Saving is a task that we all like the "idea of" but that not all of us carry out.

From the Naranja Spain Costa Blanca real estate agency, we give you the keys on how to control your expenses in order to be able to save money on your home expenses in Spain this 2023.

What are the costs of living in a property in Costa Blanca, Spain?

The first thing that we must take into account after buying a home in Spain is that; As in all countries, there are a series of tax obligations to pay; taxes, variable expenses and fixed expenses.

What are the taxes and expenses pf owning a house in Spain?

IBI ( Impuesto Bienes Inmuebles) / (Property Estate Tax)
The IBI is an annual tax, which falls on the owner of a property, business premises or garage in Spain.
The percentage of the tax is applied to the cadastral value of the property and this varies according to the area in which you reside.

The IBI property tax in 2023 in the area of Alicante, Costa Blanca is as follows; applied to the cadastral value:
Urban real estate: 0.59%.
Rustic urban goods: 0.30%.

Garbage collection tax
As its name indicates, this tax is in charge of the garbage collection and management process. Each City Council establishes the amount of this annual tax, according to the development and infrastructure of its city.
The annual tax for garbage collection in Alicante homes are:

Homes with a constructed area of up to 104 m2
Depending on the category of the route, the fee ranges from: €22.27 to €38.99
With a constructed area of more than 104 m2
Depending on the category of the route, the fee ranges from: €32.33 to €56.59

What bills, taxes, receipts and monthly payments does our house have in Spain?

To save, we must review our expenses and detail them so that later we can analyze the prices of the competition and decide which expenses stay and which expenses go away.

Community expenses
Keep in mind that if you are part of a building or urbanization, there are maintenance costs for common areas as well as spillovers when an improvement or rehabilitation of buildings and common areas such as gardens, swimming pools, parks, tracks, gym, etc. are required. etc…
The community expense of a home or property on the Costa Blanca ranges from €100 to €250 per year.
Community expenses in Costa Blanca are higher than the Spanish average, because with the exception of independent houses such as chalets, villas or country houses; They do not have the community expense, most homes on the Costa Blanca are part of a community of neighbors. Thus, they have a large number of services and common areas for the greater comfort of residents.
Supplies: Water
In order to register the water in a house in Alicante, you must pay a fee that usually varies between €136 and €185, this amount is made up of 3 elements. The consumption advance, the network fee and the down payment fee.
If the home you have bought has been closed for a long time and must be registered, in many situations it is necessary to present an installation certificate or a water bulletin.
The water bulletin is the certificate that accredits that a certain plumbing installation complies with the requirements established by the corresponding regulations. It is quite common for certifications of this type to be requested when the water supply in a property has been low for a long time or when the property has never had it.
The price of the water installation bulletin in Alicante: from €60 to €200

Supplies: Electricity Bill
In Spain and in the majority of countries, electricity is a basic necessity resource that has had a price rise, too high and that has affected the majority of Spanish families.
To save on the electricity bill in Spain; It is essential that you compare the different rates offered by the different energy marketers and that you value other alternatives from companies that produce energy with renewable systems such as solar panels or wind energy.
On the Costa Blanca, you save money by hiring a solar energy electricity supplier.
In Spain and as in many countries of the European Union, electricity has a price depending on the part of the day; that is to say that the price of light depends on the time in which you consume it.
Why does electricity in Spain change in price according to the schedule?

Because it is important to distribute the use of energy throughout the day as evenly as possible; it is the most sustainable and efficient way to use a resource. And with the difference in price, the distribution of energy use is encouraged in hourly sections where there is less consumption.

Hourly distribution of electricity in Costa Blanca, Alicante:

Rush hour (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.): more expensive use of light.
The flat hour (8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and from 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.)
Off-peak hours (12:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., weekends and national holidays): chepest use of light.

Here we end with the list of expenses that a property has per year in Spain; In another article we will talk about the variable expenses that a home has, such as internet supplies, security and other expenses.