A resale apartment usually needs work you did not see at the viewing. We start by separating what is urgent (safety, leaks, electrics), what is important but can be planned (layout, kitchen, bathroom) and what is cosmetic. Then we renovate in that order with one contractor, authorised partner installers for the electrics and an itemised quote. If you want to move in quickly, we can phase the work so the essentials are done first.
Why does a resale flat look different once it is empty?
Viewings happen with furniture, rugs and good lighting. Once the seller has gone, you see the marks behind the wardrobe, the socket hanging from the wall, the damp patch the sofa was hiding and the bathroom tiles that sound hollow when you tap them. None of this is unusual. It is simply the moment the real scope becomes visible.
The best thing to do at this stage is not to buy paint. It is to photograph every room, the fuse board, the bathroom, the kitchen and anything that worries you, and get a view on what is urgent.
What should be done first after buying?
We sort a resale flat into three groups:
- Urgent: anything unsafe or causing damage — exposed wiring, a fuse board without protection, active leaks, broken waste connections.
- Structural to the renovation: work that decides what comes after — renewing services, moving partitions, moving the kitchen or bathroom.
- Cosmetic: paint, flooring finish, kitchen fronts, door handles, light fittings.
Group one cannot wait. Group two has to be decided before group three, even if it is done later. Group three is where you have the most freedom to phase the work over time.
Can I move in first and renovate later?
Yes, if you plan for it. The usual approach is to deal with the urgent items and anything that would mean breaking walls or floors later — mainly electrics and pipework — before moving in, and leave finishes for afterwards. That way, when you redo the kitchen next year, you are not tearing out a wall you painted six months earlier.
Living in a flat during a full renovation is rarely practical. During a partial one, with the work area sealed, it often is. Our article on renovating in phases sets out an order that does not waste work.
Which documents should you look for after a purchase?
Ask the seller or the agent for any documentation on the installations. The most useful is the electrical installation certificate — the certificado de instalación eléctrica or boletín — because it records the installation and its maximum power, and because it can be needed when you change the electricity contract. The national energy regulator notes that the seller of a resale home should provide it.
If there is no certificate, or the installation has been changed since, the partner installer can tell you what is needed. Our electrical certificate guide explains when a new one is usually issued. Also ask for the community’s rules and the administrator’s contact: you will need them before work starts.
What do buyers of resale flats most often change?
- The kitchen, often opened to the living room and given new services and a proper extractor run.
- The bathroom, usually a bath swapped for a shower and the waste renewed. For a bathroom-only job, our network site reformabanosmalaga.eu goes into the detail.
- The electrics, renewed or upgraded by authorised partner installers, with more circuits and sockets where they are actually needed.
- Floors, either replaced or overlaid if the existing floor is sound and the door heights allow.
- Walls, smoothed and painted, with gotelé removed or skimmed.
How do you quote a resale renovation fairly?
We visit, check what we can, and write an itemised quote with one line per task. Where something cannot be known until a wall or floor is opened — the route of an old pipe, the state of a subfloor — we name it in the quote and explain how it will be handled if it turns out worse than expected. Nothing extra goes ahead without your approval.
We do not quote prices online. If you want to understand what moves the figure before you ask, our sister site presupuestoreforma.eu explains the factors.
Is it different if you have not bought yet?
Yes, and it is the better time to ask. Before signing, a view on the condition of the services and on what your plans would involve helps you decide whether the flat suits you. Our guide to buying a resale apartment to renovate lists what to check at a viewing, and we can look at photos or visit if access is arranged. What we cannot do is value the property or give legal advice on the purchase; that belongs to your lawyer and surveyor.
How do you start well with a building you have just joined?
As a new owner, your first contact with the neighbours is often the renovation. It is worth making it a good one. Before work starts, introduce yourself to the administrator, ask for the community rules on working hours and lift use, and give notice of the works as the horizontal property law requires. A short note in the lift with the expected noisy phases and a contact number goes a long way.
On our side, we protect the lift and the landing, keep debris bagged and moving rather than piling up, and group the loudest work together. If part of your plan touches something shared — a window that changes the façade, a connection to the main stack, an air vent through the roof — we flag it at the quote stage so you can raise it at the right time. Our guide to renovating in an apartment block covers the practical side, and it helps to read it before your first conversation with the administrator.
Official sources
Bauman Raymond Attila · Reforma Pisos Málaga · Avenida Antonio Belón 3, Marbella. Last reviewed: 05/11/2026.
