Home services in Alicante: water, electricity, rubbish, IBI and internet

Machine translation made with AI: it may contain errors. Please check the details in the official sources.

This guide summarises how utilities and the main payments for a home work in the city of Alicante. Where the information is easy to check, it also explains what happens in San Vicente del Raspeig, Sant Joan d'Alacant, El Campello and Mutxamel. Each of those municipalities has its own town council, with its own charges and calendars. The amounts and deadlines in this guide are those published for 2026 and change every year: before paying, check the current information on the Alicante City Council website (https://www.alicante.es/) or on your municipality's website.

Municipal information and procedures

Alicante City Council answers enquiries on 010, or on 900 153 862 if you are calling from outside Alicante. For taxes (IBI, rubbish charge, bills) there is an Oficina de Atención al Contribuyente (Taxpayer Service Office) at Calle Jorge Juan 5. Duplicate bills can also be requested at the Juntas de Distrito (district offices), with an appointment booked online. Many procedures can be done through the sede electrónica (online office), with a digital certificate or electronic DNI.

Water

Water in Alicante is managed by Aguas de Alicante, a mixed public-private company: 50% is owned by the City Council and 50% by Hidraqua (Veolia group). According to the company itself, it also serves San Vicente del Raspeig, El Campello, Mutxamel and Sant Joan d'Alacant, as well as Petrer and Monforte del Cid.
Connection (alta) and change of account holder (cambio de titular) are handled online at https://www.aguasdealicante.es/. The form first asks for the address and the type of use of the supply. The conditions depend on the municipality: in some, the supply can only be in the owner's name. The form tells you when you choose your municipality.
For a change of account holder you need the current contract number and the current holder's DNI, the new holder's details (DNI or NIE, email and mobile number) and a bank account in IBAN format.
Customer service: 965 982 204 or 900 717 717, Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 21:00 and Saturdays from 8:00 to 14:00. WhatsApp for enquiries: 636 517 960 (Monday to Friday, from 8:00 to 21:00).
Faults: 900 720 720, 24 hours a day.
In-person service at the office is by appointment (cita previa), which you book on the website. Bring your DNI, NIE or NIF and, if your enquiry is about a contract or a bill, a recent bill.

Electricity and gas

There is no special local rule for Alicante. In Spain it works like this:

There is a distribuidora (distributor; it owns the network and is the same one in your area) and a comercializadora (supplier; the company you choose to contract with and to bill you).
You can contract on the regulated market (PVPC) or on the free market. The CNMC's official comparison tool lets you see offers neutrally: https://comparador.cnmc.gob.es/.
Changes to the contract (account holder, power, bank account, termination) are made through the supplier. According to the CNMC, the change of account holder is requested by the new holder, is free of charge and can take between 1 and 20 working days. You need to provide:
first name, surnames, DNI and telephone number of the new holder;
first name, surnames and DNI of the previous holder;
the CUPS code of the supply point (it appears on a previous bill) or the full address;
a copy of the title deed or rental contract, where necessary;
bank account number for direct debit.

The electricity or gas contract must be in the name of the person who uses the energy: if bills go unpaid, the account holder is liable.

Gas: not every street has a natural gas network. Ask the homeowners' association or a supplier, and compare offers on the CNMC comparison tool.

Rubbish: charge, collection and recycling

Waste charge in Alicante

Since 2025, Alicante has had a new charge for the collection, transport and treatment of waste. The current ordinance was approved at the Pleno (City Council plenary session) of 30 December 2024. The annual amount for a home depends on its built floor area and its cadastral value per square metre, according to the Catastro (Land Registry for tax purposes). It ranges from €69.85 (up to 60 m² and cadastral value up to €300/m²) to €144.94 (over 90 m² and over €501/m²). For example, a home of 61 to 90 m² pays between €77.41 and €142.23, depending on its cadastral value.

The person who uses the home pays, but the owner is the substitute taxpayer and may pass the charge on to the tenant.
There is a 20% reduction if you use the brown organic waste bin: at least 4 deposits a month during 10 of the 12 months. You need the «Tú haces Alicante» card or its app, linked to the home's cadastral reference.
It is collected by Alicante City Council itself (Concejalía de Hacienda, the finance department), not by Suma. In 2026 it was paid together with the IBI, with the voluntary payment period until 30 June.
Enquiries about the charge: 010 or tasadebasuras@alicante.es.

In San Vicente del Raspeig, Sant Joan d'Alacant, El Campello and Mutxamel the charge is different: check the ordinance and the bill with your town council.

Bins and recycling in Alicante

Street cleaning and collection are provided by Netial together with the City Council, under the «Tú haces Alicante» service. The bins are:

Yellow: cans, cartons and plastic packaging.
Blue: paper and cardboard.
Green: glass.
Brown: organic waste. It opens with the registration card, which identifies your home or business.
Textile: clothes and fabrics.
Grey: anything that cannot be recycled.

Medicines and hazardous waste go to the designated points, such as the mobile ecopuntos (eco-points) that visit the neighbourhoods.

Furniture and household appliances: free collection by appointment. Call 900 729 729, send a WhatsApp message to 670 086 411 or use the form on the City Council website. Put the items out on the agreed day, between 21:00 and 23:00, next to the bin closest to your building entrance and without blocking access. The limit is 2 items a day (4 if they are doors or chairs). They do not collect from inside homes. Collection takes place every day except the day before a public holiday, and requests made from 15:00 onwards are collected the following day.
Ecoparques (recycling centres): Avenida de Elche 161 and Calle Barítono Paco Latorre, opposite the Antonio Solana municipal sports ground. Check opening hours and accepted waste at https://www.alicante.es/es/contenidos/limpieza-enseres-y-reciclaje.

IBI and other taxes

The Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles (IBI, local property tax) is paid every year by the owner. In the city of Alicante it is managed and collected by the City Council, not by Suma. In 2026:

Urban IBI and rubbish charge: voluntary payment until 30 June 2026. Direct-debited bills were charged on 3 June (single payment) or in six instalments, from 7 April to 3 September (instalment plan). Any municipal tax or charge bill over €100 can be paid in instalments.
Vehicles (IVTM), IAE and rural IBI: from 1 September to 2 November 2026, with direct debits charged on 5 October. If you do not receive the bill, you can download it from the website or request a duplicate.

Surcharges apply after the deadline. Direct debit for the following year is requested through the online office or at the offices, by appointment.

In the rest of the province, the IBI and the waste charge are usually collected by Suma Gestión Tributaria (an agency of the Alicante Provincial Council). Its general period in 2026 was from 27 July to 8 October, and Suma states that it does not apply to Alicante. If you live in San Vicente, Sant Joan, El Campello or Mutxamel, check your calendar at https://www.suma.es/ or with your town council.

If you buy a home, according to the Catastro, notaries and registrars notify it of the transfer, and in those cases you do not have to submit a separate declaration. Check that the change appears on the Catastro's online office (https://www.sedecatastro.gob.es/). Bear in mind that the cadastral value also affects the rubbish charge in Alicante.

Homeowners' association

Under the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal (Horizontal Property Law):

Each owner pays the general expenses according to their share.
There is a reserve fund of not less than 10% of the last ordinary budget.
A buyer is liable with the property for debts to the comunidad de propietarios (homeowners' association) for the current year and the previous three years. At the signing of the deed, the seller must provide a certificate of the state of debts with the association.

Ask the administrator for the statutes, the budget and the rules of use (common areas, pool, building work).

Internet and mobile

Fibre coverage varies by street and building. Check your address using the broadband coverage tool of the Ministry for Digital Transformation and compare offers from several operators. For a prepaid SIM card, the law requires the operator to record the buyer's identity using an identity document (first name, surnames, nationality and document number). For postpaid contracts and fibre, check the requirements with each operator.

Practical tips

Keep copies of contracts, CUPS, water contract number and the IBI and rubbish charge receipts.
Set up direct debit for municipal bills so you do not miss the deadlines.
If you live in Alicante, ask for the «Tú haces Alicante» card and use the brown bin: as well as recycling, it can lower your rubbish charge.
When buying or renting, ask for the homeowners' association documentation and the latest receipts.

Disclaimer: general information; check the details with the official source.