Renovation

Torre del Mar has twelve renovation firms, between the centre and the northern neighbourhoods, covering full home renovation, bathrooms and kitchens, fitting out commercial premises, painting and general repair work.

What a multiservicios is

Most of these trade as multiservicios, and it is worth understanding the word. It is a small firm that covers several trades at once, plumbing, electrics, tiling and painting, rather than specialising in one. For a bathroom or a flat refresh that is exactly what you want, because you deal with one person instead of coordinating four.

Get the permit before the work starts

Renovation work needs a licence or a prior notification from the council before it begins, even when nothing structural is touched. In a block of flats you also give written notice to the community of owners, and the building's rules on working hours apply. Starting first and asking later is how a job gets stopped.

Three things every quote must state

• Whether materials are included, and which ones. It is the largest difference between two quotes that look similar.
• Whether waste removal is included. Renovation rubble has to go to an authorised site and somebody is paying for it.
• Which VAT rate applies. A reduced rate exists for renovation work on homes over a certain age under specific conditions. Ask the firm to confirm your case in the quote.

Read the ratings with care here

This trade has the thinnest public record in the directory: several firms have a perfect score on fewer than five opinions. That is not evidence of anything. Ask for the address of a job they finished nearby and go and look at it.