Every summer I get the same question around this time of year: "I'm going away for three weeks — does my home insurance still cover me the same way?" The short answer is yes, almost always — but there are details worth knowing before you close your suitcase, not after you get back.
Why empty homes become a target in summer
It's not just a feeling: break-ins genuinely rise during the summer months in Spain, coinciding with the holidays, when many homes sit empty for days or weeks at a time. Whole neighbourhoods empty out at once, which makes it easier to spot a home with no apparent activity just by paying a little attention — an overflowing letterbox, blinds always down, no lights on at night.
This doesn't mean going on holiday is a risk you can't manage. It means it's worth spending ten minutes on it before you walk out the door, just like you check your passport or turn off the gas.
What your home insurance covers while you're away
For a normal holiday absence — a few days or a few weeks — your main home keeps all its usual coverage active: theft and forced entry, water damage, fire, civil liability towards third parties, and home assistance. You don't need to tell your insurer you're going away, or do anything special, for that coverage to stay in force.
That said, every policy has its own terms on what counts as "signs of forced entry" (a forced door, a broken window) versus access without those signs, and on the compensation limits for jewellery, cash or particularly valuable items. That's all detailed in your specific policy terms, and I explain it to you before you take out anything, precisely so there are no surprises if you ever need to use it.
Main home, normal absence
Theft, water, fire and civil liability stay active just like any other day. You don't need to notify your insurer about going on holiday.
Home left empty for months
Second homes or very long absences can have different terms for theft cover. It's worth checking this with your policy in hand, rather than assuming.
The limit almost nobody knows about: how many days your home can sit empty
This is the detail that really makes a difference. Many insurers — not all, and not all in the same way — limit or reduce theft coverage once a home has gone a high number of consecutive days unoccupied, and that specific threshold varies depending on the insurer and the type of policy. For a normal summer holiday it's almost never a real issue. Where it's worth looking at closely is cases like a second home only used seasonally, a long absence for work, or an inherited house that hasn't yet been rented out or sold.
If your situation goes beyond "a few normal weeks of holiday," let me know before you leave. I'll go through the specific terms of your policy with you, so you know exactly how long you're covered in the same way, with no surprises when you get back.
Five steps that reduce the real risk, and cost almost nothing
- ✓Don't announce it on social media in real time. Posting your holiday location while you're away is one of the easiest ways for someone to know your house is empty. Share the photos once you're back.
- ✓Leave a light on or a blind half down. A light timer, or asking a neighbour to raise and lower a blind now and then, breaks the "completely shut-up house" look that opportunistic burglars look for.
- ✓Empty your letterbox, or ask someone to collect your post. An overflowing letterbox is one of the clearest signs that nobody's been home in days.
- ✓Don't leave valuables visible from the street. Laptops, jewellery boxes or expensive bikes visible through a window are an unnecessary invitation.
- ✓Check the locks and windows before you leave. It sounds obvious, but a good number of easy break-ins happen because of a window left ajar or a door not properly shut, not because anything was forced.
What to do if you still have a break-in or damage while you're away
If you come back to find a break-in, the first step is to file a report with the Police or Guardia Civil — your insurer will need it to process the claim. Then notify your insurer as soon as possible: most policies require you to report it within a short period, a matter of a few days, from when it's discovered. Take photos of the state of the home and note down what's missing before you start tidying up or moving anything; that documentation is what really speeds up the loss adjuster's assessment and the payout.
If the issue isn't a break-in but water damage or a fault that happened while you were away, the process is similar: photograph the real extent of the damage as soon as you spot it, and contact your insurer before repairing anything yourself, so there's a record of how everything was.