Guide · Deciding
Kitchen guarantees: what they actually cover
The KÜINA team · Updated October 11, 2026
The short answer
By law in Spain, furniture carries a three-year guarantee from delivery, not two: that changed on 1 January 2022. Any five- or ten-year guarantee you are offered is commercial: voluntary, added to the legal one and never a replacement for it. What matters about a commercial guarantee is what it covers and who stands behind it.
Legal and commercial are not the same
| Legal guarantee | Commercial guarantee | |
|---|---|---|
| Who gives it | The law, always | The retailer or manufacturer, if they choose to |
| How long | Three years from delivery | Whatever its contract says |
| What it covers | Lack of conformity of the goods | Whatever its contract says, usually less |
| Can it be waived | No | It does not exist unless it is given |
A commercial guarantee sits on top of the legal one and never replaces it. If somebody presents "ten-year guarantee" as though it were all you have, they are misdescribing your rights.
What a commercial guarantee usually does NOT cover
- Normal wear. A door that loses some gloss after eight years is not a defect.
- Moisture damage with no burst pipe behind it: a poorly ventilated kitchen or a slow leak under the sink is usually excluded.
- Colour differences between a new part and one fitted years ago. Timber and lacquers shift with light.
- Appliances, which carry their own manufacturer's guarantee, usually two or three years.
- The worktop, if it comes from another supplier: it normally has its own guarantee.
- The labour to fit the replacement part, if the contract only covers the part.
That last point causes the most trouble. "Ten-year guarantee on the units" can mean they send you a new door and you pay for the fitting.
Six questions that define a guarantee
- Does it cover the part, the labour, or both?
- Does it include the hardware? It is the most used part and the first to fail.
- Who stands behind it: the retailer or the manufacturer? Who do I call?
- What happens if the range is discontinued and there is no matching door?
- Does it transfer if I sell the flat?
- Will you give me all of this in writing?
What to keep, and for how long
- The invoice, always. It is the document that opens any claim.
- The accepted quote with the itemised list: it identifies every unit.
- The guarantee document, with the delivery date on it.
- Technical sheets for the worktop and the appliances.
- Photographs from fitting day. If years later there is an argument about whether something was already like that, a photograph settles it.
The three-year legal guarantee runs from delivery, so that file stays alive at least that long, and as long as the commercial guarantee runs if it is longer.
Questions we get asked
Was it not two years?
It was. For goods bought in Spain from 1 January 2022 it is three years. If somebody tells you two, they are out of date.
What if the problem shows up after four years?
The legal guarantee no longer applies, but a commercial one can, if there is one. That is why a long commercial guarantee has real value, provided it covers parts and labour.
Does the guarantee cover a drawer that drops out of line?
If it is a fault in the runner or the fitting, yes. If it is because it has been loaded well beyond what the manufacturer declares, no. This is where the maximum load per drawer on the technical sheet matters.
Does who fits it affect the guarantee?
A great deal. If the retailer fits it with their own team, there is nobody to pass responsibility to. If a subcontractor fits it, ask in writing who answers for a fitting fault two years later.
Shall we look at it with your kitchen on screen?
An hour in the showroom, your kitchen on screen and the price fixed the same day. No commitment, and no follow-up calls unless you want them.
