How to check a plumber on the Costa del Sol is legitimate

Ask for the business name and CIF, ask for the price in writing with IVA included, and ask whether you'll get a proper invoice. Then look for reviews somewhere the business can't edit them. Anyone real answers all four without hesitating.

Start with who you're actually dealing with

A business has a legal name and a CIF, and it will tell you both. A Spanish company website normally publishes them on an Aviso Legal page, along with the registered address and the Registro Mercantil entry. If a website has no such page and no company details anywhere, you're looking at a phone number, not a business. That matters later, when something needs to go back under guarantee.

Mine are on the Aviso Legal page: Costa Plumber is a registered trade name of Fixif Realty S.L., CIF B19950070, registered in Málaga.

Get the price in writing, with the tax in it

The single most common surprise on a Spanish invoice is 21% IVA arriving at the end. A quote of €100 and a quote of €121 can be the same job. Ask which one you're being told, and ask whether the call-out is inside the price or added separately. Anyone who won't put a number in a message before starting is keeping their options open at your expense.

Every price on this site already includes IVA, and the whole rate card is public on the pricing page. There's also a longer guide to what a plumber costs here.

Ask about the invoice before the work, not after

A factura with the company details and the IVA broken out is what you need if you ever claim on insurance, charge the cost to a landlord, or ask a community to pay its share. Cash with no paperwork is cheaper on the day and worth nothing afterwards. If someone offers you a discount for leaving the invoice out, you now know what kind of business it is.

Look for reviews the business doesn't control

Testimonials on a website are chosen by whoever built the website. Reviews on an independent platform aren't, and you can read the bad ones as well as the good. Check the dates too: twenty reviews in one week says more about the marketing than the plumbing. Mine are on Trustpilot, and the ones quoted on my reviews page are copied word for word, typos and all.

Two smaller things worth asking

What happens if the repair fails? A business that stands behind its work will tell you how long the labour is covered for without being pushed. And who actually turns up? Some numbers are booking desks that pass the job to whoever is free, which is why the person at your door sometimes knows nothing about the phone call you had. When you ring me, you get me.