Vetting in four steps
A contractor is checked in steps: before requesting a quote, at the site visit, on the quote itself and before signing the contract. Each step filters out a different kind of problem, and the whole thing takes one or two evenings. That is less than the cost of redoing one bathroom.
This checklist brings together the questions covered in detail in separate articles: on the NIF, insurance, cash payments, pressure to decide quickly, suspiciously cheap quotes and the contract. Here you get the order in which to ask them and what counts as a normal answer. It is handy to print it and go through it with every contractor you are considering, including us.
Step 1. Before requesting a quote
The company's full name, NIF and registered address should be on the website or arrive on first request, without a "we'll send it later". The address should be real, not just a mobile number. Projects on the website should carry specifics: neighbourhood, floor area, dates, what exactly was done. Uncaptioned photos could have come from anywhere.
Look for reviews on independent platforms, not just the company's own site, and read the ones where something went wrong: the company's reply to a complaint tells you more than ten five-star ratings. Ask whether you can speak to a past client or see a finished project. And notice the response time: a company that takes a week to answer an enquiry will take just as long to answer questions during the works.
Step 2. At the site visit
Notice who turns up. It is a good sign if it is the person who will later run the job, or at least someone who understands the building side rather than just selling. They should measure rather than eyeball, open access hatches, look at the risers and the consumer unit, and ask about the building's age, the comunidad de propietarios and the type of permit that will be needed.
Questions about you are another good sign: who lives in the flat, how you cook, where you work, what annoys you now. A bad sign is a price and start date given on the spot, with a discount "if you sign this week". Pressure to decide fast is a tactic of its own, with its own article.
Step 3. On the quote
The quote should be itemised with quantities: square metres of tiling, number of electrical points, linear metres of skirting. Materials should have a model, or at least a level and unit price. A separate line should show what is excluded: furniture, appliances, permits, debris removal. VAT is shown clearly. It states who applies for the municipal permit and who pays for it.
Compare quotes on content, not the bottom line: one may be cheaper simply because it leaves out demolition or building services. As a reference for premium renovation: our Basic tier starts from €1,000/m² excluding VAT, Standard from €2,000/m² and Luxury from €3,000/m². If a quote at a comparable level is far below the market, ask what is missing.
Step 4. Before signing
A civil-liability insurance certificate whose policyholder matches the company in the contract. A written contract with the scope, programme and the quote attached. Staged payments tied to completed work, not calendar dates; a reasonable deposit, not 50 to 100 percent upfront. A change procedure: any extra work is priced in writing first and carried out afterwards.
And three questions that deserve a straight answer: who is responsible for the site and how to reach them; how you will receive progress reports; whether the company only accepts cash without an invoice. If the answer to the last one is yes, the others no longer matter.
After signing, the checks continue
A good start does not guarantee a good finish, so some checks run for the whole project. Every payment comes after a stage is signed off, not because someone phoned. Hidden work, such as waterproofing, pipes and wiring in walls, is photographed before it is covered. Any price change is agreed in writing before the work is done. If the contractor starts swapping agreed materials without asking, or requests a payment before a stage is finished, it is time to stop and talk.
How we pass the same checklist
We wrote this checklist so it can be applied to us as well. BCN YARD, SLU, NIF B21924758, civil-liability policy with Hiscox, S.A.: the details are on our "About us" page. Projects are published with floor areas and dates: the 109.80 m² Urgel flat in the Eixample, the 250 m² child psychology centre in the Eixample and a private house with a pool. Our own crew does the work, specialist trades go to trusted subcontractors, and one person is responsible for the site. Payment follows the contract in stages. We reply to enquiries within an hour and run the project in Spanish or Russian.
Decide on what can be verified, not on verbal promises, ours included.