BURGLARS in spain

You seem to get lots of burglaries on new developments where people are just moving in.  The burglars are not violent, they grab and run, unlike the UK where they shoot, stab, rape, batter etc. you.

You have to be vigilant, fit gates and grills and lock them.  Lock your front door from inside when going to bed.  Pull your blinds down, don't leave windows open.  Don't leave anything on show.  Watch people loitering.  Change your locks when moving in.  Lock your car.  

When we bought on a new development in Orihuela Costa 12 years ago there were dozens of burglaries.  The builders were still on site and you saw some of them watching.  People were careless and left doors open.  They had a lot of cash on them.  None of the burglaries were violent though.  Now, there are no more burglaries on our development.

The general trend seems to be for organised gangs  to target isolated properties, and this happens from time to time across all the coastal areas. Often the gangs are Romanian, Moroccan, etc, so not always Spanish. There have been several gangs arrested in recent months. I must admit I would not buy a property in a rural area sitting on it's own plot. (That's just my personal opinion, there will be people who have done so who will tell you they have never had a problem)

However, there was also a recent example where a gang targeted a whole Urbanisation, so we are never completely "safe" from burglary! The above advice about gates, grilles and locks is sensible. Additionally, the risk of burglary is one of the reasons why so many people keep dogs in Spain.

My advice - if you have specific concerns about this -  would be to buy on a gated community. It will cut down the search choice options and you might not have the seclusion that a stand alone property gives you, but you will certainly have more peace of mind when you're not home.

I offer a service to British people who are looking to buy on the Costa Blanca, it's listed in the companies section - if I can help in any way just get in touch.

Happy hunting, Steve

The matter has been well covered by other replies however, I would add to the good advice about having a dog that can be a means of alerting you to the possibility of someone seeking to enter your property. Earlier this year in March there were reports and posts on this Forum alerting people to the deliberate poisoning of dogs in several locations. The Police and Civil Guards were investigating, meat samples had been tested in laboratories which confirmed the presence of poison. One line of enquiry seemed to point to the deliberate poisoning as a means of getting rid of dogs to prevent them alerting owners to the presence of burglars. As always vigilance is the word and being sure that you take all reasonable steps to keep your property secure.

Hello, I'm not sure about widespread burglaries in the centre of towns but they are certainly more prevalent around the conurbations. We are looking at selling a beautiful high quality and low maintenance 1st floor apartment in central Orba village, and it would be nigh on impossible for burglars to get in!  So if you're worried about safety it's a great base for someone looking for relaxed village life!

What is the name of your business Steve.

Hi 

Another thing they do is put a rod with a hook on the end though your window and steel car keys, bags, wallets that you may have gone to bed and left on a table.

They can then enter your home remove anything they want, put it into your car and drive away. 

This happened to my sister and she was upstairs asleep. Didnt hear a thing.