Your empty home in Madrid: how to avoid breakdowns, squatters and surprises

A home that stands empty for weeks or months does not rest: it ages. Water stagnates, appliances fail, damp appears and, in the worst case, someone notices that nobody comes or goes. The good news is that almost every problem can be avoided with method. This is what we do in the homes we look after.

1. Before you leave

• Turn off the main water valve or, if there are plants on automatic watering or a boiler that needs it, at least the valves for each area.
• Clear perishables from the fridge and leave the doors ajar if you switch it off.
• Unplug appliances that do not need to stay on, and check that the alarm and router remain powered.
• Leave the shutters in a natural position: a home closed up completely for months draws attention.
• Take photos of the condition of every room. If anything happens, they will be the best evidence for your insurer.

2. While you are away: regular visits

The rule is simple: someone you trust must go in regularly. On each visit it is worth airing the home, running the taps and flushing the toilets so the traps do not dry out and let odours in, checking ceilings and walls for damp patches, testing the fuse box, collecting post and notices, and recording everything with photos.

Regular presence is also the best protection against squatting: a home with movement, an empty letterbox and lights that come on does not look abandoned.

3. Breakdowns: act within hours, not weeks

A leak caught in time is a repair; found a month later, it is a renovation and a claim from the neighbour. That is why it matters so much to have someone with keys, a trusted plumber and the insurance policy to hand. When an incident occurs, the order is always the same: stop the damage, document it with photos, notify the insurer and coordinate the repair until it is resolved.

4. Squatting: prevention is far easier than eviction

Since April 2025, the reform introduced by Organic Law 1/2025 allows the offences of breaking into a home and unlawful occupation to be dealt with through fast-track trials, which speeds up proceedings. Even so, no law replaces prevention. The most effective measures are:

• An alarm connected to a monitoring centre, with immediate alerts to you and your manager.
• A security door or, at least, a high-security lock with an anti-bump cylinder.
• Regular visits and a good relationship with the porter and neighbours, who will let you know if they see anything unusual.
• Key control: knowing exactly who has a copy and who has entered, and when.
• Acting immediately at any sign of trouble: the sooner it is reported, the easier it is to recover the home.

5. Before you come back

Returning to a closed-up home should not be a chore. Ideally someone prepares it a day or two before: cleaning, airing, bed linen, heating or air conditioning on, the basics in the fridge and fresh flowers if you like to find them. That way the home welcomes you as if you had never left.

How we do it at Property Concierge

In the homes we look after, every visit, every access and every incident is logged in the owner’s private platform: who went in, when and with which keys, what was checked and, if there was a breakdown, before-and-after photos. You do not need to call to ask: you can see it.

This article is for information only. In the event of a squatting, contact the police and a lawyer immediately.