{"id":20302,"date":"2022-05-24T09:44:23","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T07:44:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.klicarquitectos.com\/turnkey-contract-spain-llave-en-mano\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T02:54:58","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T00:54:58","slug":"turnkey-contract-spain-llave-en-mano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.klicarquitectos.com\/en\/turnkey-contract-spain-llave-en-mano\/","title":{"rendered":"Turnkey Contracts in Spain: What Llave en Mano Means"},"content":{"rendered":"

Turnkey \u2014 llave en mano<\/em> in Spanish \u2014 means one company takes on the design, the paperwork and the building work for a single agreed price.<\/strong> Here is what that covers on the Costa del Sol, and where buyers tend to get caught out.<\/p>\n

A turnkey refurbishment<\/strong> (reforma llave en mano<\/em>) is a contract between a building company and a client, and it can work well. The nearest British equivalent is a design and build contract, although in Spain the term is used far more loosely than it is in the UK.<\/p>\n

The detached house<\/a> (vivienda unifamiliar<\/em>) is the type of project most often offered this way. Building companies tend to keep a handful of 3D house designs ready to show clients.<\/p>\n

You have probably heard the phrase from more than one contractor by now, and wondered what it actually commits anyone to. Below we set out what a turnkey contract is, what it includes and who is responsible for what.<\/p>\n

What is a turnkey refurbishment?<\/h2>\n

It is a contract between the building company and the client. The contractor takes on the works and all the paperwork they require, for a price both sides agree before anything starts and within a fixed period of time.<\/p>\n

The client hires one company to design the house and run the whole job, paperwork included. In Spain that paperwork means the project drawings and specification, plus the municipal building licence (licencia de obras<\/em> \u2014 the local equivalent of planning permission and building control rolled into a single town hall consent). Applying for the utility connections sits with the same company, as do the materials and the fitting out of the house. A turnkey contract therefore keeps the client out of most of that.<\/p>\n

Building this way costs more. The client steps back from every task a building job demands and waits to be handed the keys. That premium is what you pay for passing over the risk. How much more depends on how much risk the contractor is absorbing, so if you want to see the figure, ask for the same scope priced both ways.<\/p>\n

Advantages of a turnkey contract<\/h2>\n

Now that you know what llave en mano<\/strong> means, here are the main advantages of working this way:<\/p>\n

A closed price<\/h3>\n

A single, closed price is set before work starts, and that is what keeps extra costs out of the build. Read it as written, though: the price holds for the scope on paper, and anything outside it comes back as a variation.<\/p>\n

An agreed timetable<\/h3>\n

The company sets out the phases of the work in a programme, so the client can see which stage the job has reached at any point. It is a real commitment on the company’s side: it has to hold to the dates it signed up to.<\/p>\n

One point of contact<\/h3>\n

The client deals with the company and nobody else, which saves the time and effort of chasing the various trades involved in the works. If you are running the job from another country, this is usually the argument that decides it.<\/p>\n

Less financial exposure<\/h3>\n

Turnkey refurbishments<\/strong> carry fewer financial risks for the client. The company takes responsibility for loss, damage and disputes that come up as the works progress.<\/p>\n

\"What<\/figure>\n

What a turnkey contract includes<\/h2>\n

A turnkey refurbishment<\/strong> has three parts:<\/p>\n

The design of the home<\/h3>\n

One of the first steps to building a house<\/a> is the design. The company draws it up in advance, working from the client’s preferences and taste.<\/p>\n

Technological components<\/h3>\n

This covers the technology built into the design and the kit needed to carry out the works.<\/p>\n

Supplies, construction and fitting out<\/h3>\n

The company is responsible for the construction and the fitting out, and for subcontracting other trades where required. The client has the right to know who those subcontractors are and to negotiate the price at which they are engaged. Ask for that list in writing before signing: it is one of the few windows you get into how the closed price was put together.<\/p>\n

Responsibilities of each party<\/h2>\n

The contract has to set out in detail what the client takes on and what the building company takes on.<\/p>\n

The client must:<\/p>\n