Managing a demolition in Spain from abroad

Who is this for?

This way of working is for owners of property in the province of Málaga who live elsewhere for most or all of the year and need a demolition done: a villa to be replaced, an inherited village house in ruin, an old finca building, an extension that has to go. It is equally useful for owners who live in Spain but do not speak Spanish comfortably and want an English-speaking contractor.

It does not replace the professionals a project needs. You still have your architect or técnico, who prepares and signs the documentation and directs the works where required, and, if the situation calls for it, a lawyer or gestor. What we add is a demolition contractor who explains the work in English and makes the job visible to you from a distance.

Site supervision: what we do and what your técnico does

Owners abroad often search for "site supervision" or "property project management". In Spain, the technical direction and supervision of works is the job of a técnico competente, not of the contractor. It is worth being precise about the split:

The roles behind this table are explained in who signs a demolition project in Spain and health and safety on a Spanish demolition site.

Communication in English: what you can expect

You get one contact who answers in English by e-mail, phone or WhatsApp, and written documents you can read without a translator. In practice:

• Quote: written and itemised, describing what is demolished, what stays, how the waste is handled and the level the plot is left at.
• Scope sheet: a written list of what stays and what goes, which we photograph against at the end.
• Programme: planned dates, shared with you and your architect, and updated if something changes.
• Decisions: if something unexpected turns up – a buried tank, a hidden asbestos-cement pipe, a wall that is not where the plans show it – you get photos and the options in writing before anything is done.

What a typical job looks like from the owner's side is described in what it's actually like to work with us while you're abroad.

Photo updates at each stage of the demolition

Photos are the closest thing to standing on site. We send them at the stages where something has visibly changed, so you can follow the job and keep a record:

1. Before the start: the building, the access, the boundaries and the neighbouring walls, as a record of their condition.
2. Preparation: fencing, containers, items set aside to keep.
3. Strip-out and structure: the building as it comes down, and the sorted piles of tiles, timber, metal and masonry.
4. Clearing: the waste leaving and the plot emerging.
5. Handover: the cleared plot photographed against the scope sheet, plus the waste delivery receipts.

Those photos are also useful for your architect, for the community and, if needed, for the town hall.

Working with your architect and your community of owners

We coordinate directly with your architect or técnico on the documentation, the programme, the cut lines on a partial demolition and the handover level of the plot. You stay copied, but you do not have to relay messages between the two of us in a second language.

If the property is part of a community of owners under propiedad horizontal, Ley 49/1960 applies: the community must be informed before walls, structure or façade elements are demolished, and works affecting common elements need the owners' meeting agreement. Once that is in place, we agree access, dates and use of common areas with the administrator, and document the condition of common elements before the start. For apartment interiors in a community, see our sister site's guide on strip-outs in a community of owners.

What we do not do – and who you need for it

Being clear about the limits of our role protects you as much as us. As the demolition contractor we do not:

• draft the demolition project or technical report, or sign technical certificates – that is your técnico competente;
• file the declaración responsable or apply for licences on your behalf – that is you, with your técnico;
• act as your legal representative before the town hall or a court – that is a lawyer or gestor;
• carry out asbestos removal ourselves – that is done by a RERA-registered company working as our subcontractor, under its own approved work plan;
• build the new house – that is the builder you choose, to whom we hand over the plot.

If you do not yet have a técnico, ask your lawyer, gestor or estate agent for a recommendation before you plan dates; the documentation comes first.

Keys, access and paperwork when you are not in Spain

A few practical arrangements make remote management much easier:

• Keys and access: a neighbour, agent or property manager who can open up for the visit and the start; we coordinate access with them.
• Supplies: disconnection of electricity, water and gas arranged with the supply companies before the start, often through your architect or property manager.
• Identification: for the municipal and tax formalities of the works, the owner identifies themselves with their DNI, NIE or NIF; your técnico or gestor tells you which applies.
• Documents: deeds, cadastral reference, any previous plans and any letters from the town hall – scanned and shared with your técnico and with us.

Before you choose anyone, go through our demolition contractor checklist for overseas owners. For the demolition itself, see house and villa demolition or finca demolition, and for the written quote basics our price site's guide on stage payments and written contracts.