I have not found much information on this issue. I know Spain apparently has its share of non-violent pick-pocketeers, but is there much concern on home break-ins? Obviously you would keep extreme valuables in a safe (good practice anywhere) but what about other expensive items (TVs, computers, and the like)? Obviously you would not store these in safes. I don't assume there is any more concern for this in Spain as compared to anywhere else, but since I haven't seen any information on this, I figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

Thanks,
Loc

I think apartments, pisos, flats etc inside the city are extremely secure. Get past the front door (either locked or with door-keeper/portero) and you still have more locked doors to contend with. Also the locals are normally around to notice anything amiss. Of course sometimes people get desperate, and the locks would not be there if there weren't bad elements liable to break in. Even so one feels extremely secure in a typical Madrid abode. I suspect this is not the case however in a detached villa on the coast.
In short you are 5000 times more likely to have a bad experience with a pickpocket than a house-breaker.

House break-ins is not unheard of, but it is neither not very very frequent.

There are 28 flats in my block and there have been 3 house robbings in 26 years. All of them while my neighbours were on vacation.

Recently there have been some house robberies in the outskirts with violence (committed by eastern european bands formed by former soldiers of those countries), but they are not frequent either.

However, everyone knows how to minimize risks:

1) Don't tell people you are going on holidays (except the door-keeper and your closest neighbours).

2) Tell the door-keeper not to live you mail in the mail-box.

3) Have a good and secure door.

4) If possible contract an alarm.

5) If possible (specially interesting in one-floor houses) have an automatic light turn-on system.

6) Leave a contact phone number and the keys to the door-keeper. That way he can check from time to time and call you if something happens.

7) Don't leave jewelry, money or high value items in-home while you are on vacation and never tell people you have such things at home.

That way you will minimize the chances to get robbed.

Fernando

For Madrid, this is what I expected. No worse than any large city anywhere else in the world, even better in some ways. I'm sure Barcelona isn't bad either with this issue.

Filbert wrote: Are you saying that a detached house (villa) perhaps in the Valencia or a similar area may be prone to more break-ins?

Another issue I have is my car. Even though I probably wont *need* a car in Madrid (and most Spain), I do own one already in the US and am not sure I wan't to sell it / get rid of it as I like the car very much and have done quite a bit of custom work to it. However, I am concerned with theft or vandalism. The car does attract a lot of attention (Mistubishi Evolution VIII), which I would deem a not so positive thing. How hard would a somewhat safe garage or the like be to find in Madrid? I've thought of leaving it behind at least for the initial duration of my residency, however not imorting the car within 6 months of living there means I cannot avoid the VAT tax. Selling it does seem like it might be the best idea, but that's going to be very hard for me to bring myself to do!

Any thoughts? (car or villa issue)

Ton wrote: The Costa del Sol isn't nicknamed the Costa del Crime fer nuttin', ya' know! More break-ins on the Costa del Sol (and many coastal regions) mainly because of the HIGH concentration of tourists or location of holiday housing where people don't spend most of the year. Plus there are more hillside houses occupied less than half the year and are "easy pickin's" for thieves.

In the cities, in buildings full of pisos/flats there are always neighbors coming and going and pretty much everyone knows - or at least recognizes - everyone.

Saludos, MadridMan

That makes sense. If I was a criminal, and wanted to rob a house, I'd probably pick that area too. And probably rob it during the winter when nobody is there. Makes perfect sense, though makes it rough if that's where one desires to live. The constant fear of hoping someone doesn't think your house is a vacation home or being afraid to go on an extended vacation yourself.

I lived six weeks in an apartment in Malaga with my mother,many many moons ago, when el Generalisimo was in charge. And even then the porter always advised us to be sure and lock our doors and windows well. But, the thefts if I remember were all on the coastal towns, like Marbella, where the European tourists, mainly English, were the marks. But these guys were pros, no violence.

But then I never take anything that is so valuable that I would regret its loss. If I and mine are alive and well, so much for stuff.

Enjoy Spain!

If you're planning on living and mostly staying in the city then I guess a car is something that you don't really need as the metro is fantastic. Parking in central Madrid is a bit of a nightmare. I've only been round in a car twice and both times finding somewhere vaguely close to where I needed to be was a mission. Not that this is any different from any big city. I guess it comes down to how much you are willing to pay if you can get a private garage. (I don't know much about the availability of these)

One thing I have to mention given that you drive an Evo though.... In Madrid (and a lot of southern europe) cars are maybe viewed as a more functional item than a prized, shiny object like in the US or northern europe. You won't see many cars that are parked on the streets of Madrid that don't have scratches and dents from parking. It's not unknown for people to gently nudge other cars to get in and out of tight spaces - I remember someone telling me in some places it is considered rude to leave your handbrake on when parked as people can't move the car in your absence! - not sure if that one is a bit of a tall tale though.

Oh lord! I definately don't want anyone "nudging" my car out of the way! lol

Yes, I realize I really don't need a car for the city at all. I was more or less thinking along the lines of living in the outskirts of the city (still metro accessible) so that I could use metro for city travel, and have my car available for any longer distance travel. I think as long as I don't drive my car into the city it should be fine as far as dents, dings, and nudges. Just having not been there yet I don't know the layout very well. Is there any such thing as an apartment/flat (or maybe villa, I don't know the prices well yet for affordability) just on the outside of the city that parking would be easy (possibly a garage) and also still easily accessible to the metro? If so, which areas should I perhaps investigate?

Thanks!

-Loc