn of the damage to bring a civil claim. Do not wait.

Home insurance often covers electrical damage, with a cap and a deductible. Tell your insurer. It may then claim from the distributor itself.

Other problems

Compensation for consequential damage, such as spoiled food or lost work, is a separate civil claim. The directory below lists who to call for internet, phone and other utility problems.

Checklist

• Report the electricity fault to the distributor on its free 24-hour phone line, web form or app, not to your supplier.

• If you smell gas, leave the area, avoid flames and switches, open windows, close the gas valve and call 112.

• Check your next bill for the automatic discount if the cuts exceeded the individual limits.

• Send the distributor a written notice within days of any surge damage, with photos, invoices or repair estimates and a technician's report.

• Check your home insurance for electrical damage cover and tell your insurer about the damage.

What to watch out for

• Gas leak danger: A gas leak can cause fire or explosion, and switches or flames can set it off. Leave the area, open windows, close the gas valve and call 112, then call the gas distributor's emergency line, not your supplier.

• Late surge damage claim: Civil claims for damage caused by a surge expire one year after you learn of the damage, and weak evidence can sink the claim. Notify the distributor in writing within days, with photos, invoices and a technician's report linking the damage to the surge.

Who to call for each type of utility or telecom problem

Who to contact for each type of problem

• Your electricity distributor (distribuidora): Report a power cut or network fault here. It owns and repairs the local network, up to the meter or main fuse box (caja general de protección). Your supplier (comercializadora) only bills you, though it can pass on a report.

• Your gas distributor: After a leak, leave the area, avoid flames and switches, open windows, close the gas valve and call 112. Then call the distributor's 24-hour emergency line, which is named on your gas bill. Supply interruptions also go to the distributor, not the supplier. For bottled butane, contact the butane supplier.

• Municipal or contracted water operator: Report a cut or failure in the public network, up to the connection to your building (acometida) and the meter.

• Community of owners (administrator): Report problems in shared installations: water risers, tanks, pumps, shared pipes, common wiring and the building's shared telecom equipment.

• Your landlord: If you rent, report faults in the home's own fixed installations, such as pipes or wiring that make the home unfit to live in. The landlord is responsible unless you caused the damage. If you own the home, you handle faults inside it.

• Your internet or phone operator: Call its fault line or use its app and get an incident number. The operator is responsible to you even if it uses another company's network. Prolonged outages can give you the right to compensation from the operator.

• Operator's customer service (SAC): For a disputed telecom bill, complain by free phone line, online or in writing, and keep the reference number. The operator must answer within one month.

• Telecom user office (OAUT) of the Ministry for Digital Transformation: If the operator does not reply or you are not satisfied, complain here within three months of the reply or of the month running out.

Frequently asked questions

Who do I call if the water goes out in my building?

Call the community of owners' administrator if the fault is in shared installations such as risers, tanks or pumps. If the fault is in the public network up to the connection, the municipal or contracted water operator fixes it. If only your own flat has no water, the owner of the dwelling is responsible for its pipes, so a tenant should tell the landlord.

How long do I have to claim for damage from a power surge?

You have one year from when you learn of the damage to bring a civil claim for non-contractual liability. Act quickly and put your claim to the distributor in writing.

Do I get money back for repeated electricity cuts?

Yes, if the cuts exceed the individual limits for number or duration of interruptions, the distributor must apply a discount on your bill. It is calculated automatically and appears on your next bill through your supplier. If you think one is due and it is missing, complain to the distributor, then to the regional energy authority.