1. About SpainTrades
SpainTrades (www.spaintrades.es) is operated by Stewart Bartley, trading as SpainTrades, based in Villanueva del Trabuco, Málaga, Spain (“we”, “us”, “our”).
SpainTrades operates as an introductory directory service connecting homeowners and property owners in Málaga province and the Costa del Sol with self-employed tradespeople and trade businesses. By using this platform, you agree to these Terms of Service.
2. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using the SpainTrades platform, whether as a Client (homeowner) or a Tradesperson, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms, you must not use the SpainTrades platform.
3. Definitions
- “Platform” means the SpainTrades website at www.spaintrades.es and any related services
- “Client” means any person using the Platform to search for or contact Tradespeople
- “Tradesperson” means any individual or business registered on the Platform to offer trade services
- “Listing” means a Tradesperson’s profile page on the Platform
- “Quote Request” means a message sent by a Client to a Tradesperson through the Platform
4. The SpainTrades Service — Listing Platform Only
SpainTrades provides an online directory and introduction service only. SpainTrades does not:
- Employ any Tradesperson listed on the Platform
- Supply, supervise, or manage any trade services
- Act as agent for any Client or Tradesperson
- Guarantee or warrant the quality of any work or service
- Form any contract for trade services on behalf of any party
- Receive any commission, referral payment, or financial benefit connected to any work or contract between a Client and a Tradesperson
SpainTrades receives revenue solely from Tradesperson subscription listing fees. All contracts for work are formed directly between the Client and the Tradesperson. SpainTrades is not a party to any such contract.
SpainTrades earns only from fixed monthly listing fees. We receive no commission from jobs and have no financial interest in which Tradesperson a Client chooses to engage.
5. No Favouritism — Equal Treatment of All Listings
All Tradespeople are listed on an equal and impartial basis. SpainTrades does not provide preferential treatment, commercial advantage, or priority positioning to any individual Tradesperson beyond the listing visibility that corresponds to their chosen subscription tier (Basic, Professional, or Premium).
Search results and category listings are determined by subscription tier and, within tiers, by objective criteria such as review rating and profile completeness. No payment, arrangement, or relationship results in any Tradesperson receiving preferential positioning beyond their subscription entitlement.
6. Tradesperson Registration, Verification, and Voluntary Disclosure
Identity Verification
SpainTrades verifies the identity of Tradespeople and the existence of their CIF/NIF. We do not verify professional competence, insurance validity, or the accuracy of stated qualifications. Tradespeople are solely responsible for ensuring they comply with all applicable Spanish regulations for their trade.
Voluntary Disclosure of Qualifications and Associations
Tradespeople may voluntarily include details of professional associations, trade memberships, and certifications on their profile. Such information is provided entirely on a self-declared, voluntary basis. SpainTrades does not verify, validate, or endorse any such declared information. The display of qualifications or associations on a profile does not imply verification or approval by SpainTrades.
7. Subscription and Payment — Tradespeople
Following the free trial period, continued use of the Platform requires a paid subscription. Subscription fees are charged monthly via Stripe. All prices are exclusive of IVA at the applicable rate, currently 21%, which will be added to invoices issued to Spanish-registered businesses.
- Basic: €20/month
- Professional: €40/month
- Premium: €60/month
Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled. Tradespeople may cancel at any time through their account dashboard. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. No refunds are issued for partial billing periods.
8. Founding Member Programme
8.1 Eligibility
The SpainTrades Founding Member Programme is open to the first 50 tradespeople who register on the SpainTrades platform for the relevant regional cohort and meet the standard verification requirements: valid professional registration for their trade, current liability insurance (seguro de responsabilidad civil), a registered business with a valid NIF, and active operation within the designated regional service area. All applicants are verified before their listing goes live. Founding member status is awarded on verification approval, not on registration alone.
8.2 Founding Discount
Founding members receive a permanent 50% discount on their chosen subscription tier. The discount is applied via a Stripe coupon at the point of subscription and remains in place for as long as the founding member maintains an active subscription with SpainTrades. The founding discount applies to monthly billing only. No upfront or fixed-term payment is required. Founding members may cancel at any time in accordance with Section 7.
The founding discount applies to the then-current standard monthly rate for the chosen tier. Where a founding member changes subscription tier, the 50% discount carries over and applies to the new tier rate.
8.3 Referral Benefit
Founding members are eligible to participate in the SpainTrades Partner Programme under Section 9. For each active paying Professional or Premium subscriber referred by a founding member, an additional 10% discount is applied to the founding member’s monthly subscription on top of their founding discount. Referral discounts are conditional: if a referred member cancels, downgrades to Basic, or their subscription lapses, the corresponding 10% referral discount is removed.
The founding discount (Section 8.2) and referral discounts (this section) are stacked and combined up to a maximum of 100%. A founding member who maintains 5 active qualifying referrals pays nothing for their subscription for as long as those referrals remain active.
Referral mechanics, eligibility, and GDPR provisions are governed by the standard Partner Programme terms in Section 9.
8.4 Founding Member Badge
All founding members receive a permanent Founding Member badge displayed on their profile. This badge is retained regardless of subscription tier changes or cancellations and serves as a permanent trust signal to expat homeowners on the platform.
8.5 Reservation of Rights
SpainTrades reserves the right to close the Founding Member Programme to new applicants at any time and to review or amend the terms of the founding discount, including the discount percentage. Any material change to the founding discount for existing founding members will be communicated with a minimum of 90 days written notice before taking effect. The founding member badge is permanent and is not subject to review.
9. Standard Partner Programme
9.1 Eligibility
The SpainTrades Partner Programme is available to tradespeople on Professional or Premium subscription tiers. Basic tier members are not eligible to participate. Participation is opt-in and members must activate their participation via their dashboard. Founding members are eligible for the standard Partner Programme in accordance with Section 8.3.
9.2 Referral Mechanic
For each active paying Professional or Premium subscriber referred by a Partner Programme member, the referring member receives a 10% discount on their monthly subscription fee. The discount is conditional on the referred member maintaining an active paying Professional or Premium subscription. If a referred member cancels, downgrades to Basic, or their subscription lapses, the corresponding 10% discount is removed from the referring member’s subscription. The maximum discount achievable under the standard Partner Programme is 100%, resulting in free membership for as long as 10 active qualifying referrals are maintained.
9.3 Combined Discount
Where a founding member holds a locked founding discount under Section 8.2 and also participates in the standard Partner Programme, the two discounts are combined up to a maximum of 100%. The locked founding discount is permanent and unconditional. The standard Partner Programme discount is conditional and fluctuates with referral activity. The combined discount is calculated and applied to the monthly subscription at each billing cycle.
9.4 Tier Eligibility
Partner Programme discounts apply to Professional and Premium tier subscriptions only. If a participating member downgrades to Basic tier, their Partner Programme participation is suspended and their conditional discount is paused until they return to an eligible tier. The locked founding discount under Section 8.2 is not affected by a tier downgrade and is reinstated in full on return to an eligible tier.
9.5 GDPR — Referral Data
Participating members will be notified of the business name and trade category of their referred members and the active or cancelled status of each referral. No personal contact details of referred members will be disclosed to the referring member. By activating Partner Programme participation, members acknowledge that their business name will be disclosed to any tradesperson who refers them, and that their referral activity is recorded and processed by SpainTrades under legitimate interest for the administration of the referral programme in accordance with the SpainTrades Privacy Policy.
9.6 Reservation of Rights
SpainTrades reserves the right to review, amend, or discontinue the standard Partner Programme at any point with a minimum of 90 days written notice to active participants. Any changes will not affect discounts already applied to billing cycles that have completed.
10. Client Use of the Platform
Use of the Platform to search for and contact Tradespeople is free for Clients. Clients agree to:
- Use the Platform only for lawful purposes
- Provide accurate information when submitting quote requests
- Not contact Tradespeople for any purpose other than genuine enquiries about trade services
- Not submit false or misleading reviews
11. 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.
Moderation Before Publication
All reviews are held for moderation by the SpainTrades administration team before being published. A Tradesperson’s displayed rating reflects only published, approved reviews. If a Client updates a Published review, it is automatically reset to Pending status and goes through full re-moderation before republication.
Tradesperson Responses
Tradespeople may submit a written response (maximum 1,000 characters) to any Published review. Responses are held as a pending response and submitted to the SpainTrades administration team for moderation before publication. Once published, responses cannot be edited.
All reviews and Tradesperson responses are moderated before publication.
12. Data and Third Party Sharing
Personal data collected through the SpainTrades platform is used solely to operate the platform and facilitate introductions between Clients and Tradespeople. Personal data is not shared with any third party for that third party’s own commercial use, marketing purposes, or any other independent purpose. Full details are set out in the SpainTrades Privacy Policy.
13. Prohibited Conduct
Users of the Platform must not:
- Provide false, misleading, or inaccurate information
- Impersonate any person or entity
- Use the Platform to harass, abuse, or harm any other user
- Post content that is defamatory, offensive, or unlawful
- Attempt to circumvent the Platform to avoid subscription fees
- Scrape, copy, or reproduce Platform content without written permission
- Use the Platform for any fraudulent purpose
14. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable Spanish and EU law, SpainTrades shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, or special loss arising from use of or inability to use the Platform, any work carried out by any Tradesperson, any dispute between a Client and a Tradesperson, or any inaccuracy in Tradesperson profile information including self-declared qualifications.
Nothing in these Terms of Service excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by Spanish law.
15. Intellectual Property
All content on the SpainTrades platform, including text, design, logos, and software, is owned by or licensed to SpainTrades. Tradespeople retain ownership of content they upload to their profiles. By uploading content, Tradespeople grant SpainTrades a non-exclusive licence to display that content on the Platform.
16. Termination
SpainTrades reserves the right to suspend or terminate any user’s access to the Platform at any time for breach of these Terms of Service, fraudulent conduct, or behaviour likely to harm the reputation of the Platform or its users. Tradespeople may terminate their subscription at any time through their account dashboard.
17. Changes to These Terms
SpainTrades may update these Terms of Service from time to time. We will notify registered users of material changes by email. Continued use of the Platform following notification of changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
18. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms of Service are governed by the laws of Spain. Any disputes arising in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Málaga, Spain.
19. Contact
SpainTrades — Stewart Bartley
Email: hello@spaintrades.es
Website: www.spaintrades.es
Address: Villanueva del Trabuco, Málaga, Spain