--- title: "What to Ask the Neighbour to Look At on Your Front Door" description: "A neighbour who checks your house while you are in the UK can spot a forced lock early. What to ask them to look at on the doors, and what to send you." url: "https://locksmithorihuelacosta.es/blog/what-to-ask-the-neighbour-to-check/" business: "Locksmith Orihuela Costa" --- # What to ask the neighbour to look at on your front door A neighbour who checks your house while you are in the UK can spot a forced lock early. What to ask them to look at on each door, and what to send you. 1 October 2026 · 4 min read Of the 88,528 homes counted in the municipality of Orihuela, only 31,863 are somebody’s main home. On this coast, that means whole terraces of houses whose owners are in the UK or elsewhere in Europe for months at a time, and a quiet arrangement repeated thousands of times over: a neighbour who “keeps an eye on the place”. That neighbour can do far more good with a short list than with a general instruction to look in now and then. ## The list Print this, or send it on WhatsApp before you leave. Ask for a photo of anything that looks different from last time. **From the street, without going in:** - Is the garden or community gate shut and locked as you left it? - Are there marks, scratches or dents around the lock of the front door, or on the frame beside it? - Is the cylinder of the front door flush with the handle plate, or is part of it missing or snapped off? - Are any shutters raised that you left down, or down that you left up? - Is the post or the advertising piling up at the door? **Round the back and at the porch:** - Is the terrace slider closed and in its track? - Is the glazed porch door shut, with no gap at the bottom of the panel? - Are there footprints or plant pots moved under any window? **With the key, on every few visits:** - Turn the key in each lock once, front door and gate. Locks left untouched for months on this coast seize. - Check the door closes and latches without being pushed. ## What they should do if something is wrong This matters more than the list. If anything looks forced: 1. **Do not go in.** Someone may still be inside, and the Guardia Civil will want to see things as they were. 2. **Ring 112** and give your address. 3. **Photograph** the door and anything damaged from outside. 4. **Message you** with the photos. The Guardia Civil post covering Orihuela Costa is in Pilar de la Horadada, so it may take time for anyone to come. What happens next, in order, is in [no police station on the coast](https://locksmithorihuelacosta.es/blog/no-police-station-on-the-coast-after-a-break-in/). ## Make it easy for them - Give them **one key per lock**, labelled, and nothing else. - Write down **your urbanisation, street and block** as a stranger would need them, along with the strip it is in: seaward of the N-332, inland of it, or beyond the AP-7. - Tell them **who else has a key**, so they are not surprised by a cleaner or a manager. - Agree **who they may let in** if you ask them to: a plumber, a locksmith, a family friend. ## When something does need doing If a lock is stiff, the cylinder damaged or the keys unaccounted for, the work can be done with your neighbour present and the new keys left with them. That is the whole point of [a second home locksmith in Orihuela Costa](https://locksmithorihuelacosta.es/second-home-locksmith-orihuela-costa/). Gates under trees need extra care over a long absence, described in [gate locks under the Campoamor pines](https://locksmithorihuelacosta.es/blog/garden-gate-locks-under-the-campoamor-pines/). To arrange anything from abroad, start at [the contact page](https://locksmithorihuelacosta.es/contact/). ## Locks looked after from abroad Locks checked, changed or secured with your key holder present, and photos sent to you abroad. [Second home locksmith in Orihuela Costa for owners who live elsewhere](https://locksmithorihuelacosta.es/second-home-locksmith-orihuela-costa/) ## Two more for the same coast - [Garden gate locks under the Campoamor pines](https://locksmithorihuelacosta.es/blog/garden-gate-locks-under-the-campoamor-pines/) · 4 min read - [No police station on the coast: the hours after a break-in](https://locksmithorihuelacosta.es/blog/no-police-station-on-the-coast-after-a-break-in/) · 5 min read - [All the guides for Orihuela Costa homes](https://locksmithorihuelacosta.es/blog/) ## Rather have someone at the door than a guide? Call, or WhatsApp us a picture of the keyhole and where you are. Open 24 hours · 7 days [+34 678 583 290](tel:+34678583290) [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/34678583290?text=Hi%2C%20I%20need%20a%20locksmith%20in%20Orihuela%20Costa.%20My%20urbanisation%2C%20street%20and%20door%20are%3A)