Utilities and Internet Contracts in Valencia (2026)
Under a lease, metered utilities are your cost. Electricity needs a retailer contract with the CUPS code, the holder's name and ID number, the installation certificate and an IBAN. Water is contracted with Emivasa by phone, online or at an office. A consumer internet contract cannot run longer than twenty-four months.
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Who pays for utilities under a lease
You pay the metered bills: costs for services measured by individual meters are the tenant’s.
The renting guide covers the rest of the money side of a lease. To fit the bills into a monthly budget, see the cost of living guide.
Electricity
Who does what
Who do you actually sign with? Two companies sit behind your supply. The distributor runs the grid at your address, and you cannot choose it. The retailer sells you the electricity, and you can choose it.
Getting a supply means a grid-access contract and a supply contract with a retailer. You can sign the access contract yourself or let your retailer do it.
Documents to have ready
Gather these before you call a retailer.
- The CUPS code of the supply point.
- The holder’s name and ID number.
- The installation certificate (Boletín Eléctrico).
- An IBAN for the direct debit of the bills.
For a new supply point you also need a first-occupation or opening licence, a habitability certificate, and the property deed or lease. The lease is accepted.
On timing, the legal maximum to start the supply is 5 to 7 working days, whichever retailer you use.
Prices and your bill
Homes connected at low voltage with contracted power under 10 kW can take the regulated PVPC price. It has separate prices for power and for energy, and the energy price varies with the time of day.
The power term is fixed and depends on contracted power, so you pay it even if you consume nothing. Contracted power can be changed every twelve months, through the retailer.
Take over a live supply (change the holder)
If the power is already on, the supply point exists and is switched on, but the holder is someone else. You ask a retailer for a change of holder (cambio de titular). The same documents apply as for a new contract.
Every contract change goes through the retailer, not the distributor. The change of holder is one of the standard ones, and changes like this are generally free.
Do not leave the supply without a contract. A consumer with no contract and no right to the regulated price is supplied by the reference retailer with a 20% penalty.
Switch retailer or change the contract
Switching is free, and it takes at most 10 working days from signing the new contract.
A permanence clause can only apply to ending the contract within one year, and the penalty cannot exceed 5% of the remaining energy cost. Check for one before you switch.
Signing the new contract ends the old one automatically. A distance-signed energy contract can be withdrawn within 14 days.
Changing the holder or bank account is generally free. Raising contracted power can cost something.
Open the CNMC comparator through the QR code on your electricity bill, and your consumption loads automatically.
A retailer or distributor must answer a complaint within fifteen working days.
Regulated price or free market
You choose between the regulated price (PVPC) and a free-market offer. The regulated price is only open to contracted power of 10 kW or less.
Compare before you sign
Two official tools do the comparing for you. The CNMC simulator prices your bill at the regulated PVPC rate. The CNMC offer comparator shows free-market offers for electricity, gas or both.
The regulated price changes through the day. The CNMC price traffic light shows the 8 most expensive hours in red and the 8 cheapest in green.
Switching in either direction is free and takes at most ten working days. No fee can be charged for a switch on the standard home tariff, 2.0TD. This site gives no per-kWh prices: they change, and the comparator shows the current offers.
Bono social (discount for vulnerable households)
A household on the regulated price can ask for the bono social, a discount on the bill. Four conditions apply:
- The holder is an individual.
- The supply point is the main home.
- The holder is on the PVPC, or signs a PVPC contract with the reference retailer.
- The holder is a vulnerable consumer, severely vulnerable, or vulnerable at risk of social exclusion.
Ask a reference retailer to apply it: the bono social is contracted through one. Whether your household meets the vulnerability test is the retailer’s call, so ask before you assume.
Gas
Not every flat has gas. If yours does, you choose the retailer freely. The distributor, not the retailer, connects and disconnects the supply point, maintains the network and reads the meter.
Start the supply
Have the CUPS code of the home ready; it must appear on every gas bill. Gas is contracted at a sales office, by phone or online, and door-to-door sales at the home are banned. On a sales call, keep your bank account to yourself unless you want to sign.
For a flat with an individual gas installation, you need the installation certificate from an authorised installer, then a contract with the retailer you choose. The retailer files the connection request with the distributor for you.
The distributor has up to 6 working days to validate the request and another 6 working days to check and connect. Give a contact phone number so the distributor can arrange the visit.
Regulated tariff or free market
The regulated gas tariff (TUR) is open to homes using up to 50,000 kWh a year at supply pressure up to 4 bar. You contract it only with an authorised last-resort retailer, at its sales offices, by phone or on its website. Everyone else is on the free market, where you compare offers in the same CNMC comparator, reachable by the QR code on your gas bill.
Switch, withdraw, inspect
Changing gas retailer is free and must be done within 3 weeks. A contract signed by phone or online can be withdrawn within 14 days, and you go back to your previous retailer.
The gas installation is inspected every 5 years. The owner and tenant users share responsibility for maintenance and proper use. Never pay the inspector in cash.
Problems and complaints
Send a gas complaint to the supplying company first. If it stays unresolved, the usual next step is the regional consumer arbitration board (Junta Arbitral de Consumo). A household that receives the electricity bono social also gets the heating aid, the bono social térmico, with no application.
Water
The customer, and so the name on the water bill, is the person who formalises the supply contract.
Start the supply
Contract by phone on 96 386 06 00, in the virtual office or at an Emivasa office. Starting a supply in a dwelling needs the occupation licence, or the responsible declaration for renewing it. Suppliers cannot contract supplies in buildings without the licence.
Tip: ask your landlord for the licence before you call. Service starts within 48 working hours of formalising the contract, unless access or another technical or administrative problem blocks it.
A new connection is billed for administrative costs, meter installation and the corresponding deposits. Ask Emivasa for the current tariff.
Holder, bills and meter
Changing the holder is free, except where a municipal fee applies. Only the contract holder can collect certified letters.
Bills are preferably paid by direct debit. The voluntary payment period is 30 days from issue. The supplier may suspend the supply if you do not pay in the period set in the contract.
When you read the meter, count only the black digits, in cubic metres. You can send the reading in the virtual office, by phone, at an office, or on the self-reading card the reader leaves.
When you leave
When you move out, cancel the supply by phone or in the virtual office, which only the holder can use. A final bill covers the period from the last bill to your cancellation request.
The council ratified Emivasa’s 2026 water tariffs at a committee meeting of 18 February 2026.
Internet and mobile
Before you sign an internet or mobile plan, know the limit: a consumer contract cannot run longer than twenty-four months. After an automatic renewal you can cancel at any time with at most one month’s notice, paying only for service during the notice.
Los contratos celebrados entre consumidores y operadores de servicios de comunicaciones electrónicas disponibles al público distintos de los servicios de transmisión utilizados para la prestación de servicios máquina a máquina, no tendrán un período de vigencia superior a veinticuatro meses.
Contracts between consumers and public electronic-communications operators may not have a term longer than twenty-four months.
BOE · Ley 11/2022, art. 67.7
Before you are bound, the operator must give you a short, easy-to-read contract summary. The operator must warn you at least one month before changing conditions and tell you of your right to leave at no extra cost.
If you cancel early and keep a subsidised device, you owe at most its pro-rated value or the remaining service fee.
Switch operator without losing your number
To keep your number, let the new operator run the switch. You have the right to change operator and keep your number on request. After you end a contract you keep the right to move the number for at least one month.
The old operator keeps your internet running on the same terms until the new one activates it, and any loss of service cannot exceed one working day. The old contract ends automatically when the switch finishes. Delay or abuse in a switch, or a missed installation appointment, entitles you to compensation.
Complaints
Ask for the reference number of every complaint, query or request. A private person has a free out-of-court procedure to settle a dispute with an operator.
Photo credits
- A residential building in central Valencia: Zarateman, Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) (CC0)
- A central square in Valencia: Zarateman, Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) (CC0)
Step by step
- Get the supply details from the landlordAsk for the CUPS code, the installation certificate and, for water, the occupation licence.
- Contract electricitySign with a retailer of your choice; the supply starts within 5 to 7 working days.
- Contract waterPhone Emivasa on 96 386 06 00, use the virtual office or visit an office.
- Choose internetRead the contract summary first; a consumer contract cannot exceed twenty-four months.
- Set up paymentElectricity needs an IBAN for direct debit; water bills are preferably paid by direct debit.
Not confirmed: Water tariff amounts for València: only the council's ratification of Emivasa's 2026 tariffs could be confirmed: read the figures on your Emivasa bill or its tariff page before you budget. Whether a retailer accepts a passport number instead of a NIE: ask before you sign.
Reach readers planning life in Valencia. Advertise → hello@settlevalencia.com
Common questions
Who pays the utility bills in a rented flat?
You do. Costs for services measured by individual meters are in all cases the tenant's. Put the water contract in your own name: the holder is the person who signs it.
What do I need to switch on the electricity?
Have ready the CUPS code, the holder's name and ID number, the supply address, the installation certificate, the contracted power and an IBAN. For a new supply point you also need an occupation licence, a habitability certificate and the lease.
How long until the electricity is switched on?
5 to 7 working days at most, whichever retailer you choose. A lease is accepted as proof of your right to the home for a new supply point.
Can I change electricity retailer freely?
Yes: changing retailer is free. It takes at most 10 working days from signing the new contract. A permanence clause can only apply to ending the contract within one year, and the penalty cannot exceed 5% of the remaining energy cost.
How do I get water connected in València?
Phone Emivasa on 96 386 06 00, use its virtual office or visit a customer office. A dwelling needs an occupation licence. Service starts within 48 working hours of formalising the contract, barring access or administrative problems.
How long can an internet or mobile contract last?
Twenty-four months at most. After an automatic renewal you can cancel at any time with at most one month's notice. The operator must give you a short contract summary first.
Can I leave my internet contract if the operator changes the terms?
Yes, at no extra cost if you do not accept the new terms. The operator must tell you at least one month ahead of any change in conditions.
The flat already has power. How do I put it in my name?
Ask a retailer for a change of holder (cambio de titular). Every contract change goes through the retailer. You need the CUPS code, your name and ID number, the supply address, the installation certificate, the contracted power and an IBAN. Changes like this are generally free.
Should I choose the regulated price or the free market?
It depends on your power: the regulated price (PVPC) is open to homes with contracted power of 10 kW or less. It has separate prices for power and for energy, and the energy price varies with the time of day. The CNMC comparator shows free-market offers for electricity, gas or both.
What is the bono social and who gets it?
It is a discount on the electricity bill for households on the regulated price. The holder must be an individual, the supply must be the main home, and the holder must be a vulnerable consumer. It is contracted through a reference retailer.
Does my Valencia flat need a gas contract?
Only if it has a gas installation; then you choose the retailer freely. You need the CUPS code and the installation certificate. The distributor has up to 6 working days to validate the request and 6 more to connect it.
Can I keep my phone number when I change operator?
Yes. End users have the right to change operator and keep their number on request. After you end a contract you keep the right to move the number for at least one month. Loss of internet service during the switch cannot exceed one working day.
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General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.
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