Checklist: is this a good quote?

Identification and scope

• 1. Contractor details: name, tax number, address, contact.
• 2. Your details and the property address.
• 3. Date and validity of the quote.
• 4. Scope described room by room, matching what you asked for.
• 5. Depth of work clear: surface or down to services.

If the scope does not match your brief, ask why before anything else. A quote for a different job is not comparable. Our guide on comparing quotes explains how to check this.

Structure and lines

• 6. Chapters in the order of the works.
• 7. Lines with units — m², ml, ud — and quantities.
• 8. Descriptions that say what is included in each line.
• 9. Few lump sums (PA), and none on major chapters.
• 10. Provisional lines marked and explained, where something cannot be confirmed in advance.
• 11. Strip-out and debris as their own lines.
• 12. Services — plumbing, electrics — as their own chapters, with electrical and gas work by authorised partner installers or another authorised firm.

See the itemised quote page for sample lines without figures.

Materials, VAT and exclusions

• 13. Materials: each line says supply and fit, or fit only; allowances stated where choices are pending.
• 14. VAT on its own line, with the rate applied.
• 15. Exclusions listed: furniture, appliances, licence fees, technical project, anything outside scope.
• 16. Final clean included or explicitly excluded.

The VAT rate depends on conditions set by the tax agency (AEAT), including how you use the property; see VAT and grants.

Conditions and protection

• 17. Payment stages linked to completed work, not just dates.
• 18. Change procedure: new lines priced and approved in writing before execution.
• 19. Indicative schedule and what it depends on.
• 20. Guarantee and public liability insurance mentioned.

If the quote is silent on payments or changes, ask for them to be written into the contract. Our guide on the payment schedule explains what a reasonable structure looks like.

Which Spanish terms will you meet on the quote?

If you are reading a quote in Spanish, a few terms come up on almost every page. Presupuesto sin compromiso means the quote is free and does not oblige you to accept it. Medición is the measured quantity of a line, and precio unitario its unit price. Importe is the line total, and base imponible the total before tax. IVA no incluido means VAT will be added on top. Partida alzada is a lump sum, and a cargo de la propiedad means an item is the owner’s responsibility — often a sign of an exclusion worth reading carefully.

Knowing these words lets you check the structure even if you rely on a translation for the descriptions. Where a term is unclear, ask the builder to explain it in writing; a clear answer is part of what you are assessing.

How should you use the checklist?

Print it or copy it, and tick each point for each quote you receive. Missing points are not automatically a reason to reject a quote; they are questions to ask. A builder who answers them clearly and updates the quote is showing you how they will communicate during the works.

Our own quotes are written to meet every point on this list. If you would like to see how ours compares with others you have received, send them with your request and we will go through the structure with you. For how the lines add up in a full job, see full renovation cost, and for why some items appear at all, cost factors.

Which warning signs should make you pause?

• A quote on a single page with a handful of lump sums.
• No mention of VAT, or a suggestion that paying without invoice is cheaper.
• A large advance requested before work or materials are on site.
• No mention of debris, protection or cleaning.
• Electrics or gas without any mention of who carries them out.
• Pressure to sign immediately.

Any one of these is a reason to ask more questions; several together are a reason to look elsewhere.

Official sources

• AEAT – What rate applies to works on dwellings? Renovation or repair (page updated 13 October 2026, checked 5 November 2026)