48% of Spaniards consider that their second homes are at greater risk than in 2023, as revealed by the second edition of the study ‘Security in Spanish homes’ by the Securitas Direct Observatory, dedicated to home security. The study indicates that from one year to the next the risk perception of Spaniards regarding their holiday home has increased by four points, going from 43% last year to 47% this year. Additionally, occupancy is the main reason for installing an alarm for 93% of second home owners. For owners of second homes, long weekends, such as May 1, are one of the favorite occasions to visit their second home. In fact, 43% of those surveyed claim to visit their second home during long holiday periods such as summer, Easter, Christmas or long weekends. This factor implies that this type of property remains empty for long periods of time, which results in an almost double increase in the risk of suffering an intrusion attempt. Given these facts, eight out of ten respondents take prevention measures and more than 78% claim to have more than one (compared to 70% in 2023). ARMORED DOORS, THE MAIN SECURITY MEASURE Armored doors continue to be positioned as the main security measure in this type of residences with 37%, although it drops from 46% in 2023, according to the study, which says that bars on doors and windows suffer a similar situation. In this case, they occupy second place for the second consecutive year, although they drop from 38% to 33%. These measures decrease in favor of the installation of an alarm connected to an alarm receiving center, which rises from fifth place to third, with 25% compared to 20% last year, indicates the analysis. Regarding the reasons for hiring an alarm, 93% indicate that they have installed or would install one of these devices in their second home to avoid occupation, a figure that has been maintained since 2023. PREFERENCES IN VACATION HOUSING The Securitas Direct Observatory also points out that rural or country areas are preferred by Spaniards for their second homes (65%), compared to 42% who prefer coastal areas. In this way, 21% of Spaniards have a second home, two points higher than last year (19%), and the age profile of the owner is maintained from one year to the next: over 55 years old and They usually reside in the eastern part of the country. Furthermore, 23% have two or more second homes, 5 percentage points more than the previous year (17%), which shows that more vacation homes are being acquired.
