Before quotes: photograph the flat, decide the layout, list priorities. Choosing a contractor: ask for an itemised quote, who does the electrics and whether they are authorised, the guarantee and insurance, and how extras are approved. Before starting: inform the community, check municipal requirements, fix the kitchen and lighting plans. During works: check services before they are covered. At handover: walk through, collect certificates, photos and invoices.
What should you do before asking for quotes?
- Photograph every room, the fuse board, the bathroom, the kitchen and any damage.
- Measure or estimate the floor area.
- Decide what you want to change: rooms, layout, level of finishes.
- List what must be done (safety, leaks) and what would be nice.
- Ask the administrator for the community rules and any planned works.
- Find any documents on the installations, especially the electrical certificate.
What should you ask a contractor?
- Is the quote itemised, with every task, unit and quantity?
- What is included and excluded: materials, debris removal, final clean?
- Who carries out the electrical work, and are they authorised? On our jobs, authorised partner installers.
- Who coordinates the trades and who is your contact?
- Is there a guarantee, and is there public liability insurance?
- How are unexpected findings handled and approved?
- Can you see photos of real work?
Our article on renovation mistakes explains why each question matters.
What should be settled before work starts?
- Written notice to the community’s representative, as the horizontal property law requires.
- Municipal requirements for your scope checked; in Andalusia many interior works use a declaración responsable (requirements to be verified case by case).
- Final layout, kitchen plan and electrical points agreed.
- Main materials chosen, or a schedule for choosing them.
- Access arranged: keys, lift use, parking for deliveries.
- Valuables and fragile items removed from the flat.
What should you check during the works?
- Pipes pressure-tested before they are covered.
- Electrical installation checked by the partner installer before walls close.
- Photos taken of every pipe and cable route.
- Waterproofing in showers done before tiling.
- Any extra work explained, priced and approved in writing.
- Common areas kept clean and the lift protected.
What should you receive at handover?
- A walk-through of every room, testing taps, drains, sockets, lights and heating.
- A list of any small items to finish, with an agreed date.
- The electrical installation certificate issued by the authorised partner installer, where the scope required one.
- Photos of the hidden services.
- Invoices and the final itemised account.
- Guarantee terms in writing.
- Spare tiles and paint, labelled.
- A clean flat.
How do we fit this checklist?
We work with itemised quotes, one point of contact, authorised partner installers for the electrics, a guarantee and public liability insurance, materials purchasing if you want it and a final clean. Unexpected findings are photographed and approved before any work on them. See how this applies to a full apartment renovation or a rental refurbishment.
What should you prepare if you live abroad?
- A reliable way to share photos and documents, by email or WhatsApp.
- Someone local who can give access for the visit and the works, and receive deliveries if needed.
- A list of decisions you will need to make, with dates, so they can be made calmly at a distance.
- Copies of the community rules and the administrator’s contact.
- Clarity on who signs and pays, especially for inherited or jointly owned flats.
We give a first assessment from photos and the approximate floor area; the itemised quote follows a visit. We do not provide remote project management, so plan how decisions will be made while you are away.
Which red flags should make you pause?
- A quote with a single figure and no breakdown.
- Reluctance to say who will do the electrical work, or whether they are authorised.
- Pressure to start immediately or pay a large sum before anything is agreed in writing.
- No mention of the community, permits or debris removal.
- Promises that nothing unexpected can happen in an older flat.
- No written guarantee terms.
Any of these deserves a question before you sign. The answers usually tell you a great deal about how the rest of the job would go.
How do you use this checklist with a quote?
Put the quote next to the list and tick off each point. Where something is missing — debris removal, the final clean, who buys the materials, how extras are approved — ask for it to be written in. A good contractor will not mind; a clear quote protects both sides. If you are comparing several quotes, use the same list for each, so you compare the same scope rather than different promises.
Bauman Raymond Attila · Reforma Pisos Málaga · Avenida Antonio Belón 3, Marbella. Last reviewed: 05/11/2026.
