15 questions you should ask before handing over your house keys
Hiring a renovation company is an enormous act of trust. You are going to hand them the keys to your home, they will live alongside your walls for weeks and they will make technical decisions that will affect your property for the next 20 years. And yet most people spend more time choosing a restaurant on a Saturday than verifying who is going to demolish their bathroom on a Monday.
At Bathscape we have no problem putting our cards on the table. In fact, we created this checklist precisely so that anyone — whether they hire us or not — has objective tools to decide. Because here in Valencia there are many renovation companies, some excellent and others best left unmentioned. Let us get into it.
The checklist: 15 verifiable points
1. Tax ID (CIF) and commercial register
What to check: That the company has an active CIF and is registered with the Commercial Register. A sole trader who “works under the name of” without formal registration is not sufficient.
How to verify: Ask for the CIF and look it up in the Online Commercial Register. You can also check the list of companies with Social Security.
Red flag: They will not provide the CIF, or the company was incorporated less than a year ago with no track record.
2. Public liability insurance
What to check: A current public liability insurance policy covering third-party damage during the execution of the work. Recommended minimum: 300,000 €.
How to verify: Ask for a copy of the policy or, at least, the policy number and the insurer. Call the insurer and confirm it is in force.
Red flag: “Insurance isn’t needed for a bathroom renovation.” Yes, it is. If a pipe bursts and damages the flat below, who pays?
3. Verifiable physical address
What to check: That the company has a real premises, office or workshop. It does not need to be luxurious, but it needs to exist.
How to verify: Search for it on Google Maps. If it has a Google Business listing with photos of the premises, even better. If the address is a PO box or a generic co-working space, proceed with caution.
Red flag: They only give you a mobile number. No address, no website, no physical presence. If something goes wrong, who do you make a claim to?
4. Portfolio of completed work
What to check: Real photos of finished renovations. With enough detail to assess quality of finishes, not just the overall result.
How to verify: Ask to see at least 5 recent projects. If they are on their website, perfect. If they are stock photos (check with a reverse Google Image search), discard the company. At Bathscape we show our real projects with detailed photos of each phase.
Red flag: “We have many projects but can’t show them for privacy reasons.” A weak excuse. Photos can be shown without revealing the location or the client.
5. Google reviews (genuine analysis)
What to check: Not just the average rating — the pattern of reviews. A minimum of 20 reviews for the sample to be meaningful.
How to verify: Read the negative ones first. Does the company respond? How do they respond? Are the positive ones generic (“very good work”) or detailed? Detailed reviews that name employees and describe the work are more reliable.
Red flag: Only 5-star reviews, all from the last month, all with generic text. A clear pattern of purchased reviews.
6. Detailed and comprehensible quote
What to check: A quote that itemises every component: demolition, plumbing, electrics, tiling, sanitary ware, labour. With the brand and model of materials — not just “shower tray” but “shower tray, brand X, model Y, dimensions Z.”
How to verify: Compare the level of detail against other quotes. If one has 4 lines and another has 25, the latter is being transparent. That is how our configurator works: it breaks everything down for you.
Red flag: “The quote is 8,000 € all-inclusive.” What is included? What is not? If they will not tell you, you will find out mid-project. And you will not like it.
7. Clear contract terms
What to check: A written contract that includes: scope of work, completion deadline, total price, payment schedule, late-completion penalty, cancellation terms and warranty.
How to verify: Read the entire contract before signing. If there is no contract, there is no deal. Full stop.
Red flag: “We don’t usually do contracts — we work on trust.” Trust is wonderful until there is a problem. The contract is for when trust fails.
8. Reasonable payment schedule
What to check: A payment scheme linked to work milestones, not dates. A reasonable example: 30% on signing, 40% at mid-point, 30% on handover. According to the OCU, you should never pay more than 50% before the work is 50% complete.
How to verify: Compare it with industry practice. If they ask for 70% upfront, something is off.
Red flag: “We need 80% to purchase materials.” If the company lacks the liquidity to buy materials, it probably has financial problems. And your money is at risk.
9. Written warranty
What to check: An explicit warranty of at least 1 year on finishes and 3 years on installations. That is what the LOE (Building Regulation Act) specifies. Better if they offer more. At Bathscape we offer 3 years, as detailed on our warranty page.
How to verify: Ensure it is in the contract, not verbal. And that it specifies what is covered, what is not and how to make a claim.
Red flag: “Lifetime warranty.” Nobody offers that credibly. It is an empty promise that cannot be enforced.
10. Material specification
What to check: That the quote lists the brand, model, colour, dimensions and reference of every material. If it says “rectified porcelain tile 60×120” without a brand or reference, they can use the cheapest on the market.
How to verify: Look up the references on the manufacturer’s website. Check that they exist and that the quoted price is consistent.
Red flag: “We choose materials based on availability.” Translation: we will use the cheapest we can find.
11. Realistic timeframe commitment
What to check: A specific completion period (in working days) with a start date and handover date. For a full bathroom, 10–15 working days is realistic. Fewer than 7, be suspicious. More than 25, also.
How to verify: Ask what happens if the deadline is exceeded. Is there a penalty? Who covers the extra costs?
Red flag: “We’ll start when we can and see how it goes.” No fixed date, no commitment. Your project will fill gaps between more important jobs.
12. Subcontracting policy
What to check: Whether the company executes the work with its own staff or subcontracts to third parties. Both options are valid, but you should know which it is. If they subcontract, who supervises?
How to verify: Ask directly. A serious company will tell you without hesitation. That is how we work at Bathscape: own team for execution and direct supervision.
Red flag: “It’s us” — but on the day of the work, strangers you have never met appear. The issue is not nationality — it is that you do not know who is in your home.
13. Cleaning during and after the work
What to check: An explicit commitment to daily cleaning of the work area and a final clean before handover. Protection of floors and furniture during the work.
How to verify: Check it in the contract. Ask previous clients. A serious professional leaves the site clean every day — it is not just aesthetics, it is safety.
Red flag: “The final clean is your responsibility.” That tells you everything.
14. Defined communication channel
What to check: An assigned point of contact (site manager or project manager) with a clear communication channel. WhatsApp, email, project management app — whatever it is, but defined.
How to verify: Ask who your contact will be during the work and how to reach them. At Bathscape we assign a project manager who sends daily updates with photos.
Red flag: “Call the foreman’s mobile.” And if he does not answer? And if they change foreman? Without process, only chaos.
15. References from previous clients
What to check: At least 2–3 recent clients you can contact directly. Not generic references, but real people willing to speak with you for 5 minutes.
How to verify: Call them. Ask: did they meet the deadline? Did the final price match the quote? How did they handle unexpected issues? Would you recommend the company?
Red flag: “We can’t provide contacts due to data protection.” Untrue. The GDPR does not prevent giving a contact if the client consents. What it does prevent is the company having nobody satisfied enough to speak well of them.
The scoring system
Assign each point a score: Meets (1 point), Partially meets (0.5 points), Does not meet (0 points).
| Score | Assessment |
|---|---|
| 13–15 | Reliable company — you can trust them |
| 10–12 | Acceptable, but request clarifications |
| 7–9 | Doubtful — look for alternatives |
| <7 | Do not hire |
Is it perfect? No. But it is infinitely better than deciding on price or gut feeling. Data always beats hunches.
What we genuinely think at Bathscape
Let us be direct: publishing this checklist runs counter to our short-term commercial interest. An informed client is more demanding, asks more questions and takes longer to decide. But an informed client who hires us knows what they are getting, trusts the process and rarely has problems. Poorly informed clients who hire the cheapest option are the ones who later call us in desperation asking us to fix what someone else got wrong. That happens more often than we would like.
Our model at Bathscape passes all 15 points. We are not saying that — anyone can verify it. Public CIF, current insurance, address in Valencia, real portfolio, auditable reviews, fixed price, thorough contract, 3-year warranty. If another company passes all 15 points and is cheaper, hire them. Genuinely. What matters to us is that you are not deceived.
Frequently asked questions
Is it normal to request all this information before hiring?
Absolutely. You are contracting a service that can cost 8,000–20,000 € and that affects your home. Any serious company will provide this information without issue. If they take offence at your questions, that is already an answer.
How many quotes should I request?
Three is a good number. Fewer than three gives you no market reference. More than five is counterproductive: each visit takes time, the quotes take a while and you end up not comparing well. Three detailed quotes, evaluated with this checklist, is more than enough.
Is the lowest price always worse?
Not necessarily. A company may be more efficient, may have better purchase prices on materials, or may simply charge a lower margin. The important thing is that the quote is comparable (same materials, same scope) and that the company passes the checklist. The real cost includes much more than the number on the quote.
What do I do if the company fails on one of the checklist points?
It depends on which one. Lacking insurance is disqualifying. Lacking a website is not ideal but not critical if everything else is in order. Use the scoring system and apply your judgement. But if they fail on points 1, 2, 7 or 8, discard them without a second thought.
Your next step
Memorise this checklist (or copy it into a document) and use it with every company you evaluate. If Bathscape is one of them, great — configure your renovation in our configurator and we will send you a quote that meets every point. If it is not us, use it regardless. Let nobody pull the wool over your eyes.