TheIs the business properly registered?
In Spain, anyone working as a professional tradesperson should be registered either as a self-employed worker (autónomo) or as a company (with a CIF, the Spanish tax ID for businesses). Ask for this information upfront — a legitimate business won't hesitate to share it, since it's required for issuing a proper invoice anyway.
Do you get an invoice with VAT (IVA) included?
A proper invoice (factura) should show the work done, the price, and IVA (Spanish VAT) broken out separately. This matters for two reasons: it's the paper trail that protects you if there's ever a dispute about the work, and if you're a non-resident owner, having proper invoices can also matter for tax and property records back home. A quote that's only ever verbal, with a cash payment and no invoice, gives you no protection if something goes wrong.
Is there liability insurance in place?
Ask whether the company carries civil liability insurance (seguro de responsabilidad civil) — this covers accidental damage to your property during the work, and is standard practice for any serious painting or renovation business. If a contractor can't answer this clearly, treat it as a warning sign.
Own team or subcontracted labour?
It's worth asking directly whether the people who'll actually be working in your home are employees of the company or subcontracted for the job. This affects accountability if something goes wrong, and often correlates with consistency of quality — a company with its own trained, permanent team has more reason to protect its reputation on every job.
A written quote, before work starts
A trustworthy contractor gives you a detailed quote in writing before any work begins, with the scope, materials and timeline spelled out — not a verbal estimate that gets revised once the job is underway. See our exterior painting and interior painting services for how we structure ours, or get an indicative range first with our online estimator.
Language and communication
One practical factor that matters more in Spain than it might elsewhere: can the contractor communicate clearly in a language you're comfortable with? Misunderstandings about scope of work, timeline or price are far more likely when instructions get lost in translation. It's worth confirming this upfront, especially for a project you can't oversee in person every day.