A significant share of Algarve properties stand empty from October to April. An empty house on an empty street is a target with a completely different risk profile from the same house in August.
Before you lock up
- 1Check the cylinder: if it protrudes more than three millimetres past the escutcheon, replace it with a correctly sized certified one.
- 2Fit a protective escutcheon if you do not have one — it is the most effective defence against snapping.
- 3Close windows and balcony doors on a security catch, not just pushed to.
- 4Leave no ladders, garden tables or crates against walls that give access to a first floor.
- 5Store bikes, outboard motors and tools out of sight.
Do not advertise the absence
The clues that a house is empty are rarely subtle: an overflowing letterbox, shutters closed for weeks, an abandoned garden, one lamp coming on at exactly the same time every night.
Ask a neighbour or a local manager to collect post and open the shutters occasionally. A timer that varies its hours slightly is worth far more than one that switches on at 7pm sharp.
Test everything before you go
Lock and unlock every door twice. If a key sticks, fix it before you leave. A lock that sticks in October is a lock that will not open in April, when you are back with the suitcases in your hands.
When you return
If you find marks around the cylinder, metal filings on the ground, or the door sitting with a different gap than usual, do not force your way in. Photograph it, contact the authorities and call a technician to assess whether there was an entry attempt.
We carry out that check across the whole Algarve, with a photographic report if your insurer needs one.
