Home office and coworking

It is for anyone thinking about, planning or already carrying out a move to Spain, especially if you will work from home or from shared spaces. You will be able to choose and equip a workplace that suits your budget and your working style.

Start with "Home, coworking or cafe: where should you work?". It helps you weigh cost, focus, calls and social needs, and shows which of the other pages matter most for you. Choosing a city, contracting fibre and mobile, making friends and equipment insurance are covered elsewhere.

Key rules

• Coworking IVA: Coworking prices are usually quoted without IVA, and the general rate of 21% is added at checkout.
• Data breach report: If personal data is breached, the company must notify the data authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, so report a lost laptop to your employer immediately.
• Employer equipment: If you work remotely at least 30% of a three-month period as an employee, your employer must provide the equipment and cover the related expenses.
• Start flexible: Try a day pass or free trial day before committing to a monthly plan.
• Plugs: Spain uses two-round-pin plugs at 230 V, so foreign devices need an adapter.
• Price bands: Weekday daytime is mostly punta or llano, while weekends and national holidays are all valle.

Home office and coworking: the whole process, step by step

• Choose your mix of home, coworking and cafe work (Home, coworking or cafe: where should you work?): before you spend on a desk or equipment; try a coworking day pass first

• If you are an employee, ask your employer for equipment and expenses (Setting up a home office in a Spanish flat): before you buy anything, if you work remotely at least 30% of a three-month period

• Check which fibre and mobile services reach your address (Making your internet reliable enough for remote work): before you sign a rental or order a line

• Order fibre and plan a backup connection (Making your internet reliable enough for remote work): 2 to 7 days after ordering where fibre is already in the building; 1 to 3 weeks if a technician must lay new cable

• Review your electricity tariff and contracted power (Working from home through Spanish summers and winters): before the first hot or cold season, when you will be home all day

• Join a coworking space if it fits (Coworking spaces in Spain: membership types, prices and contracts): after a trial day; most monthly memberships have no long minimum, and some ask for 1 to 3 months

• Pay the coworking deposit (fianza): when you join; commonly about one month's fee, returned usually within about 30 days after you leave

• Set your data security habits for home, coworking and cafes (Keeping company and client data secure when working remotely): before your first day working away from the office

• Cancel a coworking membership in writing or through the member portal: usually 15 to 30 days before the next billing date

Home office and coworking: questions that cross several articles

Who pays for my home office equipment if I work remotely?

If you are an employee working remotely at least 30% of a three-month period, your employer must provide the equipment and cover the related expenses. Self-employed people are not covered. Read Setting up a home office in a Spanish flat first, then Keeping company and client data secure when working remotely.

Will working from home all day change my electricity bill and what should I check?

Yes, being home all day raises your bill, and the tariff and contracted power decide by how much. Weekends and national holidays are all in the cheapest valle band, and a higher contracted power raises the monthly power term. Read Working from home through Spanish summers and winters.

How do I check my internet will be good enough before I rent a flat?

Enter the full address and floor in the coverage checkers of the main operators, and ask the landlord whether a fibre socket (roseta) is already installed. This tells you if fibre can be installed and how fast. Then read Making your internet reliable enough for remote work.

What if my internet goes down for days while I am working?

Report the fault to your operator and keep the reference number, then file a written claim, because operators must compensate for outages. If that fails, you can go to the telecoms user office.

Is coworking cheaper than working from home or cafes?

No, home is usually the cheapest, cafes cost a coffee or more, and coworking is a monthly fee. A day pass lets you test whether the desk is worth it for the days you use it. Read Home, coworking or cafe: where should you work? and Coworking spaces in Spain: membership types, prices and contracts.