Having recently purchased a holiday home here in Spain and having already been let down by the people I thought I could trust I would like to know is there an official website in Spain for registered self employed people and residents. I have been let down by someone who was building me a pool. I paid him a sum of money upfront and he has done a runner and left me with no pool and no money. I have been told he has gone back to England. I went with an interpreter to the police station but they say they cannot do anything to help as he is not in the system and he isn´t even registered as a resident in Spain. I want to know how can I check on any future workers i.e. property maintenance etc. that they are registered as living here and as being self employed here as I don´t want to get caught out again. I feel so stupid as I believed everything he told me. Any advice please. What do others do. Has this happened to anyone else.

Good question.

As I put on another thread there are tradesman sites that are rated by other customers, but they service the Spanish speaking market. You also have to be able to sift out the obvious "friend of the supplier" who's trying to big up trade.

Ask for a NIF number. Ensure they have a land based phone number too.

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Well said, I never employ people who's only contact is a mobile phone or even on websites that have no physical address

nor me for something like that - although I do only give my mobile number out, I'm not taking money upfront from anyone

for something like that paying probably 1000s upfront I'd go further than just asking for NIE/NIF - I'd ask to see their complaints book/SS papers/resident reg. cert./passport/insurance docs & want photocopies too

although for something like that I'd only use a reputable company with premises, like you


funnily enough, someone was posting on a local fb group as a builder looking for work

another poster asked if he was 'legal' - his reply was that he lived here legally because he is British so he was allowed to .......


the next poster said that 'legal' meant registered for tax & NI

the 'builder' has never posted there again..................

you might like to look in the local papers and see who is paying for largish adverts, usually for 6 months.
they should be able to supply you with details of the work they have done, customers who would recommend them.

do you have a (real) name ?? if so then try googling him and see what hits you get from 192.com etc, you may even find other forums where he has done the same

its bad enough getting ripped off by Johnny Foreigner but when its one of your own

o sorry to hear about this, any work we have had done we pay once finished or for materials as they are bought.

Another one I am careful with are Hotmail numbers, we dont use Brits as sad to say they have a bad reputation and rip of their own as said previously.

Good luck with the future and hope you get your pool especially in this heat.

I only use professionals who have been recommended to me by my Spanish neighbours and this has proved to be a very satisfactory method so far. All have been totally legal and like me they have insisted on doing things the legal way with the right licences and paperwork for the tax man.

So sorry that you have had this bad experience and hope that you manage to find someone genuine in your area.

Rosemary

I always ask three different companies for written quotes/estimates for anything that costs over 100€. The quote/estimate has to be detailed with full address and CIF or NIF number. I don't pay up front, except for the occasional special order deposit, and I want a proper invoice before I pay, IVA etc. For a big job, I would want to go to the workplace to pick up the quote/estimate so I can make sure it's all above board.
This might sounds a bit ott but I get good work done, pay a decent price and have a full warranty for all work. I pay by bank transfer to the Company not an individual so there's no black money involved and I have proof of payment.
I lay these terms out clearly to anyone interested in doing the work and thank them nicely then say goodbye if they can't comply.

All this came from being ripped off within 3 weeks of arrival many years ago. We live and learn by our mistakes.

Again, as per the UK, NEVER pay up front. Have a quotation which details stage payments. Retain a bulk of the capital until you are sure that the job has been done to your satisfaction.


In your particular case, INSIST on seeing the building licence which is a requirement for such a development!


And finally, take the advice of Spanish neighbours and only employee a reputable, Spanish builder.

Yep I have certainly learnt a lesson but wont fall for that one again.

We have heard a lot of this in Mallorca. Mostly English and German tradesmen. Although you never know when they will "up and run", as steviedeluxe said, a site where trades or tradesmen are rated by other customers, is a good start, in my opinion.

there's a facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/326845847386244/

it started locally to me, but is gradually getting bigger, geographically speaking