A renovation in Spain can be the beginning of an amazing new chapter with your own home or apartment on the Costa Blanca. But it can also turn into a very expensive mistake if you choose the wrong contractor and fail to protect yourself properly.
This story happened on the Costa Blanca. To protect the privacy of the people involved, we have changed some details and amounts.
It is a story about how someone can lose around €20,000 on an apartment renovation in Spain – and why contracts, documentation and checking your renovation company are so important.
An apartment renovation in Orihuela Costa that should have been simple
The owner of a property in Orihuela Costa was looking for someone to renovate her apartment.
She found a contractor who offered to take care of the entire project.
The agreement included not only the renovation itself, but also purchasing the necessary equipment and appliances – including a refrigerator, washing machine and other items needed to prepare the apartment.
The owner trusted the contractor.
She handed over approximately €20,000 for the renovation, materials and equipment.
But there was a serious problem.
There was no detailed contract.
No precise quotation.
No renovation schedule.
And no proper documentation confirming exactly what the money was intended for.
After making the arrangements, the owner returned to Poland. She believed that while she was away, the renovation of her Costa Blanca apartment would be progressing.
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Two weeks later, she returned to Spain
Around two weeks later, she flew back to the Costa Blanca.
She expected to see progress.
She opened the door.
And…
nothing.
No workers.
No materials.
No appliances.
Virtually no evidence that the renovation had even started.
The apartment looked almost exactly the same as when she had left.
Confused and frightened, she called the man to whom she had given the money.
She asked why the renovation had not started and what had happened to her money.
His response was short:
“Did we actually have a contract?”
At that moment, she understood the scale of the problem.
She lost much more than €20,000
Losing around €20,000 was a huge financial blow.
But money was not the only thing she lost.
There was also stress, helplessness, lost time and a complete loss of confidence in continuing the renovation in Spain.
She tried to find another company that could take over the project.
Eventually, she gave up.
After everything that had happened, she no longer had the energy to start again from the beginning.
She decided to sell the property and return to Poland.
What was supposed to be a dream home on the Costa Blanca ended with lost money, lost time and enormous disappointment.
How can you quickly lose money on a renovation in Spain?
Unfortunately, the recipe is very simple.
Find a random contractor on the internet or Facebook.
Don’t check whether they operate a legitimate business.
Don’t verify their company details.
Don’t ask for invoices.
Don’t check previous projects.
Don’t sign a contract.
Don’t define the exact scope of work.
Don’t prepare a quotation.
Don’t agree on a schedule.
Hand over a large amount of money in advance.
Then leave Spain and simply hope that everything will be completed according to a verbal agreement.
Sounds absurd?
Unfortunately, this is exactly how property owners can expose themselves to serious problems.
How to choose a renovation company in Spain
If you are planning a house or apartment renovation on the Costa Blanca, there are several important things worth checking before handing over a significant amount of money.
1. Check who you are actually hiring
Ask for the full details of the company or registered professional carrying out the work.
Verify that the contractor genuinely operates a business and can issue proper invoices.
An advert on Facebook, WhatsApp or an online marketplace should not be enough to entrust someone with your property and tens of thousands of euros.
2. Sign a renovation contract
For a larger project, a renovation contract should form the basis of the relationship between the client and contractor.
It should clearly define the scope of work, price, payment method, deposit, payment stages, approximate schedule and responsibilities of both parties.
Verbal agreements can become extremely difficult to prove when a serious dispute occurs.
3. Don’t pay the entire renovation cost upfront
For a larger property renovation in Spain, dividing payments into stages is generally a much safer approach.
Deposit → start of work → completed stages → final inspection → final payment.
This means payments are connected to the actual progress of the renovation.
4. Document all payments
Bank transfers, invoices, purchase receipts, quotations and written agreements can become extremely important if a dispute arises later.
When substantial amounts of money are involved, avoid payments for which you receive no documentation.
5. Check previous renovation projects
Photographs of previous work are useful.
Even better is a contractor who can show genuine completed projects or has previous clients who can confirm their experience.
A renovation company operating on the Costa Blanca should be verifiable beyond a single online advertisement.
6. Check qualifications and licences where required
Not every type of renovation work requires the same qualifications.
However, regulated work – including certain electrical installations – should be carried out by appropriately qualified and authorised professionals where required.
7. Living abroad? Make sure someone is supervising your renovation in Spain
This is particularly important for international property owners.
Many people buying homes in Costa Blanca, Orihuela Costa or Torrevieja do not live permanently in Spain.
They cannot visit the property every day to check the progress of the work.
That’s why it is worth agreeing in advance how the project will be monitored and reported.
This can include photographs, videos, regular progress reports, information about completed stages, purchase documentation and material costs.
It allows you to maintain control over your investment even when you are thousands of kilometres away.
Does hiring a registered renovation company guarantee 100% safety?
No.
And it is important to be clear about that.
Even an established professional company can make mistakes. Renovations can experience delays, unexpected technical problems, additional costs or disagreements about the quality of the work.
The difference is the protection you have if something goes seriously wrong.
When you work with a legitimate business and have a contract, invoices, payment confirmations and documented agreements, you are in a much stronger position if you later need to enforce your rights.
The cheapest renovation in Spain can become the most expensive
When buying a Costa Blanca property worth several hundred thousand euros, it can be tempting to save a few thousand euros on the renovation.
Looking for a competitive price is perfectly reasonable.
The problem begins when price becomes the only criterion for choosing a contractor.
An offer that is several thousand euros cheaper may initially look very attractive.
But if badly executed work later needs to be repaired – or, as in this story, the contractor disappears with the money – the cheapest quotation can quickly become the most expensive decision of the entire investment.
Planning a renovation on the Costa Blanca?
If you have purchased a property in Orihuela Costa, Torrevieja or the southern Costa Blanca and are planning a renovation, interior finishing or a turnkey property project, protect your investment from the very beginning.
Fenix Costa Blanca provides renovation and project coordination services, electrical installations, Smart Home solutions and property finishing.
We also work with international property owners who live outside Spain and need reliable local support and supervision of their project.
You can create an amazing home in Spain. The important thing is knowing who you are trusting with your property – and your money.
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