Your previous tenancy has ended and the tenant has returned the keys. The flat is now vacant, giving you an opportunity to inspect it and arrange any necessary work before renting it out again. In the scenario covered here, you, as the owner, hire and pay a renovation company to carry out the work. The new tenant moves in after the work is complete. You cover the renovation costs and the period without rental income; the next tenant receives a home with the agreed repairs and improvements finished.
Renovating between tenants in Madrid means deciding what must be resolved before the next move-in, which improvements make sense while the property is empty and what can wait. In autumn, checking windows, heating, hot water and ventilation is particularly useful before the colder months.
This guide is for landlords and property investors continuing to rent out the whole dwelling as a residential home. The aim is to match the work to the property’s condition and organise it to reduce avoidable disruption.
1. Start with a check-out inspection, before booking the painters
Once the property has been handed back and is available, inspect each room and create a photographic record of issues. Include faults and discomfort reported during the previous tenancy: a cold bedroom or a recurring stain deserves attention even if it looks fine on the day of the visit.
- Plumbing and drainage: leaks, dripping taps, toilet cisterns, smells and poorly functioning drains.
- Electrical installation: damaged switches or sockets, supply problems and a history of protective devices tripping. These checks belong with a qualified professional.
- Heating and hot water: operation, controls, maintenance records and previously reported problems.
- Windows and roller shutters: operation, closing mechanisms, seals and possible air or water ingress. External roller shutters are known locally as persianas.
- Bathroom and kitchen: ventilation, seals, fixings, cabinets and appliances included in the next tenancy.
- Finishes: loose components, damaged flooring, doors that catch and areas of wall needing repair.
Record the symptom, the cause still to be confirmed and the proposed action separately. Recording damage does not automatically establish who should pay for it or justify a deduction from the tenancy deposit, known in Spain as the fianza.
2. Prioritise the work by need
Priorities should not depend solely on what will show in the listing photographs. Use the following order to discuss the scope with your renovation company:
| Priority | What it covers | Decision criterion |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Safety and essential functions | Electrical faults, active leaks, unstable fittings or failed essential equipment. | Resolve problems that prevent the home being handed over in suitable condition. |
| 2. Causes of recurring problems | Recurring damp, drainage faults, inadequate ventilation or defective window closures. | Address the cause before renewing finishes. |
| 3. Improvements best combined with the work | Upgrading accessible installations, renovating a deteriorated bathroom or improving windows where appropriate. | Consider whether postponing them would mean dismantling newly completed work later. |
| 4. Presentation and maintenance | Painting, joinery adjustments, lighting and durable finishes. | Choose practical solutions suited to the intended use and easy to maintain. |
3. Two scenarios: a targeted refresh or a wider renovation
The home works well, with localised wear
If the installations are in suitable condition and faults are isolated, a limited scope may be enough: fixing a leak, adjusting closures, replacing damaged components, preparing walls and repainting. There is no need to replace an entire kitchen if its components remain functional and repairable.
Ask for an agreed list of tasks by room, stating what will be retained. This helps distinguish a planned refresh from a series of small jobs that grows without an overall budget.
Faults are accumulating or several areas need opening up
If problems affect plumbing or electrical systems, the bathroom, kitchen or several finishes, request a broader renovation option. The property’s age alone does not determine the scope: its condition, professional assessment and intended use should guide the decision.
Compare what each option resolves and what would remain outstanding. Replacing a finish that will soon need removing to repair a pipe can mean paying for work twice. Our guide to prioritising a renovation budget can help you structure the decision.
4. What to check before cold weather in a Madrid flat
The flat’s position within the building matters as much as its neighbourhood. In a bedroom facing a shaded courtyard, examine cold surfaces and ventilation. On an exposed facade, check window closures. In a top-floor flat, investigate stains that appear after rain.
Windows: do not assume they all need replacing. An adjustment can resolve some faults, while others need more extensive work. Our guide to repairing or replacing windows in Madrid (in Spanish) explains how to compare the options.
Heating: arrange checks with a professional. If the building has communal heating, coordinate with its management. If the system is not yet running, record what could not be tested and arrange how it will be checked later.
Damp and ventilation: painting over a stain does not address its cause. Distinguish a plumbing leak, rainwater ingress and possible condensation before choosing a treatment. Do not block air inlets or ventilation ducts to try to retain heat.
Some problems involve shared parts of the building and require coordination with the comunidad de propietarios, the owners’ association. Identifying this early helps avoid a schedule based on repairs the individual landlord cannot complete independently.
5. Sequence the work to avoid doing it twice
- Assessment and scope: confirm issues, measurements, the agreed work and any necessary technical checks.
- Preparation: establish applicable procedures, access, utilities, materials and trade availability.
- Removal and installation work: carry out planned opening-up and repairs before closing walls or fitting finishes.
- Checks: document and test the work before it is concealed, as appropriate.
- Finishes and fitting: allow the drying and curing periods specified for each system.
- Handover: complete cleaning, final tests and snagging before the next tenant moves in.
Request a schedule showing specific dependencies. Made-to-measure furniture, a replacement part or repairs to a leak in a shared element can affect other tasks. The move-in date should be based on a realistic programme, as well as your plans to resume rental income.
6. Include the period without rent in your comparison
To compare options, you can estimate the gross rental income not received during additional vacant days, using a simplified 30-day month:
Reference monthly rent ÷ 30 × additional days without a tenant.
Hypothetical example only: at a reference rent of €1,200 per month, an extra fourteen days would represent €560 in potential gross rental income. This is not an average Madrid rent, an expected renovation duration or a guaranteed loss. It assumes the property would otherwise have been rented during those additional days.
Apply the same assumptions to each option and include the renovation quotation, additional expenses and a delay scenario. Do not count costs twice if you would already incur them with the property occupied.
This comparison does not justify postponing necessary repairs or guarantee that renovation will allow a rent increase. It helps you weigh the cost of extending the work against leaving improvements outstanding.
7. Request a quotation that defines the finished result
Alongside measurements and itemised prices, request specified materials, preparation work, waste removal, protection, taxes and exclusions. Clarify whether the quote includes repainting after channels are cut for pipes or wiring, making good, cleaning and operational tests.
Agree how unexpected work will be approved and who can authorise decisions if you cannot visit the flat. A photograph of a hidden problem should come with a proposed solution, cost and effect on the schedule before the scope is extended.
Use our guide to what a renovation quotation should include. If you also intend to change the rental model, our example budget for renovating a flat for room-by-room rental addresses a different project with a different scope.
8. Repair obligations and local procedures: two preliminary checks
Article 21 of Spain’s Urban Leases Act, the Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos (in Spanish), regulates necessary repairs to maintain habitability during a tenancy, subject to its stated exceptions. A tenant’s departure may make work easier, but it does not justify delaying repairs that should have been addressed earlier.
In Madrid city, the council identifies certain internal maintenance works exempt from a licence or declaración responsable (in Spanish), such as painting in buildings without architectural protection. A declaración responsable is a formal declaration of compliance. Do not extend the exemption to every renovation: check the scope, building protection and effects on shared elements. For other municipalities, confirm the relevant local procedure.
9. Hand over the flat with documented checks
Before signing off the work and updating your listing photographs, review:
- Operation of taps, drains, toilet cisterns and equipment included in the work.
- Opening and closing of repaired doors, windows and roller shutters.
- Checks on modified installations by the responsible professionals.
- Finishing details, cleanliness and the condition of retained elements.
- Invoices, warranties, instructions and applicable technical documentation.
- Final photographs, an inventory and a record of any outstanding checks, with a responsible person and planned date.
Any fault that prevents proper use of the home must be resolved before handover. Recording it on a list does not replace the repair.
Will your Madrid flat soon be vacant? Maceta y Cortafrío can assess the renovation scope and prepare an itemised quotation. Tell us about your project, including the municipality or neighbourhood, floor area, availability date, condition of the bathroom and kitchen, known issues and when you would like to rent it out again.
