Calpe is home to people from 99 countries, and some of them split the year between here and somewhere else. Leaving a house or a flat shut for three, six or nine months is not unusual here. It is also when two things tend to go wrong: someone tries the door while you are away, or the door refuses to open when you come back.
This checklist deals with both.
Four weeks before you leave
Test every lock. Front door, back door, garage, storage room, garden gate, terrace sliders. Any key that needs a wiggle now will be seized when you return. Clean and lubricate, or replace, while you are still here. Why salt air makes this worse in Calpe.
Look at the front door cylinder. If it sticks out of the handle plate, or it is a basic cylinder with no anti-snap protection, this is the moment to upgrade. An empty house is exactly where a quick, quiet entry is attempted.
Check the terrace doors. On villas in the hillside urbanisations and on ground-floor flats, the big glazed sliders are often the real weak point. If one does not lock properly, it does not matter how good the front door is.
The week before
Decide who holds a key. A neighbour, a key holder company or a property manager. Someone who can open the door for a plumber, a leak or the police without anything being forced.
Write down who has keys. Cleaners, gardeners, pool maintenance, former tenants, the agent who sold you the house. If you are not sure the list is complete, change the cylinder and hand out new keys only to those who need them.
Leave a spare where it is useful. With your key holder, not under a plant pot or in a meter box.
On the day
- Lock every door with the key, not just on the latch.
- Close shutters, but check that at least one door can still be opened from outside by your key holder.
- Take the house keys with you in hand luggage, not in a suitcase that might go astray.
- If you use a key box for cleaners or guests, change its code.
While you are away
Ask your key holder to try the front door key once a month. A lock that is used does not seize. It is the simplest and most effective thing you can do for a house left empty by the sea.
If something happens
If a neighbour calls to say the door has been forced, there is a step-by-step guide for dealing with a break-in from abroad. The short version: police first, then secure the door, then the insurer.
For cylinder upgrades, high security locks and a full check of the house before you fly, see burglary repair and security upgrades, or for a simple cylinder change, lock replacement.