1. Nature of the Service
SpainTrades (www.spaintrades.es) is an online introductory platform and directory service connecting homeowners and property owners (“Clients”) with self-employed tradespeople and trade businesses (“Tradespeople”) in Málaga province and the Costa del Sol, Spain.
SpainTrades is not a party to any contract, agreement, or arrangement entered into between a Client and a Tradesperson. SpainTrades does not provide, supply, or carry out any trade services itself.
2. Commercial Basis — Listing Fees Only
SpainTrades operates on a listing fee model only. Tradespeople pay a fixed monthly subscription fee for their listing on the platform. SpainTrades receives no commission, referral fee, introduction fee, or any other payment connected to any work, contract, or transaction between a Client and a Tradesperson.
All Tradespeople are listed on an equal basis according to their subscription tier. No favouritism, preference, or commercial advantage is provided to any individual Tradesperson beyond the listing position and visibility that corresponds to their chosen subscription tier.
SpainTrades earns only from subscription listing fees. We have no financial interest in which Tradesperson you choose, or in whether any particular job goes ahead.
3. No Endorsement or Guarantee of Work Quality
SpainTrades does not endorse, recommend, or guarantee the quality, safety, timeliness, legality, or suitability of any work, service, or advice provided by any Tradesperson listed on this platform.
The inclusion of any Tradesperson on the SpainTrades platform does not constitute a recommendation, warranty, or guarantee of that Tradesperson’s workmanship, professional competence, reliability, or conduct.
4. Verification — What We Check and What We Do Not
SpainTrades carries out identity verification of Tradespeople prior to listing. This confirms:
- The identity of the individual or business representative as stated
- The existence of a valid Spanish CIF (for businesses) or NIF (for sole traders/autónomos)
- Basic business registration information as provided by the Tradesperson
SpainTrades does not verify, assess, or guarantee:
- The professional competence or skill level of any Tradesperson
- The validity, currency, or accuracy of any trade qualifications or certifications claimed
- The quality of work previously carried out by any Tradesperson
- Whether any Tradesperson holds appropriate professional indemnity or public liability insurance
- Whether any Tradesperson holds all licences required by Spanish law for their specific trade
Voluntary Disclosure of Qualifications and Associations
Tradespeople may voluntarily provide details of professional associations, trade memberships, certifications, and qualifications on their profile. This information is provided on a voluntary, self-declared basis only. SpainTrades does not verify the accuracy, currency, or validity of any such declared information. Its display does not constitute verification or endorsement by SpainTrades.
Any qualifications, certifications, or professional associations shown on a Tradesperson’s profile are self-declared and have not been independently verified by SpainTrades.
5. Client Responsibilities and Recommendations
Before engaging any Tradesperson found through SpainTrades, Clients are strongly advised to:
- Request and verify references from previous clients
- View examples of previous work where possible
- Independently verify any qualifications, certifications, or professional associations claimed
- Confirm the Tradesperson holds appropriate insurance including public liability insurance
- Verify that the Tradesperson holds all licences required by Spanish law for their specific trade
- Obtain multiple quotes and compare them before committing to any work
- Agree the scope, price, timeline, and payment terms in writing before work commences
- Make their own independent and informed decisions about who to hire
SpainTrades strongly recommends that Clients carry out their own due diligence before engaging any Tradesperson, regardless of their listing or rating on this platform.
6. Reviews and Ratings — How the System Works
Who Can Submit a Review
Reviews may only be submitted by registered Clients whose Quote Request to the Tradesperson has reached a status of Responded or Accepted — confirming a genuine interaction has taken place. One review per Client per Tradesperson is permitted, enforced at both application and database level.
Review Submission and Admin Notification
On submission, a review is saved with status Pending. It is not visible to any platform user, including the Tradesperson. The SpainTrades administration team is automatically notified by email at the point of submission. The Tradesperson receives an email notifying them that a review has been submitted and is pending approval — they are not told the review is live at this stage.
Moderation Before Publication
All reviews are held for moderation before being published. Available moderation actions are:
- Approve — sets the review to Published, triggers DeepL translation into Spanish, recalculates the Tradesperson’s average rating, and notifies the Client
- Reject — sets the review to Rejected with an optional reason, notifies the Client, and recalculates the rating
- Flag — sets the review to Flagged with a required reason, placing it in a holding queue
- Unpublish — available on published reviews, equivalent to Reject
All reviews are moderated by SpainTrades before publication. No review appears on a Tradesperson’s profile until approved by our administration team. A Tradesperson’s displayed rating reflects only published, approved reviews.
Review Updates and Re-moderation
If a Client updates a Published review, it is automatically reset to Pending status, the Spanish translation is cleared, and the Tradesperson’s average rating is recalculated to exclude the now-pending review. The updated review goes through full re-moderation before republication.
Tradesperson Responses
Tradespeople may submit a written response to any Published review. Responses are held as a pending response and submitted to the SpainTrades administration team for moderation before publication. On approval, the response is DeepL-translated into Spanish and published. On rejection, the Tradesperson is notified and invited to resubmit. Once published, responses cannot be edited.
All Tradesperson responses are moderated before publication.
Liability for Reviews and Responses
SpainTrades moderation is a reasonable effort to ensure review quality and authenticity. SpainTrades does not warrant the absolute accuracy of any published review or response. Reviews and responses represent the personal opinion of the author. SpainTrades accepts no liability for the content of any moderated and published review or Tradesperson response.
7. Data — No Third Party Sharing for Commercial Use
Personal data held by SpainTrades is not shared with any third party for that third party’s own commercial, marketing, or any other independent use. Data is stored and processed internally or through approved service providers bound by appropriate data processing agreements. Full details are set out in the SpainTrades Privacy Policy.
8. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable Spanish and European Union law, SpainTrades and its owner(s) shall not be liable for:
- Any loss, damage, injury, or expense arising from work carried out by any Tradesperson listed on this platform
- Any dispute between a Client and a Tradesperson
- Any act, omission, negligence, or misconduct of any Tradesperson
- Any inaccuracy in information provided by a Tradesperson on their profile, including self-declared qualifications and associations
- Any loss arising from a Client’s reliance on reviews or ratings displayed on the platform
- Any consequential, indirect, or special losses of any kind
9. Governing Law
This disclaimer and the use of the SpainTrades platform are governed by the laws of Spain. Any disputes arising in connection with this disclaimer or the platform shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Málaga, Spain.
10. Applicable Legislation
SpainTrades operates in compliance with:
- Ley 34/2002, de Servicios de la Sociedad de la Información y de Comercio Electrónico (LSSI-CE)
- Reglamento General de Protección de Datos (RGPD) — EU Regulation 2016/679
- Ley Orgánica 3/2018, de Protección de Datos Personales y garantía de los derechos digitales (LOPDGDD)
- Real Decreto Legislativo 1/2007, de Defensa de los Consumidores y Usuarios
11. Contact
Email: hello@spaintrades.es
Website: www.spaintrades.es
Address: Villanueva del Trabuco, Málaga, Spain