Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

I know many of you on this forum have properties in Spain that you do not occupy year-round. I am trying to discover what problems come with locking up a property and leaving it unoccupied for maybe months at a time.

Additionally, what types of properties are best suited for leaving without a lot of worry? I foresee potential problems in the following areas:

• Security of the property - The obvious one I suppose, and self-explanatory. Other than window bars and substantial door locks, is there anything else that can be done to minimise the threat of burglaries?
  
  
• Deterioration of contents - Mould and mildew, for example. I suppose the answer is to ensure adequate ventilation, but is it necessary to use de-humidifiers, for example?
  
  
• Garden maintenance – Grass cutting, hedge trimming, pool upkeep, etc. Presumably there are local contractors who could be employed to do this?
  
  
• Infiltration into the property - Of lizards, snakes, cockroaches, rodents, etc. Other than trying to ensure there are no gaps, are there any other precautions that could be taken? Is it even a problem at all?

For someone thinking of buying a property to be left unoccupied for long periods, are there any tips on what to look for in a potential purchase? I assume the “best” property to lock-and-leave would be a high-level apartment in a gated development, and the “worst” would be a rural finca without near neighbours. There would be no garden maintenance with the apartment of course, but for someone preferring a detached villa, are there any particular feature to look for (a gated development, presence of street lighting, etc.)?

Many thanks.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

Hi
We have owned a villa in Moraira for almost 10 years and never had a problem regarding theft etc, we do have a monitored response alarm system, we pay 350 euros per year.

Mould etc, we leave a de-humidifier on standby if the humidity rises above a certain percentage, one unit will pull the moisture out of the air if bedroom doors are left open etc, this works for us.

We don't leave any windows open etc, have only had one lizard in 10 years so again no problem.

The thing I would look for if buying older property is the finished ground levels, dpc etc, they tend to be below ground level rather than above.

Good neighbours are a plus.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

An apartment would seem easy enough, but pointless if you don't want to live in one. A detached villa can be just as easy to maintain and depends how big the house is (including garden). If it's only a yard, or area with paving, you won't need to cut grass and if you have grass, there are people who can do that for you. We got the grass on our plot of land cut, because it was overgrown. The guy doing job took pictures and sent to us. Once you're happy with the work, you pay online, so that's easy enough. Security again depends on location and nobody can say if your safe or not. Some people never lock the doors and have never had break ins, while others have cameras and everything, but someone still managed to break in. If it's just a holiday home, there won't be that much to steal anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much. Ideally find a detached property with neighbours around, rather than a house with no neighbours. You will only have to worry about mould and mildew if the house already has problems. There are windows with air vents, or ways to ventilate without window being wide open. If you look at an attic, most people will never have a problem with dampness, although they never opened a window. That's because you have soffit vents for ventilation. Unless you have plenty of money, avoid a pool if you're not living there permanently.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

I remember reading some reports some time back about someone who gained entrance to someone elses property whilst they werent there and made it their own.

She reported to the Guardia (first mistake) and that began a very very long process to get the squatter out of the place. The Guardia wouldnt do it because the squatter clamed he was legitimately living there. He had her bank details and having had access to all her paperwork he was able to lodge a fairly strong argument.

Although such a thing, as far as I know, is fairly rare ...... it does enforce the importance of having a very secure property, a trustworthy key holder, and not leaving any tell tale documentation such as bank details etc in the property. It's not the theft thats so important in a holiday home, it's actually the attempted theft of the holiday home itself.

This link is back from 2012 to illustrate the possible squatter issue


"Can’t I just walk in and change the locks to my property?
No. On squatters taking over your property, you lose material possession of it. Meaning should you attempt to enter it, despite a property being rightfully lodged under your name at the land registrar and you paying all utility bills and even mortgage repayments, it will be regarded as ‘illegal trespassing’ for which you can – and will – be legally prosecuted."

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

One issue which can be a problem concerns the water and depends on the hardness in the are you live. Taps can crust up and toilets (and cisterns) can dry up. It's a good idea to have someone flush the loos occasionally. Of course there is also the problem of power cuts which mean that freezers defrost and then freeze again depending on the duration.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

Why not have 'house sitters' ?
We are currently looking after a house in the hills in Malaga area for 3 months.
Did the same last year for the British lady owner, keeps everything used and working, keeps a presence so locals know its not been left alone, we water plants and enjoy the property with no big living costs and we don't charge the owner.......
Win -win as they say :thumbsup:

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

when i leave my house in Cabo, i switch th epower and the water off and block the plug holes etc to keep insects out. Thats it simples.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

My neighbour used to do the same, only problem was that through prolonged non use the water meter used to crust up and caused all kinds of problems when they returned with renewed valves

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

Our meters are housed in a purpose built building, where were theirs?

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

We have a holiday home that is left empty for periods of time, security is always my biggest worry, we were burgled once 5 years or so ago and since then we beefed up security including a monitored alarm and have had no problems since, its less of a worry these day's, in fact i worry about my uk house more than the Spanish one when I'm not there as we were burgled there 6 years ago.

The longest the house is left empty is only 8 -9 weeks and in that time we get no problem with mould etc, we do have vents in certain places and leave all the doors open inside the house so air can circulate

Garden and pools are easy, you find a good gardener and pool man and keep them, they are extra eye's and ears around the place, of course it costs money but i think its well spent

Never had a problem with infestations, had a few small lizards in the garage /living room but only 4 or 5 in 7 years, we do have one that seams to live permanently in the bottom of the garage door and i have grown rather fond of it, i once was changing an outside light bulb and found a lizard wrapped around the bulb fitting , i managed to remove the glass, change the bulb and refit glass without him moving much at all, was after the warmth of the bulb!

Your assessment of types of property and there vulnerability are about right i would say

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

In a purpose built brick meter housing with inspection door

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

I have a reformed town house (no garden) for around 7 years and also recently purchased an apartment. I have never had a problem with either property.
Just literally lock and leave.
I leave the electricity on to keep my sky box on, although I do ensure the fridge/freezers are empty and off.
I also do not have any additional security.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

In my neighbourhood, the richest man has no fence surrounding his property and no security cameras. The cheapest trash in the neighbourhood are fully enclosed with several big dogs and a minimum of 12 cameras monitoring the property.

That says it all.

Crime is so bad in Spain that only the real serious offences are now considered crimes. Robbing someone's house is just a bit of fun.

In Canarias, 97,5% of criminal cases don't go past the first judicial stage (recent press). It would be similar for mainland Spain. This gives the impression that crime is low. The reality is that its out of control. Court proceedings are a joke as the general advice is to lie, lie and lie again, not forgetting to make up witnesses (advice from lawyers).

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

I do the same as Wilsman77 and never had any problem with water over 7 years. I turn mine off and drain as much as I can before leaving. I also switch off electricity at the mains. Ours is a village property never had any security issues, as soon as I turn up I am not in the door before my Spanish neighbour is out to see who is there. First time we left the house I closed everything up and on return 10 weeks later found black mould on walls leading up the stairs etc. Our property does have one level which is partially below ground on 1 side. I realised mistake of poor air circulation. Having cleaned off mould etc I knocked an air vent into the wall at very top of stairs and left a window slightly open (but secured) at lowest level, left all room doors open in the house so good air curculation and never had any problem since.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

You could always consider a Property Management company.
We charge €395+IVA a year.
For that we do a variety of services, one of which is checking the property when empty on a regular basis.
The water here in Alcudia is very hard and requires running at regular intervals.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

You could also just install a water softener and you'll never have hard water again. It's cheap enough and you don't have to worry about these things.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

Surely the lime build up occurs mainly in the hot water pipes etc in the system as it is the heating of the water that leaches out the calcium? If the water is not heated when house empty surely this in itself reduces such build up? That's my theory and why I try and drain as much water out of pipes. Without a softner fitted whether you are there or not the Cold water is always present/running through the system anyway which would leave deposits?

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

No-one seems to have mentioned insurance. A number of insurance companies won't insure empty properties for a long period of time.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

It doesn't really matter if hot or cold and with hard water you'll always have more limescale. The idea of the water softener is to install where the water enters your home, so you'll never have problems again. Some people install it in the wrong place, so not all of their pipes will be free. Hard water is not only a problem for pipes, but it can also cause hair loss.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

Buildings cover shouldn't be a problem, but contents insurance will be. If it's a holiday home, just keep it simple and don't leave expensive stuff in the house. If you like expensive stereo systems, TV's, you could just drive and bring it with you.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

We didn't find it a problem, when we first had the house we were only there maybe 5 weeks a year in total, AXA we're fine with that and indeed payed out no problem when we were burgled, contents cover is only up to €18.0000 euro but that's fine for most holiday homes

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

I am not disagreeing that the water softener is a very good idea as you say if fitted at entry. I still believe though that limescale is increased in the hot water pipes, water heater etc as the heating has the affect of leaching out more scale than the Cold water part of the system. I have also been told this by a friend who is a plumber who explained the need to descale hot water system etc or preferably fit a water softner as you say. But yes the lime is in the water hot or cold .

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

You are right that limescale develops quicker in hotter water. Best example is a washing machine and limescale sticks to heat transfer surfaces, so a lot of the time the washing machine is using more energy to heat. Just saying that you can't really avoid the build up in general, unless you use a water softener etc. because it's in the water from the start. You are right by draining as much as possible and they advise people to keep water heaters below 60c, ideally 55C.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

Many thanks for the very helpful feedback. I was imagining all sorts of problems, but it seems that with careful planning and some good luck, I should be OK. I hadn't thought about either the hard water and the problems it can cause, nor about the need to ensure the insurance is valid, so thanks to those who pointed those out. From all your comments, I think a house in a village would be ideal. I didn't want an apartment, nor a rural finca, so a village house would be perfect. The key seems to be to make friends with the neighbours and to employ a reliable garden maintenance firm. I could also consider installing an alarm, depending on the individual circumstances of the property.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

This hadn't occurred to me. I could pack my 55 inch (expensive, and large) TV, and my floor-standing speakers and amp and cd player (expensive, and large), and my projector and sub woofer and extras into my hired van (expensive) and drive it 1300 miles. I'd pay the ferry (expensive) and the toll roads (expensive) but would enjoy the drive when not knackered, but I would be knackered because sleeping well when in a hotel with a van outside full of my (expensive) stuff wouldn't be easy.

But it's a great suggestion and one that I considered for all of 20 seconds when booking my 20 quid flight over in January and renewing my contents insurance for 170 Euros for the year.

But thanks for the suggestion.

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

Alarms can be a problem if you do not have an alarm company to respond - the police don't respond quickly and there is always the noise that can cause you a problem
Neighbours can be great for the outside but be VERY careful if you leave a set of keys with neighbours or "employ" them as key holders. There are many examples of dodgy people renting out holiday homes without telling the owner (I posted a thread about his happening near me).
In addition they are NOT insured and operate cash in hand. The price for a registered legal company with all the credentials and liability insurances etc. is not a lot more and it is simply not worth trusting neighbours you have only know for 5 minutes (yes there are a few dodgy legal property management companies and some great neighbours but.......)
Remember any legal issues and the neighbours will quickly take cover!!
My recommendation is look for a legal fully registered property management company, do some research and register whoever you use with your house insurance provider (and bank if you have a mortgage), it may also be possible to register them at the local town hall
Please be careful in whatever you do

Re: Problems with lock-up-and-leave properties?
 

Town freehold terraced house, grilled windows and good trusting neighbours who keep an eye out, email is a handy tool to keep in touch.

Always see that some air can circulate, air bricks or mesh on a small secure window. South facing helps. You can buy moisture capturing crystal dehumidifiers that can be refilled, leave one or two in each room.

Do not have a garden, have a roof terrace with some cactus and succulent plants in pots, pick the plants that do well in your area, position them in a place where they are most likely to do well, taking into consideration, sun, shade and wind.

Buy some double-sided tape and place across main door tape bottom of any other outside doors to stop dust and insects. Some people have rubber strips or place plastic across bottom of door to protect from both rain and buggs. You can buy small square plactic cockroach traps to put about the place, if a problem and your other protective measures have failed......enjoy.