Setting up utilities, internet and local services quietly decides how livable the first six months of a Spanish move feel. For an expat family arriving in Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa, Villamartin, La Zenia or Pilar de la Horadada in 2026, the provider depends on the urbanizacion, the paperwork is in Spanish, and most contracts assume you already have an NIE and a Spanish bank account.

Electricity

The Spanish market splits into the regulated PVPC tariff, set hourly by Red Electrica and supplied through comercializadores de referencia like Iberdrola, and the free market, where Iberdrola, Endesa and EDP are the main names.

Key point

• PVPC tracks wholesale prices by the hour, rewarding off peak usage
• Free market tariffs from Iberdrola, Endesa or EDP fix the kWh price for 12 months, smoother but not always cheaper
• The potencia contratada sets the standing charge regardless of usage
• A typical flat runs 4.6 kW, a villa with air con and a pool pump usually 5.75 kW or higher
• Sign a poder so your lawyer or gestor can set up the contract before you have a Spanish phone number
• You can review the potencia after one summer and step it up or down once a year without penalty

Water

Water is a local concession, so the provider depends on the postcode rather than national choice.

• Torrevieja and the Orihuela Costa urbanizaciones, including La Zenia, Playa Flamenca, Villamartin and Cabo Roig, are served by Hidraqua, now part of Veolia
• Pilar de la Horadada is served by Acciona Agua under a municipal concession
• Some inland villages and newer developments use a different concessionaire, check the seller's latest invoice

Key point

• A resale needs a cambio de titular, a change of ownership on the existing contract, not a new connection
• A brand new build needs an alta, which only goes live once the licencia de primera ocupacion is in place
• Ask the seller for the most recent paid bill, the contract number and the meter reading

Gas

Piped natural gas is rare in the coastal urbanizaciones. Most villas run on bottled butano or buried propane, and many newer homes are fully electric.

• Bottled butano comes from Repsol and Cepsa, the orange and silver bombonas you see on doorsteps
• Larger villas often have a buried propane deposit refilled by Repsol, Cepsa or Galp
• Iberdrola Gas and Naturgy supply piped gas where it exists, mostly inland and in some Torrevieja flats, not the coastal urbanizaciones
• Check what the home uses before replacing a hob, it changes whether you need butano, propane or induction

Internet and Mobile

Fibre to the home is now well distributed across the urbanizaciones, though a few older or rural plots still sit on ADSL or fixed wireless. Movistar, Vodafone, Orange, MasMovil and O2 all sell consumer packages, alongside local fibre operators marketing in English.

Key point

• Movistar has the deepest fibre footprint and is usually fastest to install in Villamartin, La Zenia and Punta Prima
• Vodafone and Orange are competitive on bundled fibre and mobile, often with multi SIM family deals
• MasMovil and O2 sit at the cheaper end on 12 month tariffs
• Check the exact address on the provider coverage map, two streets apart can be 1 Gbps fibre versus a fixed wireless link

Home Insurance

Home insurance, the seguro de hogar, is required by any mortgage lender and strongly advised for outright buyers.

• Mapfre, Allianz, Linea Directa and Mutua Madrileña are the names most often quoted to expat buyers
• A residential policy should cover continente, the building, and contenido, the contents, plus third party liability
• Villas with a private pool need it covered as a structure, check it is named in the policy
• If you let the property short term, declare it, a domestic only policy can be void on a holiday rental claim

TV and Streaming

• Movistar Plus Plus bundles La Liga and most premium Spanish sport, often included in fibre packages
• DAZN carries a large share of La Liga rights and is available standalone
• Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus work in English on a Spanish account
• BeIN Connect is the usual route for selected football and motor sport
• UK iPlayer and ITVX need a UK based service, plan around that before cancelling anything at home

The Comunidad de Propietarios

Buying in an urbanizacion or apartment block means joining a comunidad de propietarios automatically, with its own administrador and AGM.

• Ask the administrador for the last set of AGM minutes, the actas, which show what has been agreed and any pending works
• Confirm the monthly comunidad fee, usually paid by direct debit
• Derramas are one off levies for major works such as a lift or pool refurbishment, ask whether any are on the table
• Keep the administrador updated with your address and IBAN

The Ayuntamiento and Local Taxes

Registering with the town hall as a property owner is separate from the empadronamiento. It plugs you into the local tax and waste systems.

• IBI, the annual property tax, is collected by SUMA on behalf of the ayuntamiento across most of Alicante, including Torrevieja and Orihuela
• Basura, the waste collection tax, comes either with the IBI or as a separate annual bill
• Set both up on direct debit, missed bills become surcharges quickly
• Update the Catastro after a new build or extension, IBI is calculated from the valor catastral on file
• Most procedures can be started through the Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja electronic office or its Orihuela equivalent

Common Mistakes

• Trying to sign electricity or water contracts before the NIE and Spanish bank account are in place
• Completing on a new build before the licencia de primera ocupacion is genuinely issued, then sitting on builder supply for months
• Choosing PVPC without thinking about when the family actually uses electricity, a household running everything at 19:00 will not benefit
• Picking an internet provider by brand alone, when the same address may have full fibre with one and fixed wireless with another
• Forgetting that the comunidad fee, IBI and basura all need a working IBAN, unpaid direct debits are the fastest way to fall out with neighbours

A Practical Sequence

• Get your NIE and Spanish bank account in place during the property search
• Give your lawyer or gestor a power of attorney so utilities can be set up on completion day
• On a resale, run cambios de titular for electricity and water, do not let the seller cancel
• On a new build, wait for the occupation licence, then set up permanent electricity and water in your name
• Book fibre install once you have a completion date, slots in Villamartin and La Zenia can run two to three weeks out
• Set up home insurance to start on completion day, the lender will require it on a mortgage
• Register at the ayuntamiento and put IBI and basura on direct debit

Most of the friction expat families hit comes from doing things in the wrong order. If you are planning a move to Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa, Villamartin, La Zenia or Pilar de la Horadada, talk to us about buying property on the Costa Blanca with Movr. We will point you to the right providers for your urbanizacion and make sure the utilities side is ready when you collect the keys.