This is the first of our series on the differences between the US and the EU. This is not your average list of shallow differences between life in the good-old U.S. of A and Europe, but rather an in-depth look at how life there (EU) is different than life here (US).
I recently moved back to California after a 5-year stint living in Europe. My work had this great opportunity in Barcelona, Spain and I could not pass it up. I lived in Spain from 2013 until late 2018 and my life there is something I will cherish for a long time. So without much further ado, let’s talk about utilities as a renter in Spain.
There are several differences; billing, metering equipment and service agreements.
Billing: As California renters, we take for granted the fact that with a simple phone call you can get your utilities up within minutes. One of the reasons for this ease is because the person contracting the services is also the one paying (generally-speaking).
In Spain, as a renter, you grandfather the contracts from the owner of the home or apartment. You do this because otherwise there is a large setup fee required if the service is cancelled. For example, suppose you live somewhere and have contracted electricity and you decide to move elsewhere. If you cancel the service (which you have the right to do), the next person will have to pay up-to €200 to re-start the service. In most cases that person will be the owner of the property, as there will be a period of downtime while he/she finds a new tenant.
Instead, the property owner will own the contract to the electrical service and when the property is occupied by a new tenant, that person is responsible for calling the electrical company and updating their bank details.
Accordingly, when the tenant leaves the property, the owner is responsible for updating the bank details on the account back to his/hers. You can already see how an unscrupulous owner or tenant could take advantage of this arrangement. We were lucky to not have major issues with this, but the nickle and dime’ng was annoying.
Meter Equipment: The metering equipment is your responsibility. You either have to rent it, or buy it. Yes, much like your cable modem, you either rent the meter equipment from the utility company or you purchase your own.
Service Agreements: Whether your rent or you own your equipment, you need to have a service agreement to provide maintenance for said equipment. We heard horror stories of the utility companies throwing their hands up at most issues unless you purchased a service agreement from them.
Are these deterrents to living in Spain, NO. That’s not my intention. Rather, to provide a different perspective to how life differs on the other side of the pond
In the next installment I’ll share with you the hell that is purchasing a vehicle.
