--- title: "Wintering in Benidorm: Check the Lock on a Rented Flat First" description: "Three months in a rented flat from October? Ten minutes on the first day with the doors, the keys and the balcony catch saves a bad night in January." url: "https://locksmithbenidorm.es/blog/wintering-in-benidorm-check-the-lock-on-day-one/" business: "Locksmith Benidorm" --- # Wintering here? Check the lock on the first day Three months in a rented flat from October? Ten minutes with the doors, the keys and the balcony on the first day saves a bad night in January. 24 September 2026 · 5 min read Benidorm does not empty in winter. The hotel association expected **88.4 % of the city’s hotel beds** to remain open between October and March, and from October onwards long-stay visitors from Britain and northern Europe arrive for months at a time, many of them in rented flats. A flat you are going to live in until spring deserves ten minutes of checking on the day you arrive. Do it while the owner or the agent is still easy to reach. ## Count the keys, and ask who else has them Write down how many keys you were given for each door: the flat, the street door, the letterbox, the garage, the storage room. Then ask the owner or agent a simple question: **who else holds a key to this flat?** Cleaners, a neighbour, the previous tenant, a maintenance company. You are entitled to know. If the answer is vague, agree with the owner whether the cylinder can be changed for your stay. It is a small job, and it should be agreed in writing first, because the lock is theirs. ## Try every key in every lock Not just once, and not just from outside: - **Each key, in each lock, from both sides** where there is a cylinder on both sides. - **Lock and unlock with the door shut** , not just the cylinder turning in an open door. A key that turns in the air can stick when the bolts meet the frame. - **The street door and the lift** , if they use cards or fobs, at different times of day. A key that needs jiggling on day one will not improve by January. Tell the owner now, in writing, while it is their problem. ## The balcony door Slide it shut from outside and check whether it can latch on its own. Some sliding doors do, and being shut out on a high balcony is no joke. Then check that it can be locked from inside when you leave: a flat you cannot leave locked is a flat you cannot leave. If it does not latch, or latches when it should not, [balcony door repairs](https://locksmithbenidorm.es/balcony-door-locks-benidorm/) covers what can be done. ## Keep a note of three numbers On paper, not only in your phone: 1. The owner or agent, with a second contact if they travel. 2. The building’s conserje or administrator, if there is one. 3. A locksmith who covers your part of town and answers at night. ## If you are away for part of the winter Leaving for Christmas? Close the balcony properly, lock the flat door with the key rather than just pulling it shut, and leave a spare with someone you trust rather than under a mat. A flat that is visibly unused for weeks is easier to target than one that is lived in. ## When a lock needs attention Stiff keys, worn cylinders and multipoint locks that need adjusting: how planned lock work is measured, priced and booked. [Read more](https://locksmithbenidorm.es/lock-change-benidorm/) ## Need hands on the door rather than advice? Ring, or send a photo of the lock and your location on WhatsApp. Open 24 hours · 7 days [+34 678 583 290](tel:+34678583290) [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/34678583290?text=Hi%2C%20I%20need%20a%20locksmith%20in%20Benidorm.%20The%20building%2C%20floor%20and%20door%20are%3A)