Iberdrola (tel. 901 202 020), the second leading company, serves various regions including the Costa Blanca.

You can usually register online or by phone rather than needing to visit a branch. You will need:

You will receive a bill every two months. If it is based on an estimate, make sure you know how to read the meter to check you are not being overcharged.

The easiest form of payment is by direct debit through a Spanish bank account. Alternatively you can pay at post offices, local banks listed on the bill or at the electricity company's office, with cash.

The supplier is Repsol (901 100 100).

If your house in Spain has mains gas, contact the local gas company to switch the gas on, read the meter and provide a supply contract.

Gas Natural (tel. 900 760 760) is the main supplier throughout Spain. Its regional supplier for the Costa del Sol is Gas Andalucia (954 48 01 00).

Endesa (tel. 900 737 373) supplies gas and electricity.

You will be billed every two months and - as with electricity bills - the best way to pay is by direct debit through a Spanish bank account.

There is usually a quarterly charge for a minimum consumption, even if you don't use any water during the billing period. Check bills each quarter as they can often be inaccurate.

To transfer a water contract into your name, go to your local town hall with your passport (or residence card) and previous bills from the former owner. Non-residents will also need to give their foreign address.

Acosol (tel. 95 283 93 29) in the Marbella area and
Emasa (tel. 952 135 013 or 900 777 420) around Malaga.

An engineer will install the line within a few days, for which you will be charged 110 euros, usually spread over the next three bills. Line rental costs 30 euros for two months.

There are six other phone companies in Spain - including Tele 2 (901 107 366), Uni 2 (902 011 412), Auna (015 or 902 500 060) and Jazztel (1565) - but Telefonica is the only company which offers local calls.

If your Spanish property already has a phone line, transfer it immediately into your own name and ask Telefonica to read the account on the day you want the account to start, so you don't have to pay for the last owner's calls.

Internet

Like setting up your phone line, it is just as easy and simple to arrange your internet connection. Telefonica for example, have one of the fastest adsl connections in Spain and offer a range of internet options from the occasional user to the user who likes to download music and videos and so on. With speedy internet connections it is now easier than ever to keep in touch with family and friends even when you are living abroad. Communication across the internet is relatively cheap, very effective and allows for us to be anywhere in the world and still keep in contact with loved ones. The internet is now considered to be a necessity rather than a luxury and keeps people in touch with each other on a personal level as well as in business. It is convenient thesedays to have the advantage of being able to work "online" and operating a business is also possible wherever you are based.

If you are looking to operate your business from different countries it would be easy enough to look into relocating your business interests online. If you employ the services of an IT company such as IT Support Essex, you can ask about the process involved. It would be wise to ensure that you have online back up for all of your important data to safeguard your interests by having automatic updates and no lost data wherever you are!

Don't forget to see www.elite-european.com for all the information you need about removals Spain