I myelf have been here in spain for a while now, I run a business of which is registered and legal offering services to homwowners, I can fully understand why some of the threads are taken off, some sites of which the owners offer a service of advertising etc (paid) woudl get complaints from paying advertisers. Sometimes posts can be moved or deleted if it is thought or reported that the service is not as described or many people have complaints with regards to the services therfore it woudl not be beneficial for other owners to use the services.
I try my best not to advertise on forums, I try and post information only when questions are asked with regards to any services i offer, this is also done in a careful way such as not placing direct contact or web info on the site so i woudl describe as subtle as i can to help answer the questions and if the owner is looking for services and is intereted in furthe rinformation then they will contact myself.
Out here it is difficult as there are lots of larger companies to complete with but there are also the rogue tradeer or workmen of which are taking business off of us who wish to do things the LAgal and safe way, Ask yourself the questions of why things are so cheap from one company to the next, experiance legalities etc etc it is known that if you have an office then you have overheads of which need to be passed on to the customers, the same goes for paying into the system you have the overheads of paing the system national insurance etc etc, this again as to be covered somhow and then earn a little for our efforts. With unregistered persons they can reduce the costs to next to nothing due to having no outgoings all the money you pay them for labour or keyholding is cash in their back pockets,
It is important that you think about who you are using for all kinds of work and services to your property to ensure you will get the service you are paying for and think about the what ifs, two things to think about are if the trades man is unregistered are they likely to do the job get the money and then gone, in two months time there is a problem, you try to contact this person whos phone is now non existant or they explain they can not repair it or they never turn up when they say they woudl, or they sharge you for putting the fault right of which was due to bad workmanship, try and get at least three quotes from people who you have heard about and have seen to be reccomended by others, if you are bothered about them been legal ask to see their tax documents or company sl registration (not nie number) ask all the right questions and then sit back for a day and go through the quotes and the information you have on them then decide for yourself and remember the cheapest option may not be the right one.
Keyholding by friends neighbours and unregistered people can cause unwanted problems, example we had a property break in at xmas there were two keyholders one legal one not, the unregistered one had keys for emergencies, guests were at the property and were convinced that the key was used to enter the property although there were signs of break in, the unregistered keyholder was very unsure as to how he stood due to the police been involved and the questioning of all keyholders, this can lead to prosecution of evading tax along with if it is a friend/neighbour ill feeling between owner and neighbour, This particular non registered keyholder was panicked and handed they keys back notifying the owner he no longer wanted them due to the situation, luckily there was a registered keyholder or the property may have been left unattended with no access for workmen or guests until the owner could get out to the property.
Do not want to put the fear in people but open their eyes, There arethings you woudl check at home such as electricians and gas installers woudl be registered and qualified so why not here, some times we get caught up in the emotions of taking on the property or going into holiday mode where we feel relaxed and safe, we have all been vistim of it including myself, just decide for yourself what is best for you. Read reveiws and recomendations. do not go on the first advert you see on this or other forums alone check for recomendations