Coming home to a forced door is bad anywhere. On Orihuela Costa there is one extra complication that catches people out: the police are not round the corner. The Guardia Civil post that covers this coast is in Pilar de la Horadada, and the Policía Local has its headquarters in Orihuela itself, some 35 km inland. In August 2026, residents’ representatives told the press that reporting a crime here can mean waiting days for an appointment, and that interpreters are not always available.
None of that changes what you should do. It changes the order in which it is worth doing it.
First: are you safe?
If the door is open and you do not know whether anyone is still inside, do not go in. Step back to the street or a neighbour’s house and ring 112. Operators can take the call in English. They will pass it to whichever force is on duty for your address.
If it is clear that whoever got in has gone, still do not go in further than you need to. Anything you touch or move may be something the Guardia Civil wants to see.
Second: photographs, before anything changes
While you are waiting, photograph:
- the door from outside, the lock close up and the edge of the frame;
- any window, slider or porch door that was forced, and the ground below it;
- the rooms as you find them, before you tidy anything.
Your insurer will ask for these, and the date on the photos settles questions about what was damaged when.
Third: the report
A denuncia is the formal report, and your insurer will almost always want its reference number. If the Guardia Civil come to the house, it can be started there. If they do not, ask on the 112 call where and how to make it, and whether an appointment is needed.
If your Spanish is limited, take someone who can help, or ask whether an interpreter can be arranged when you book. Write down in advance, in short sentences, what was taken and when you last saw the house locked; it makes the report quicker in any language.
Fourth: the door, but only when you are told you can
Once the door has been seen, or you have been told nobody will come to look at it, it can be repaired. Most forced doors here have one of three things wrong: a snapped or drilled cylinder, a keep torn out of the frame, or a frame split around the lock. The first visit is about making the door close and lock tonight; the improvements come afterwards. That is the whole subject of burglary repair in Orihuela Costa.
On ground-floor homes the way in is often not the front door at all but the terrace slider or a glazed porch. Those have their own weak points, described in the glazed porch on a townhouse.
If you are not here
Many owners on this coast hear about a break-in from a neighbour while they are in the UK. In that case the order is the same, done by someone else: the neighbour should not go in, should ring 112, and should photograph what they can from outside. The locks can then be made good with your key holder present, as explained on the second homes page. It is also worth sending your neighbour a short list of what to look at on the door before you next leave.
Afterwards
When the report is made and the door is locking again, sit down with your insurer’s checklist. If you no longer know who has keys to the house, or if keys were taken, the cylinders should change anyway, whatever the burglar did to the door. Ring or message from the contact page to arrange it.