It’s possible to lose a great deal money (and even a life’s savings) if you are not insured or discover following an unforeseen event or natural disaster that your policy was not adequate or that the insurer underwriting the policy was not financially sound.

This article highlights practical aspects related to property insurance in Mexico to help you understand home insurance policies and choose coverages which are suitable to your needs and that will be adequate in the event you need to make a claim.

Home insurance if you own or rent in Mexico

You can arrange property insurance whether you own or rent a home in Mexico.

If you own a home in Mexico, you can insure the physical structure of the property as well as arrange coverages for loss of personal property at the home, and third party liabilities.

If you are renting a home in Mexico, you cannot insure the physical structure but you can arrange coverages for loss of personal property situated at the home and third party liability in relation to people visiting or working in your rented home.

Uninsurable residential structures in Mexico

Note that certain physical structures, especially risky ones like wood-framed buildings and palapa (palm or straw) roofing structures are usually explicitly excluded from all policies; if you must insure these, be prepared to pay a high premium to have them included in your coverages (it’s usually uneconomic to do so).

“All Risks” —vs— “Named Perils” insurance coverages

Some policies will offer “All Risks” cover, a form of comprehensive coverage that will pay out in the event of most incidents involving your home.

The better policies offer the option to cover catastrophic incidents such as hurricanes, floods, wind, fire, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes; surprisingly, some Mexican insurers are unable to underwrite some of these events, although specialist US insurers will.

To lower the insurance premium, you can elect to limit certain “Named Perils” assigned to your policy instead of taking All Risks coverage.  When you do this, certain events will be covered while others will not.

Less expensive policies are often the “named perils” type—even though on the surface they might appear to be comprehensive. A good broker will make a clear distinction between these two during its sales offer and demonstrate the cover and price differences between options.

Property insurance —vs— property title insurance

Note that property insurance and property title insurance are different.

Property insurance coverages are paid annually and can underwrite the physical property on the land, your personal possessions at the property, and may also cover third party liabilities related to the property.

Property title insurance is a one-time insurance payment you can buy when you purchase a property that mitigates risks related to unforeseen issues or liens associated with the property’s title.  It must be purchased before you close the property transaction.

Obtaining coverage for all your dwelling spaces

Your policy should cover the main structures of your home space and provide sufficient compensation to rebuild those structures if necessary.

Optionally, you may also cover carports, guesthouses, and other outbuildings including garages, games rooms, cabañas, equipment rooms, bungalows, stand-alone studios, etc.

Some homes in Mexico are composed of several structures (for example, several buildings situated around a central courtyard) and in these circumstances, the insurance rule is usually: everything that is directly connected is treated as one building. Anything that stands alone is considered an additional building.

Insuring your personal possessions situated at the property

A good insurance policy will cover personal goods owned by you, your guests, or domestic employees when they are working at your residence. Coverage for theft of personal property varies, depending on whether it is “scheduled” (specifically listed) or not.

Some policies include coverage for certain valuable property, such as cash, securities, jewelry, fine arts, sporting equipment and property used for business purposes—up to certain limits.

If you need higher limits for specific items of property that you own, this option is available by listing them on a special section of the application and making them a type of ‘named risk.’

Third party liability protection in relation to your home in Mexico

Good home insurance policies provide coverage for personal liabilities to third parties to protect you and your family against any lawsuits or demands presented against you.

For example, if a wall collapses and injures someone who was near it at the time; or the neighbor’s property is damaged due to a falling tree from your garden, a good insurance policy will cover your liabilities in these circumstances.

Policies can also cover injuries to people visiting or working in your home, for example if your housekeeper or gardener injure themselves on the job.

Loss of home use, or rental income

If you rely on your property for work, or to bring in a rental income, you may also choose to include a “loss of use” risk coverage in your policy.

This cover provides for additional living expenses if your house is damaged and cannot be lived in for a time while it’s repaired or rebuilt.

If you rent out your home and rely on this for income, you could take the additional option to cover rental income loss, whereby you are compensated for lost income if your home becomes damaged and unavailable for rental to others (you will need to provide evidence that a rental contract exists).

Rent liability coverage

Some home insurance policies exclude coverage when your home is rented (even occasionally or part time) or add a hefty supplement to the policy’s premium to include renter’s liability as part of the coverage.

If you rent out your home in Mexico (or intend to at some point) and want your coverages to be valid when others are renting the property, check with the provider you get a quote from to see if renter’s liability coverage is included in the premium, or how much more you need to pay in premium to include it.

Insuring your condominium unit in Mexico

Condominium associations in Mexico are supposed to keep a blanket commercial policy in place to cover the entire property.

Typically, this provides insurance coverage for the building as well as communal elements of the property such as pools, garages, the interior walls, fixtures, fittings, and outbuildings associated with the development, or fraccionamiento.

The wording of these commercial insurance policies tends to be very limiting in what they will cover within the terms of a blanket condominium insurance policy and it’s prudent for individual condo owners to arrange separate insurance to mitigate expenses of paying for certain types of damage.

Exclusion of third party liability

Many Mexican-issued insurance policies exclude third party liability and renter’s liability from the standard policy and charge a substantial premium to include these as optional extras. This places an obligation on condominium owners to cover elements not included by the commercial policy on a unit-by-unit basis.

Liability to adjacent properties in the building

Don’t be lured into a false sense of security by condominium blanket coverages: in a situation where an event that happens in your condominium affects an adjacent condominium —for example, a water leak in your shower room that damages your neighbor’s room below— you will be made liable for repairs to yours and your neighbors’ damages.  Having a unit-based insurance policy in place will protect you from the expenses of these sorts of events.

Check the documentation

The key documents to check on your Condo contracts are the ‘Byelaws’ and ‘Covenants’ associated with your condominium property: these are the documents that contain the small print regarding what is and what is not covered by the condominium building’s ‘blanket’ insurance program.

Insurance for beachfront and waterside property in Mexico

It’s possible to insure property near oceans, rivers, and lakes—although premiums may be higher to reflect the additional risks which may arise from storms and flooding that can be more common in these areas.

The online insurance application form will ask you for the Mexican postal code (zip code) of the property, and this is mapped to detailed topographical and statistical data which enables insurers to assess the hydro and meteorological risks that are related to the property and quote accordingly.

Some companies may refuse to insure properties very close to the sea or other bodies of water if historical statistical data show that it’s unviable, although policies may be available from different brokers that will quote for coverage in certain acute circumstances—with higher premiums to reflect the increased risk.

Insurance for homes situated on Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula

If you own —or intend to own— a home situated on Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula, you’ll discover that getting your property insured is more difficult than if it’s situated in other regions of Mexico.

The Yucatán region’s geology, coupled with unique hurricane risks, has made it either difficult or prohibitively expensive to insure homes in this area. However, our insurance associate MexPro offers home insurance coverages in the Yucatán region.

Watercraft insurance in Mexico

A few people live on their boat moored in Mexico, while some people who own homes here near a body of water might also own a boat, a jet ski, or a yacht—and these ought to be properly insured while they are situated in Mexican waters.

The premium you pay for insurance of your watercraft is based on two factors:

• the number of days the craft will be in Mexico, and
• the value of the watercraft.

Personal injury and third-party liability cover should also be taken out in case you become involved in an accident on the water. The better policies also offer legal assistance and ‘bond’ cover in addition to the injury and liability cover.

In legal terms, accidents involving watercraft where people are injured or killed are treated in similar fashion to serious car accidents in Mexico.

If you own watercraft and and spend extended periods of time here, or live here, an annual policy may be a better investment than a short term policy covering specific dates.

Check with the broker providing your quote to find out what options they have for year-round coverage of your watercraft in Mexico.

Learn more about property insurance in Mexico

Mexperience offers detailed insights about property in Mexico for buyers, owners, renters, and sellers.

• Choosing a home insurance policy
• Insuring domestic help and workers in your home
• Third party damage cover
• Latest articles about property insurance in Mexico
• Get a no-obligation online quote for home insurance in Mexico

Our continually-updated guide to Living & Lifestyles in Mexico helps you to define your lifestyle intentions, determine whether Mexico is a good fit for you, consider key choices that will underpin your intentions, and organize your residency permit.  And then when you begin the process of physically moving to Mexico, you’ll need to begin managing the logistics of your move.

Once you have taken that decision to move to Mexico, this comprehensive guide gives you a practical and detailed checklist of actions and activities that need to be considered and taken care of over a three-month timescale leading up to your moving day—as well as local knowledge to help you plan for those first days and weeks after your initial arrival in Mexico.

Actions Checklist: 3 Months to Move Day

Here is a checklist of items to be organized three months before your planned moving date:

Travel documentation and residency permits

Ensure that you and all members of your family have valid passports and that you applied for your residency permit to live (and if relevant, to work) in Mexico. Some employers will take care of the work permit for you, but if you are moving independently, or to retire in Mexico, then you will need to take care of this yourself. Be sure that you can fulfill the requirements needed to qualify for a residency permit—our articles about obtaining legal residency in Mexico and applying for residency describe the routes and requirements.  If you need additional assistance, consider the Mexico immigration assistance service.

Passport validation

We recommend that your passport(s) be valid for at least six months from the date when your residency visa is issued; this is because the visa itself is valid for six months and the consulate may refuse your application if your passport expires in the interim period.  Check the expiration date on all relevant passports and if they are due to expire soon, you may need to renew them before you apply for residency / travel to Mexico.

Driving license

You can take your home country’s driving license with you, although if it’s not issued in English, you might consider taking an International Driver’s Permit (Wiki) as well. Once you are settled in Mexico, you may apply for a Mexican driving license if you want to. The procedures to apply for a Mexican driver’s license vary from state to state. Check with the state where you plan to live for local procedures and fees.

Check electrical appliances

Make a list of the electrical appliances you plan to take with you to Mexico. Items working on low voltage, for example: laptops, iPads, and smart phones, etc. will usually adapt automatically when used in Mexico. If you live in the Americas, then your voltage will be identical to Mexico’s (120v), and big-ticket items (e.g., TVs and refrigerators) may be moved with you. If you live in Europe or somewhere else where the voltage is 240v, you will need to leave most electrical items behind. A European TV will not work in Mexico either, as Europe uses the PAL (Wiki) system and the Americas use NTSC (Wiki).

Consider your pets

Cats and dogs can be easily imported into Mexico, provided the veterinary paperwork is in order. Importing pets other than cats and dogs might be more complex; some (not all) species require an import license and some specifies are banned from import. Read the guide about bringing your pets to Mexico for full details and links to relevant authorities. The Mexperience section about pets in Mexico contains articles and guides for further insight about keeping your pets in Mexico.

Consider items to take and items to leave behind

Make a checklist of the items you would like to take with you and those you are definitely going to leave behind. Consider selling your items online or via garage sale. Go around your home and physically look at all the items you need to consider; you probably have a lot of things you don’t realize you have, and it won’t be until you begin putting things to one side that you’ll get a grasp on the extent of things which have built-up over the years. Don’t forget to check the nooks & crannies including the garage, sheds, attics, and cellars if you have them. If you won’t be taking your pets, now is also the time to start arranging an alternative loving home for them.

Consider your real estate

If you own (or are buying) your home you will probably have decided by now whether to rent it out, sell it, or leave it empty. If you plan to sell it, then it ought to be on the market by now, unless you plan to delay the sale for some special reason. If you plan to rent it, then you need to decide whether it will be rented with furniture or unfurnished, and have arranged a local realtor to manage the rental while you are in Mexico. If your home is mortgaged, check with the lender about terms to rent it out.  If you are living in rented accommodation, check your lease to see when it expires and how much notice you must give before you leave. We recommend that you don’t give notice on your rented home, or agree to rent your home out, or close the sale of your house before your residency permits are confirmed.

Consider your vehicles

If you have cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, etc., then you need to consider what you will do with these. If you live in the USA or Canada, then it’s feasible to move some or all of these to Mexico if you feel it’s worthwhile; however: if you apply for and are granted permanent residency, you will not be able to import your foreign plated vehicles to Mexico using a temporary import permit (TIP); only residents on temporary resident permits may do this. Learn more about importing foreign-plated vehicles to Mexico and applying for a TIP. If you plan to sell your vehicle(s), then prepare to get them advertised after your residency permits are confirmed.

Temporary accommodation in Mexico

If you will be staying in a hotel when you first arrive in Mexico, and you are moving during the high seasons (Christmas/New Year, Easter, and high summer months of July and August) we recommend you book your temporary accommodations well in advance as demand rises substantially during these periods.

• Find information about temporary accommodations in Mexico using AirBnB etc.
• Find practical advice about finding a home for rent in Mexico.
• If you are planning to move straight in to a rented house or apartment in Mexico, you should be making arrangements for that to happen as soon as your residency permit is confirmed.
• If you are buying a house in Mexico and you expect the sale to close in the next weeks or months, you should be in continual touch with your vendor and/or agent in Mexico.

Actions Checklist: 2 Months to Move Day

Here is a checklist of actions and activities to be organized two months before your planned departure date.

Get quotes from moving companies

Once you have decided what personal goods you will be taking and leaving behind and have created a list of the things to move, you’ll be able to assess whether you need a removals company to help you.  If you plan only to take things in a few suitcases/small boxes then you might be able to move those personal items yourself.

If you plan to move with a significant number of household goods to Mexico, we recommend you hire the services of a removals company, as they’ll take the weight off your shoulders and they’ll also deal with the paperwork for the import of your personal goods. We’ve heard of cases of people hiring vans to do it themselves only to be stopped at the border by customs and turned back because they don’t have the import paperwork for their personal goods. Contact at least two, and ideally three, moving companies and ask for a quote to have your personal items moved to Mexico. Choose well-established companies with a strong presence in the market and check reviews online.

If you live in Canada or the USA, the goods will be shipped by road, or by road and then by sea to a port in Mexico where they will be subject to customs inspection and clearance and afterward loaded onto a truck and delivered to your home. If you live in Europe, then you will need to choose whether your goods will travel by sea freight or air freight: the latter is considerably more expensive. Our guide to moving your goods to, within, and from Mexico shares detailed insights.

Traveling heavy or traveling light?

Depending on your circumstances, you may want to leave all your “big ticket” items behind (either by selling them or by placing them in storage) and travel light. You can rent furnished accommodation in Mexico or buy things you need when you arrive: see the Mexperience Mexico cost of living guide for details living costs, including the purchase of homewares. An alternative is to store the things you want to keep, travel to Mexico light, arrange your accommodation and get settled-in, and then have your personal items moved to Mexico later.

Accommodation and storage in Mexico

You should have worked out your accommodation strategy for arrival in Mexico by now. If you are shipping your personal goods to Mexico when you move, they will probably arrive after you. You’ll need to have a plan for the arrival of your items, otherwise you’ll pay storage fees in Mexico—and note that customs’ storage fees are expensive.  If you use a removals company, they ought to coordinate your arrival and delivery dates to avoid excess storage charges.

Preparing to take your vehicles to Mexico

If after considering what to do with your vehicles you have decided to take your car or other vehicles with you, learn more about importing foreign-plated vehicles and applying for Temporary Import Permits for vehicles (TIP).  You don’t need a TIP if your vehicle(s) remain exclusively in the one of Free Zones near the northern and southern borders—read the guides in the links above for details.

Getting ready for your road trip to Mexico

Our comprehensive guide to driving and taking road trips in Mexico is packed with practical advice for driving on Mexico’s roads; and our latest articles about driving in Mexico share helpful insights and advice.  Be sure that your foreign-plated vehicles are property insured for driving in Mexico. See our road trip checklist for more details.

Schooling for your children

If you have school-age children, you should be researching potential schools in Mexico for their schooling needs and making a short-list of potential schools to visit when you arrive in Mexico. If you are employed by a company, your relocation package may include this; if you are moving independently, you will need to research potential schools in Mexico yourself. You might draw up a shortlist and visit two or three upon your arrival in Mexico. Your country’s foreign consulate in Mexico might be able to provide you with a list of private schools you may contact.

Make airline reservations

If you are flying to Mexico, now is the time to start looking at your flight options and making reservations. If you are taking pets with you, the airlines will have certain rules and regulations you need to follow as well.

Change of address

Make a list of all the organizations you need to contact to tell them about your change of address. Arrange a holding and/or forwarding address in your home country if you still don’t yet have a permanent address in Mexico.

Start to organize your personal belongings

Begin to segregate the things you will be keeping (for storage or transportation) from the things you will be disposing of. Begin to advertise items that you no longer use, and which may take longer to sell.

Gather together important documents

Gather all the important documents that you will need to take with you such as birth certificates, passports, marriage certificates, professional qualification certificates, etc.  Note that your foreign-issued official documents such as birth certificates and marriage certificates will need to be Apostilled and Translated into Spanish if you present them for an official procedure in Mexico.

Consolidate your financial arrangements

You may want to consolidate any financial arrangements you have in place; for example, you may want to pay-off or cancel certain credit cards, close bank accounts—although most people tend to keep at least one bank account open in their home country. Any paperwork you dispose of containing personal or financial details should be shredded to avoid someone potentially stealing your identity. Bank cards and check books you no longer need should be securely disposed of, too.  Read our comprehensive free guide to Money, Finances and Banking Services in Mexico and for the latest insights, read our articles about money and finances in Mexico.

Financial documents and tax affairs

Be sure to have all your financial, banking, pension and investment papers organized and safely filed. Share certificates, bonds, and other financial instruments should be carefully stored or carried with you in your hand luggage if you’re flying to Mexico.

Note that you must declare the import/export of cash and other negotiable monetary instruments if the sum exceeds US$10,000; there is no limit on the amount of money that may be brought in or taken out from Mexico but if the amount is over US$10,000 you must declare it. If you are traveling via the USA into Mexico, you will also need to make a separate declaration of amounts over US$10,000 to US Customs. Your home country, if not the US, might have a similar requirement when you leave.

You will need to consider your tax situation, as well. A qualified accountant will be able to advise you in detail about the best framework for your personal circumstances. You (or your accountant on your behalf) will need to contact your country’s tax authorities to advise them of your intentions as part of your personal tax-planning program.  For matters related to tax in Mexico, we recommend you contact and hire a local accountant near when you intend to live in Mexico.

Arrange overseas voting rights

Many countries allow their citizens to vote in elections, even when they are living abroad. If you wish to continue voting for your home-country’s elected officials while you are living in Mexico, check with your local authorities or your country’s consulate in Mexico about how to register to do this.

Actions Checklist: 1 Month to Move Day

This is going to be a busy month. All the preparation work you have been doing over the last sixty days will begin to come together very quickly over the next few weeks. Your last week (see next section) might be one of the busiest in your life.

Your passports and visas

All your travel and visa documentation should be in order by now.  Your residency permit for Mexico should be confirmed, with visa stickers in your passport(s) ready to make the exchange from the visa to a residency card when you arrive in Mexico.

Your home residence

If you are renting a house in your home country, you should have given notice to the landlord or renting agent by now. If you are selling, then you are about to close or will leave the selling/closing to the realtor or other person to do on your behalf. If you are leaving your home vacant, you ought to have planned for house-sitting or someone to check-in regularly.  If you are renting your home out, then you will need to make final preparations for your tenants to move-in after you leave. If you do not have the time to clean the house, hire the services of a professional cleaner and arrange for them to come in a day or two before you plan to vacate the property.

Your personal goods and belongings

You should be selling or donating all your unwanted goods by now. The items that you are keeping should be kept separate (perhaps in a spare room, garage, or rented storage unit) and you should have the removal and, if appropriate, storage of the items arranged and booked with the removals company.

If you are moving yourself and driving to Mexico, you should ensure that your vehicle will safely transport all the items you are planning to take with you. Return any borrowed goods to friends, neighbors, and other family members.  If you are moving a lot of things, you should have made preparations for your personal goods to be moved and imported to Mexico.

Inform key people and organizations of your move

Now is the time to contact all the people and organizations on the list you’ve made to let them know you are moving. The list should include:

• Local authorities (e.g. municipality or council)
• Property management association (where relevant)
• All utilities; telephone, cell phone and TV companies
• Banks and financial institutions (including insurance and investment companies)
• Cancelation or redirection of any physical delivery of newspapers, magazines you may have active
• Cancel regular food deliveries, the local library (and return any books), local clubs, gym membership, and other associations
• Contact your children’s school (arrange for their last day at school, pick up any work and school certificates, report cards, etc.) and any clubs they attend
• Inform the car registration agency, the tax office, your vehicle breakdown service company, the family attorney and accountant and doctors (see medical below) about your move.

Medical records, prescriptions, and health coverages

Get copies of yours and your family’s medical records from your doctor/health center; also get copies of any prescription medicine you are taking if you will need to buy more in Mexico. You may want to have a last eye-test and dental check-up before your departure to Mexico, and thus not have to concern with those for a while. (Note that dental work is considerably less expensive in Mexico than in the US.) You can learn about options for health insurance in Mexico and get detailed information about health and well-being on the latest articles here at Mexperience.

Run-down your food supplies

Begin to run-down your fridge and freezer in readiness for defrost; empty kitchen cupboards of dry goods; use up food and/or donate it to friends, neighbors, or shelters.

Get your personal goods ready to move or dispose of

Prepare furniture and appliances being sold or donated for removal from the house or apartment; encourage people to take delivery of items you no longer use now and try to negotiate late-pick up of items you need until your last day in the house, e.g., beds.

Begin to clear and empty out all cupboards and storerooms including the attic, basement, or cellar if your home has these. Your items checklist should make this process straightforward as you will know what you are keeping and disposing of.

Dismantle any furniture that will not easily transport when built. This is your final chance to sell goods and personal items you don’t need—do some more advertising if you need to and reduce prices of things that have not sold to date; you might host a final garage sale. You cannot take house plants with you to Mexico, so find new homes for them.

Confirm final-week arrangements

Confirm your moving date with your removals company, cleaner, and any other essential service providers (e.g., your rental agency). If you are not taking your pets, begin preparations for their move to their new loving home; if you are taking your pets to Mexico, be sure you have all of the paperwork in place and that you have the correct type of carry box or kennel to transport the pet(s) if you’re flying.

Actions Checklist: One Week to Move Day

Everything must come together this week; and you need to organize matters so that your move out of your property goes smoothly.

Prepare to vacate your current residence

Anything you have not been able to sell needs to be donated or recycled. Your freezer should be emptied, defrosted, and dried out if it has not been done already. All items you are not putting into storage or taking with you need to be removed; those items you are storing or taking will need to be segregated (where possible) or labeled for removal and ready for the removals people to collect.

Find new owners to adopt your house plants: you cannot take them to Mexico with you. Do last minute laundry and dry-cleaning; don’t forget to collect any items you may have pending at the dry cleaners. If you no longer have a bed to sleep on, you may arrange to stay the last few nights with family members, close friends, or a local hotel or Airbnb. Arrange letter-post forwarding if this service is available in your country.

Gather your personal belongings together

Separate all of the personal items that you will be taking with you in your baggage (i.e. not being removed by the removals company if you’re using one); ensure that you have sufficient clothes to get by while you wait for your shipment if you are transporting any clothes via the shipping company; also check that what you want to take fits into the bags you have available and that you are within the airline’s weight limits if you are flying. All high value items such as jewelry and items of high sentimental value should be taken with you as carry-on if you’re flying to Mexico.

Get ready for the moving day(s)

If you have very young children, arrange for someone to look after them on moving day. Older children can help with the move. Your removals company should arrive early and empty out the house of all items you are not carrying with you to Mexico. If you have hired a professional cleaning firm, they should be scheduled to arrive after your movers have taken everything out of the house and begin a thorough clean of the property. You should give yourself plenty of time to vacate the property if you have sold it or if you’re renting it out to someone. Try to build in some time in the late afternoon or evening, the day you move out, to simply relax; you may want to go to a comfortable hotel/spa.

Actions Checklist: Moving Day(s)

It might take more than one day to move out, depending on your circumstances; however, if you can, try to move out in one day, and arrange for any hand-over of the property (rental or sale) to happen no earlier than the day after you expect to have vacated the property.

Home removals company

If you have hired a removals company to move your personal goods to Mexico, they should arrive early and leave you with an empty property to clean. If you are moving yourself, then this is your final day to empty the property of all your personal goods and items.

Thorough clean

If you are vacating the property, it ought to be left thoroughly clean, whether you are selling, renting to someone, or handing back possession of a rental property. Hire professional cleaners if you don’t have the time or inclination to do this yourself.

Final utility meter readings

Take final meter readings from the gas, water, and electricity meters and telephone the suppliers to let them know the details and a forwarding address for your final bills. Cancel your land-line phone service and cable TV if you have not organized this already.

Final check of your property

Once the property is cleared, and the cleaning is done, make a thorough check of the property one last time to ensure everything is in order.

Important paperwork and documentation

Ensure that all your important paperwork and travel documents are together and readily accessible. Don’t leave them where they may be lost, accidentally disposed of, or packed away with the items in the shipment (this happens!).  Make sure you have auto insurance if you’re driving to Mexico and read our Mexico road-trip checklist.

Property handover or care

If you are handing the property over to someone else, arrange for this to happen the day after you move or later. There is nothing worse than having people waiting outside to move in while you are busy moving out. If your property will remain vacant for a long period, have someone —a friend or a professional property management company— visit the property regularly to check on any issues that may arise (e.g., leaks, breakages etc.) and to deal with post and other matters related to owning a property.

Actions Checklist: On Arrival in Mexico

Arriving in Mexico is the start of your new lifestyle situation! There are some formalities to follow when you arrive, but they are straightforward, and you can quickly begin the process of settling-in. Here is a run-down of the main things to do upon arrival:

Arrival at the port of entry in Mexico

Depending on whether you arrive by road or air, there is a straightforward arrival process at your port of entry.

• If you arrive at an airport, ensure you show your residency visa(s) to the immigration official, and do not enter Mexico as a visitor or tourist.
• If you arrive by road or at a seaport, ensure you stop to visit the immigration kiosk to have your residency visa(s) stamped on entry.
• You will need to have the visa stamped to successfully complete your visa exchange process. If it’s not stamped, this will cause problems and delays when you go to get your residency card(s).

Exchanging your residency visa in time

Arriving to live and settle-in to Mexico will be a busy period, but you must make time to get your residency visa(s) exchanged for residency card(s) before the visa expires.

• Upon your first entry to Mexico using your Mexican resident visa(s), the officer at the port of entry will stamp a page marking your entry date to the country. You now have 30 days from this date to exchange your visa(s) for a residency card(s).
• If you fail to commence this exchange process within 30 calendar days of your arrival date, your visa(s) will become void, and you will need to restart the residency application process from a Mexican consulate abroad.  There are no exceptions to this rule.
• See our guide to exchanging your residency visa sticker for a residency card for more details.

Transport to your hotel or local accommodation

If you need ground transportation from the airport are official taxis operating from all airports that will take you to your hotel or other accommodation that you have arranged.  Other ground transportation options include:

• Using an App Cab service like Uber or Didi.
• Having friends or family pick you up at the airport.
• Renting a car from the airport.
• Taking a bus from the airport to your destination.

Obtain some local currency

Now is a good time to buy some local currency. You can buy Mexican pesos at currency exchange kiosks at the airport and near border crossings; you can also withdraw Mexican pesos from local ATMs with the sums debited to your bank account abroad.

Helpful resources and contacts

Here is a list of helpful contacts and resources related to importing your personal goods to Mexico.

Mexican consulates: Applications for a Menaje de Casa, if you need one, must be made through any Mexican Consulate abroad.  Contact your nearest Mexican consulate to ask for details of their Menaje de Casa procedures.

Removal companies: We recommend you use a professional removals company to help you ship your personal goods to Mexico. Read our guide to finding and choosing a relocation company for your move to Mexico.

Bringing your pets: Read additional information about procedures and paperwork needed to bring your pets to Mexico

Temporary vehicle imports: Useful information if you plan to use your foreign-plated vehicle to move your things to Mexico.

Mexican Customs: If you want further advice, visit the Mexican Customs website

Customs brokers: If you decide to self-ship, you might consider contacting a Customs Broker for advice and help to get your consignment through Customs.  Removals companies work with Customs Brokers too, so if you hired a removals company, they usually liaise between you and the Customs officials. You can begin your search for Customs Brokers here (Google).

Settling-in after your arrival

Mexperience continues to support you after your move to Mexico with extensive and regularly updated guides and articles to help you experience more of Mexico.  Here are some of the resources you’ll find on Mexperience… and don’t forget to sign-up to our free monthly Mexico newsletter.

Settling-in to your new life and routines

Our guide to Living & Lifestyles includes chapters with helpful local knowledge about adapting & settling-in, finding purpose & balance, cultivating friendships and community networks, and developing key skills to help you adapt to your new environment.

Homestead care and management

Whether you’re renting a home or have purchased a property here, our regularly updated guides help you manage your home and dwelling spaces in Mexico, with tips and local knowledge to keep them well maintained and secure for you and your family.

Cultivate your home life

When you’ve made the move and you’re living here, our regularly updated articles about cultivating a fruitful home life in Mexico will give you insights, inspiration, and ideas to make the most of your everyday lifestyle.

Learning and improving your Spanish

We encourage you to learn Spanish to help you make the most of your experiences in Mexico.  We connect you to language courses, and our in-depth PinPoint Spanish series helps you to learn about the nuances of language usage in Mexico.

Manage your money & finances in Mexico

We publish detailed, updated, information about managing your finances in Mexico, including bank accounts, money exchange, and money transfers.

How mosquitoes feed and breed

Mosquitoes feed primarily on nectar, although females also need the nutrients from animal or human blood to produce eggs and, unlike male mosquitoes, their mouth parts can penetrate skin and draw blood from hosts.

Female mosquitoes find hosts by using their antennae which detect carbon dioxide and other organic compounds expelled when humans and animals breathe out and sweat.  Studies have revealed that mosquitoes prefer some hosts over others: blood type, the bacteria on your skin, and even genetics can influence your attractiveness to female mosquitoes.

While the quantity of blood mosquitoes extract is inconsequential to the host, the saliva in mosquitoes’ mouths can carry diseases which may be passed-on, including Malaria, Yellow Fever, Chikungunya, Dengue fever, and the Zika virus.  According to the US Center for Disease Control, the chances of contracting Malaria from mosquitoes in Mexico is very low, although it advises pregnant women and their partners to take special precautions due to the risk of Zika virus.

Mosquitoes by season and region in Mexico

Mosquitoes are most prevalent in Mexico between April and November, and their numbers swell during the rainy season (June to October).  Sub-tropical regions in the south including the states of Chiapas, Tabasco, and Yucatán experience a higher proliferation of mosquitoes than areas further north.  Mexico’s fertile coastal plains provide the ideal environment for mosquitoes to thrive, but you’ll find plenty of them in places situated at elevation too, albeit fewer the further north you are in the central highlands. Mosquito numbers decline significantly —but don’t vanish entirely— from late autumn and through the winter months and will begin to return around the middle to late half of the dry season.

Practical matters concerning mosquitoes in Mexico

Most mosquito bites in Mexico are an annoyance more than a threat: your risk of contracting a disease is very low.  However, mosquito bites are not pleasant so it’s good practice to defend against them—whether you’re just here on a visit and especially if you live in Mexico or spend an extended period of time here.

Active hours

Although mosquitoes tend to be more active after dusk, female mosquitoes will bite anytime of day, especially in warmer and more humid climates.

Mosquito nets on windows and doors

An excellent way to guard your home in Mexico against mosquitoes is to install mosquito net-screens on your windows and install swinging mosquito net-screens in front of outside doors.  These allow you to enjoy an air flow, keeping your indoor spaces cool and naturally refreshed, while preventing mosquitoes from entering; this is especially helpful overnight during the hotter months when a cool night breeze can help you to rest. If your windows and doors don’t have mosquito nets, close them just before sundown to prevent lots of mosquitoes from entering your home and disturbing you at night.

Bed nets

Even using window and door net-screens, some female mosquitoes will always sneak-in, hide and become active overnight in their search for blood hosts—especially during the peak summer breeding season.  Whether you have mosquito nets on your windows or not, a bed net is one of the best and most effective ways to prevent your night’s sleep from being interrupted.  They are especially useful over children’s beds and cots.  They’re inexpensive, easy to install (simply hang from a hook in the ceiling), and the net can be folded back during the day.  Bed nets are a superior solution to burning incense or using some other artificial repellents in the room while you sleep.

Prevent mosquitoes breeding around your home

Mosquitoes need water to breed and checking your home spaces for possible mosquito breeding habitats will prevent you from having to deal with a swarm in your immediate vicinity.

The most common mosquito-breeding habitats in homes are laundry and utility areas, garden ponds, unused fountains and swimming pools, and any other places on the property where water can accumulate in stagnant pools.

Make it a regular habit to overturn water buckets and bins after use (even small pools of water in the base of a bucket create a breeding opportunity); if you have an unused fountain or swimming pool, keep it clear of stagnant water; if you have a garden pond you can use certain natural plants, fish, and/or essential oils to dissuade or prevent mosquitoes from breeding there; check near drainage areas, and on any flat roofs as well as other nooks and crannies which may accumulate pools of water after it rains: mosquitoes can breed quickly, and preventing them from using your home to multiply is a good first line of defense.

Body lotion mosquito repellents

Wearing insect repellent on your skin is the most common way to prevent mosquitoes from biting you while you’re enjoying the outdoors.  There are two types: the traditional synthetic repellents (usually based on DEET as the active ingredient) and repellents made using natural oils.

Repelente de insectos is readily available from local pharmacies and supermarkets across Mexico: the most common synthetic big-brand repellent on sale here is called “Off” and the alternative natural formulas made using citrus and other oils are sold under various brand names but most often include the word “Citronella” on the label.  You can buy them in liquid form with a spray top, or as a lotion or cream.

Dressing against mosquitoes

It’s worth wearing long sleeve shirts, trousers and socks after dusk if you plan to spend time outside during an evening.  Biting mosquitoes tend to go for places on your body with the least amount of hair, e.g. feet, ankles, legs/knees, ears, and neck.

If you are visiting or traveling through densely-foraged areas in humid regions (which includes many archaeology sites) it’s worth dressing using long sleeves and trousers as well as using a generous helping of insect repellent on exposed skin, regardless of the time of day.  If you’re traversing through rural areas which are densely-wooded, or through jungle, a hat with a sewn-in mosquito net is also recommended.

Candles, incense and coils, and bug sprays

‘Citronela’ candles are available for purchase locally although their efficacy seems doubtful.  Incense and coils which you light to emit smoke are also available; some claim they are suitable for indoor use, although these are probably best kept outside and used for evening garden parties, and other outdoor gatherings.

Big-brand mosquito insecticide sprays are readily available in stores and supermarkets across Mexico—they are effective, but the active ingredients are toxic to humans and other plant and wild life as well, so use them sparingly—or better, choose alternatives.

Electronic devices to deal with mosquitoes

There are three electric devices commonly used for deterring and eliminating mosquitoes.

Chemical diffuser and sound waves

Some people purchase devices which plug into an electricity socket on the wall: one type requires the continual purchase of an accompanying oil which is diffused into the room by the device; the other type emits a high-pitched frequency sound, inaudible to humans and supposedly unfriendly to mosquitoes and other insects. If you have pets, they might not appreciate these devices.

Ultra-violet light lamps

The other popular electric device is a ‘bug zapping’ lamp, that attracts flying insects using a UV lamp and electrocutes them.  The debris fall onto a tray that must be cleaned out.  A key issue with these is that they attract all flying insects, not just mosquitoes—and some flying insects are helpful to have around.

Simple alternative to electric devices

A hanging bed net —see above— is more effective and does not fill the room with artificial chemicals, high-frequency sound pitches which might affect sleep or hearing, and does not require you to continually clean out a tray of dead bugs (including ones that can be helpful and not just biting/stinging ones).

Marquees with mosquito screen-nets

Mexico’s agreeable climates provide ample opportunity for outdoor activities and events and if you often spend time in the garden or entertaining guests outside during the evening hours, you might consider buying a marquee and adding a mosquito netting to the sides; some marquees are sold with the mosquito netting already sewn-in; it can be rolled-up when it’s not needed.

Natural repellents and remedies

If you want to defend against mosquitoes without using a lot of synthetic/toxic chemicals, there is plenty of advice online about natural ways to deal with mosquitoes.

After-bite treatments

Most people will experience a mosquito bite and how your body reacts depends on a range of factors.  Most mosquito bites create a swollen area and cause an itch; in some people the reaction can be more severe, for example, large blisters may form.  If you are bitten, you can purchase Andotol gel from local pharmacies in Mexico which is an effective after-bite treatment; ask the pharmacist about other after-bite products they have in stock; some use bicarbonate of soda as the active ingredient.

Symptoms of possible disease

The odds of a disease being passed to you from a mosquito bite in Mexico are very low; notwithstanding this, if after being bitten by a mosquito you feel fever, unusually sweaty, experience back and body aches, a stiff neck, or begin vomiting seek medical advice.

Domestic workers can include housekeepers, nurses or other home assistance;  gardeners, pool cleaning and maintenance workers; and may occasionally include other specialized workers like plumbers and electricians.

You can mitigate the cost of liability

This article describes certain risks that can emerge from having people working in your home and how a suitable insurance policy can mitigate the financial costs and related treatment expenses if someone working there suffers an injury, as well as defend you against civil liability costs in the event of a major adverse incident.

You can obtain home insurance coverage, including third party liability, whether you own or rent your home in Mexico.

Accidents can and do happen in the home

When you have a regular helper or helpers working in your home, you ought to consider what would happen if one of those workers or helpers has an accident and needs treatment, or becomes disabled, or dies.

Examples include:

• if your housekeeper slips and falls badly, and sustains a substantial injury;
• if your gardener injures himself using a power tool, or falls off a ladder;
• if the pool maintenance guy trips and falls into the pool, knocking his head during the fall.

Accidents happen and if someone working in your home (whether the property is owned or rented) suffers an injury or worse, you can become liable for:

• expenses related to their treatment;
• loss of income if they’re unable to work due to an injury in your home; and,
• in the event of their death, you might face a civil lawsuit.

Civil liability can cause financial hardship

Additional risks arise where someone working in your home inadvertently causes an accident and hurts someone else or damages someone else’s property; or where an injury suffered by someone working in your home prevents them from working for a time and they pursue you for loss of income.

Examples of this include:

• the gardener cuts down a tree branch that falls on an adjacent property and injures your neighbor;
• a plumber who comes to replace old pipework on your property causes the condo below yours to be flooded;
• the housekeeper watering plant pots that are placed on a wall accidentally causes the plant pot to fall out onto the street and it injures a passer-by;
• your housekeeper or other worker suffers a severe injury while working at your home that prevents them from working for an extended period—and pursues you for loss of earnings.

An adequate home insurance policy can defend you against these types of unforeseen accidents and mishaps and provides civil liability cover in the event of a serious incident.

Third-party liability insurance for your home

A satisfactory home insurance policy will cover the home’s structure (if you own the home), and your personal goods (whether you own or rent).  The best policies also offer third-party liability coverages or offer third-party insurance as a stand-alone coverage option.

Typical situations that third-party home liability covers

Third-party liability coverage protects you when someone working in your home suffers an accident or inadvertently causes an accident that creates an injury or loss to themselves, or someone else.

For example, if:

• A worker comes to your home, regularly or ad-hoc, to undertake some work for you and, while doing that work, they injure themselves, the insurance coverage will reimburse you for medical and other related expenses you incur for the treatment of that person’s injuries.
• Someone working in your home causes an accident that has an impact on a third party, the insurance will cover medical and other losses suffered by that third party. For example, if a worker is painting an outside wall and the paint pot falls off the ladder onto someone’s parked car, the insurance would cover you for the car owner’s expense in getting that damage repaired.
• A worker at your home suffers a serious accident or injury that prevents them from working for a time, and they pursue you for lost earnings, the insurance would provide coverage up to the insured amount.
• A person working in your home suffers a serious accident and becomes permanently disabled, or dies, the insurance would cover any civil lawsuits that may be brought against you.
• When someone you know is visiting your home and suffers an accident or loss unintentionally caused by you (the policy holder) —or by your immediate family member— or caused by someone working at your home, the insurance would cover expenses for treatment and damages to the visitor.

In the case of civil liability suits, the insurance will also cover your legal expenses in relation to those, usually up to 50% of the insured amount—check the policy for details about this.

Typical limitations and exclusions

Domestic third-party liability insurance policies carry limitations and exclusions that you ought to be aware of; check the policy wording for details.  Significant situations that are almost always excluded include:

• The policies exclude injury to the named policy holder and their immediate family; so, if you or your partner or children suffer an accident on the property or are injured by a person working at the home, medical expenses and liability for those events are not covered.
• Any loss or damages to goods and persons where the home is in process of construction, assembly, or dismantling are explicitly excluded—so these policies will not cover you when you are building or extending a home, or having major remodeling done. The insurance does cover workers when they are attending your home to make repairs and/or undertake maintenance
• When you are host to guests like friends or extended family members, any injuries, or damages they might sustain while on or near your property will not be covered under the policy unless the accident or damage was caused the named policy holder or their immediate family member, or by someone working at the home.
• The insurance will never cover any damages, injuries, or losses arising from any events or situations where criminal or unlawful activity is involved; or if willful negligence is apparent; or for suicides.

How a third-party insurance policy protects you

You can arrange a policy online and the insurance will provide immediate home coverage for you in Mexico on acceptance of your application.

In the event of a claim, the insurance will reimburse you for medical and other related expenses you incur to provide immediate necessary treatments to the person or persons who were injured while working in your home, and it will provide legal help and civil liability coverage as per the policy if the person who was working in your home subsequently pursues you for civil damages.

Arrange a policy online and get immediate coverage

Our home insurance associate, MexPro, offers comprehensive home insurance coverages including third-party liability that can be purchased by itself or as an integral part of a complete home insurance coverage plan.  MexPro is a long-established US-licensed insurance broker that only works with A-rated underwriters.

• You can purchase home insurance whether you own the home, or are renting the home
• If you are renting, you can only insure your personal goods and/or third-party liability
• You can purchase third-party liability by itself as stand-alone coverage
• Choose how much coverage you would like: US$300,000 is a recommended minimum, and you can insure for up to US$2 million
• There is no deductible for third party liability claims, unless the claim is to cover an injury for a person working in your home, in which case a deductible of MXN$600 pesos (about US$30) per claim applies.
• The policy premium is quoted for and paid in US dollars, and any payouts are made in US dollars, or the US dollar equivalent amount in Mexican pesos when you ask for the payment to be wired to a bank account in Mexico.

Learn more about caring for your home in Mexico

Mexperience publishes extensive information to help you plan and care for your home life in Mexico through guides, articles and free eBooks:

• Free eBook: House maintenance and home security
• Articles about property insurance
• Articles about real estate in Mexico

If your home in Mexico is situated in an area of the country than can get cool or cold, there are various ways to keep your home and yourself warm and the main ones are described in this article.

Ways to keep your home spaces warm during the cool or cold months of the year

For most places in Mexico, some extra layers of clothing and perhaps one or two heating sources are usually enough to take the edge off any chill or cold before bedtime, and in the early morning hours.

Open air fireplaces

Homes situated in areas that are known for being cool or cold during the fall and winter, even older homes, have built-in fireplaces with a chimney for burning wood.

Open fires, properly managed, can create a good amount of heat and create a warm and inviting atmosphere in your home on cooler and cold evenings.  There are however, two considerations to take into account when you use open air fireplaces:

• Buying the wood: choose a local supplier that sells properly cured wood for burning (green wood will cause havoc with your chimney) and who sources wood from naturally felled trees and/or sustainable wood farms to avoid encouraging indiscriminate (and illegal) deforestation.
• Keep your chimney clean, well maintained, and in good working order to minimize the amount of wood smoke that will get into the living areas and settle on indoor surfaces over time.

Wood burning stoves

If you have a chimney space, or a stone floor clearing in a main room, a wood-burning stove can be an ideal way to heat your home.  Like open fireplaces, they are wood-fueled, but the wood is placed inside a sealed stove to burn.

Key features:

• Using manual shutters, you can control the amount of air that flows through the stove and thus control the burn-rate of the wood—and to some extent, the amount of heat it generates.
• Wood burning stoves can create an enormous amount of heat and the top ledge can optionally be used to heat water in a kettle or slow cook a casserole inside a Dutch oven.
• Unlike open fireplaces, the wood smoke is contained inside the stove unit and funneled out from there through a sealed duct that (typically) leads up the chimney and outdoors, so hardly any wood smoke escapes into the home’s living areas.
• These stoves might create too much heat for your Mexican home, but you can manage this by reducing the amount of wood fuel you burn, or by lighting it in the late afternoon so when nightfall arrives, the house is warm but the stove is no longer giving off a lot of heat.

Electric-powered indoor space heaters

If your home doesn’t have chimney space, or is smaller, or you live in a condo or apartment that doesn’t lend itself to having a fireplace or a wood burning stove, you might choose an electric-powered space heater.

Electricity can get expensive in Mexico if you use an excess each billing-bimester. Heaters use a lot of electricity, so heating an entire home with electric heaters is cost-prohibitive for most people. However, a space heater or two to take off the edge of an evening chill can be affordable and is a commonly-used form of heating here.

Some notes about electric space heaters

• Electric-powered space heaters are sold in various forms and sizes, as this page on Amazon Mexico illustrates.
• Some models feature a fan that draws cold air in to pass it through heated elements inside the unit, and blows the heated air back out into the room. This can be efficient, but also noisy.
• The heaters that don’t use a fan have elements which heat a liquid inside the sealed unit that disperses heat into the space around it. Less efficient, but quiet.
• For the well-heeled, Dyson sells an electric air heater and cooler at a premium price that combines HEPA filter air purification with heating and cooling and without as much noise as a traditional fan-assisted space heater.
• As with gas-fired heaters, your home will need to be properly ventilated when you use electric space heaters to avoid condensation building-up, especially on windows.

Gas-fired indoor and outdoor space heaters

Gas-fired space heaters, that work using LPG tanks, are available for indoor use, but they create a lot condensation, especially on and around windows.  Gas-fired space heaters for outdoor use can be helpful if your home has a sizeable terrace and you enjoy spending winter evenings outdoors there.

Some notes about gas-fired heaters

• Amazon Mexico showcases the typical range of gas-fired space heaters available for your home.
• They can be helpful for large indoor spaces with high ceilings that would require a lot of energy (and time) to warm up using an electric space heater.
• Regardless of the room size, when you use these gas heaters indoors, ventilation is essential for health reasons and to minimize condensation.
• Outdoor gas-fired space heaters can be very helpful on terraces and in other outdoor areas where you may gather during an evening, and/or to keep an area warm while you enjoy a meal outdoors during the colder months.
• Fireplace-like heaters are also available for outdoor use; some are gas-fired and some are wood-burners.

Electric blankets

Electric blankets are popular and can provide an economic and efficient way to warm your couch or bed during cold evenings.  They don’t require too much electricity if you use them sparingly, and help you to ward off chilly evenings as you watch a film or pre-warm your mattress and blankets before you go to sleep.

• Electric blankets are sold in many different styles
• You can choose sizes to match your bed type, e.g. single, double, Queen, King, etc.
• Some models have a timer so that you can set the blanket to heat up and shut down at certain intervals and all of them allow you to adjust the temperature.
• More expensive models feature digital controllers with a clock and thermometer so you can set precise timings and temperatures.

Centrally controlled heating and cooling

Most houses situated in the mountainous regions of Mexico are not fitted with integrated “central” heating systems, although some modern apartment buildings may feature duct-fed heating and air conditioning systems.

If you want your Mexican home to emulate those in Europe which use wall-mounted radiators heated by water flowing through them and fired by a gas or electricity, you can obtain them in Mexico, but they are relatively expensive to install, and running costs will be higher than the alternatives listed earlier in this article.  Whether they are worth the investment is a moot point, and ultimately it’s personal choice. A local plumber may be able to advise you.

Modern buildings, especially contemporary condos and apartment blocks situated in big cities and fashionable housing developments, might have heating and cooling systems pre-installed, with hot and cold air delivered to each home through ducting. The cost of these is paid for as part of the communal HOA fees.

Taking care of your home in Mexico

Mexperience publishes guides and articles to help you maintain and secure your house, home, and dwelling spaces in Mexico.

• Latest insights about taking care of your home in Mexico
• Electricity supply for your home
• Gas supply for your home
• Insurance for your home in Mexico

Practical insights to help you keep your Mexican home well-maintained and secure

How to maintain, manage, and secure your home in Mexico

When you have moved to Mexico and taken possession of your home, whether you own your property in Mexico or are just renting it, there will be certain matters to organize and deal with on a regular basis to keep your house properly maintained and secured when you are home and away.

With some local insights and forward planning, maintaining and securing your home in Mexico ought not to pose any major headaches or inconveniences.

Our guides to home maintenance and home security share tips and practical knowledge to help you secure your dwelling spaces and prevent your Mexican home from falling into disrepair.

Practical advice combined with local knowledge to help you manage your home in Mexico

Our guides are an integral part of our homestead management series and topics related to house maintenance and home security include:

• Moving house: to, from and within Mexico
• How to hire domestic helpers for your home
• How water is supplied to homes in Mexico
• Managing the water supply at your house
• Drinking water in Mexico
• Water pressure at residential properties in Mexico
• Learning about waste water systems at your property
• Keeping your home warm in the cooler or cold months
• Dealing with household waste disposal and recycling
• Managing the electricity supply at your house
• Learn about gas supplies and gas-fired appliances
• Keeping in touch at home using phone and internet
• Tips for securing your Mexican home and property
• Keeping unattended properties safe
• Insurance coverages for your home in Mexico

More resources for Living & Lifestyle in Mexico

Mexperience offers you a comprehensive online resource of information and local knowledge to help you discover Mexico, explore choices, find opportunities and plan a new life in Mexico.  Our resources include:

• A regular Mexico Newsletter you can subscribe to for free
• Regularly-updated articles about lifestyle planning  in Mexico
• Insights about day to day living with Mexico Home Life

Insurance to cover the costs of burglary in Mexico

Property insurance policies cover theft of most items from your home —and sometimes for certain items stolen from your car or hotel room when you’re traveling— but the specific provisions in most policies typically stipulate an uncovered deductible amount.

Coverage for vandalism

A good insurance policy will also cover you if an act of vandalism is visited upon your property.  While vandalism can be a relatively minor irritation —graffiti spray-painted on an exterior wall, for example— it can be far more expensive to make good if the vandalism is severe and happens inside the property as part-and-parcel of a burglary.  Most burglars are looking for easily portable, high-value items like jewelry, technology, and cash, and it’s not unheard of for some burglars to cause extensive internal damage as they move through the house.

While a comprehensive insurance policy will cover vandalism, when the deductible is considered, in practice an event like a graffiti painted on an external wall will be less expensive to make good locally than filing an insurance claim.  The same is true with petty thefts: small losses aren’t covered unless the value of the loss is greater than the policy’s deductible.

Unattended properties are a prime target for burglars in Mexico

In Mexico, unattended homes are at the highest risk of burglary.  It’s unwise to leave your home vacant and unattended in Mexico for lengthy periods, and most foreign residents who plan to be away for a week or more will take some precautions.

Here are some key tips to consider when you plan to be away and leave your house unoccupied for an extended period:

Check the insurance policy

Be sure to check the detail of your home insurance policy as most coverages underwriting domestic dwellings will not pay-out if your property has been left vacant for 30 days or more.

Communal homes

If you’ve purchased your Mexican home in a condominium complex or in a gated community (known in Spanish as privadas or fraccionamientos), some of these have 24-hour security at the gate.

Let your gate staff (or other staff like the property manager or the cleaner) know that you’ll be away and ask one of the neighbors to pick-up your mail and call-in to the property to check on things; this is especially important during the rainy season after a major storm (or hurricane if you live along the coast) to check for any damage that may need attending to right away.

If you don’t have a neighbor or local friend who can help with this, a local realty agent might provide the service for a fee.

Detached homes

If your home is situated along a public street, and especially if it’s in a semi-rural or rural location off-the-beaten-track, we recommend you adopt a range of measures to mitigate the possibility of burglary. These include having interior and/or exterior lighting set-up on timers, and/or motion detectors outside that switch-on lights in key areas when people approach the property.  Some owners have alarm systems installed which are connected to a security company.

Your car and other vehicles

If your car is kept in public view and you’re going to leave it while you’re away, have a neighbor move it occasionally; doing this will also help to keep the car’s battery in good working order, especially if the vehicle is older and your absence is extended.

Home checkers/sitters

Ask a neighbor, family member, or friend —or pay a local agent— to pick-up mail and check the property while you’re away.  An excellent way to protect your property while you’re away for a lengthy period is to have someone you know house-sit for you.

For a trusted friend or family member, this arrangement might provide an opportunity for them to enjoy a rent-free leisure break here in Mexico, and it’s also useful if you have pets that need looking after: having them cared for at home is a better arrangement (and less expensive) than using kennels.

What’s covered by home insurance in Mexico?

The precise coverages on offer to protect your home are determined by where in Mexico the property is situated: not every insurance company will offer full coverage in every part of the country.

To find out what you can cover for your home, our associates, MexPro, provide a property insurance service online: use this to enter your property details and address and their system will give you a quote on property insurance, as available for your review.

Learn more about caring for and insuring your home in Mexico

Mexperience publishes extensive information to help you plan and care for your home spaces in Mexico.

• Guide to securing your home and dwelling spaces in Mexico
• Guide to home maintenance
• Latest articles about property insurance
• Articles about real estate in Mexico

• buying land to build a residential home; or
• considering a home that is situated in a semi-rural or rural area; and/or
• looking at a property that has been recently constructed.

There are many properties in Mexico that are not connected to a mains or community-managed water network, especially (but not solely) in rural areas, and properties without a mains water feed need to be served by one of two alternative means: rainwater, or water truck deliveries (or a combination of these two).

The effect of the dry season on water supplies

Most of Mexico experiences a ‘dry season’ lasting about six months, between November/December and May/June, although water scarcity doesn’t typically become noticeable until around mid-to-late February.

The dry season brings challenges to the landscape as well to home owners, as water can become quite scarce in some areas or regions—even at properties served by water main systems as supplies to homes are throttled by water authorities to conserve supplies until the rains return and local underground wells get replenished.

How will your property get its water?

When you’re buying property in Mexico, whether it’s a built home, and especially when investing in land upon which you intend to build your home, it’s vital to know exactly what the water supply arrangements are, because it may not be as straightforward as you might expect.

Land (or property) without a reliable water source will require you to depend on water deliveries by truck (if available locally) and/or you will need to collect rainwater in season (between May/June and October/November)—and keep this water stored in underground cisterns on the property.

In Mexico’s established towns and cities, water is most usually piped directly to homes in residential neighborhoods using a water mains network, with each home’s supply routed through a water meter by which you pay according to your consumption. Water bills are sent out bi-monthly. Mains water is usually fine for washing, bathing, and cooking, but it might not be suitable for drinking without being filtered.

If the property you’re planning to buy is not served by a mains water system, then its wise to establish what water supply arrangements are currently in place —or can be put into place— to supply the property with a reliable supply of water before you sign a contract to buy.

Water supply in Mexico

Properties in Mexico usually obtain their water supply from one of four principal sources:

• a mains water system, which is usually metered; or
• a local community water system fed from a licensed water well; or
• a combination of rainwater collection (in season); and
• water-truck deliveries.

You can learn more about water supply services here.

Getting a reliable water supply for your property

If you discover that a property you’re interested in is not served by a water main system, don’t take anyone’s word, or hear-say, about other sources. Undertake due diligence and find out how the property is being served by water (or whether you’ll need to make alternative arrangements) and ascertain that any existing supply agreements that are in place are binding in the event of a property transfer.

In the absence of a water main system, your property may be supplied with water in these ways:

Local mains or community water systems

If a local mains water supply or community water system exists locally, you ought be able to get your property connected to it—but double check this as local rules and regulations about connections can be quirky.

The procedure to get connected can be time-consuming and will involve negotiation with local water authorities or community leaders, as well as connection fees in addition to the consumption or annual supply costs.

Consult with the local water authority (or community leaders in rural areas) as well as a local architect and/or plumber about the options and costs involved to get a property connected to the local mains system.

Local water wells

If the water source is a licensed local water well, this should be stipulated on the deeds or related contract or covenant and the property’s right to access to the well and the system that delivers water from it should be checked and verified by you and/or the Notary Public dealing with your property transaction.

Rain collection

Properties that are not near, or which cannot connect to, mains or community water systems will often have underground cisterns on-site that store rainwater, collected in season using roof capture systems.

Modern rainwater collection methods make optimal use of the roof space to collect and channel rainwater into underground water cisterns.  Read more about this in the next section about water collection and storage.

Water delivery by truck

Most towns and villages, and especially those in (semi)rural areas, have a company or two operating a fleet of local water delivery trucks.  Most of the vehicles are usually kept parked and idle between June and October, but when the dry season starts, they ply a brisk trade by transporting water to local residences that are not supplied by a water main system, and whose rainwater collection arrangements are either non-existent or whose water cisterns have run low and require a refill.

The smaller trucks have tanks carrying 5,000 liters (1,300 US gallons) of water; the large ones carry 10,000 liters (2,600 US gallons) of water.

Water truck deliveries are essential during the dry season for many properties that don’t have a mains water supply; and properties that have large gardens and/or swimming pools tend to require refills of their water cisterns during the dry season if they don’t have rainwater collection and/or substantial underground cistern space.

You can never be sure about the precise amount of water being dispensed by the delivery truck: you buy ‘a tank’ at at an agreed price and whatever amount of water is in the truck gets pumped out of it and into your property’s cistern —there is no metering system— although if you know the full capacity of your cistern, you can estimate the amount of water that was dispensed after it’s been filled based on how full the cistern was before and after the delivery.

Buying water from delivery trucks is the second-most expensive to way to buy water; only purified water in bottles costs more. Prices for a tank fluctuate locally depending on factors such as current diesel fuel costs and how far away your property is situated from the licensed water wells that refill these trucks. If your home is near the water truck station, you’ll be offered a lower price than if it’s situated many miles away from it; and prices can escalate if your home is more remote, e.g., on a mountain ridge requiring the heavy water-laden truck to climb steep roads and negotiate dusty country lanes to arrive.

Water collection, storage, filtering, recycling—and gardening

Rainwater collection is a viable way to enjoy a beautiful countryside property that is not near a mains water feed, or which is too far away from the nearest community run water system to connect at a reasonable cost.

There are five key considerations to take into account when your property needs to collect rainwater as part of its water supply:

Efficient rainwater collection

The tremendous thunderstorms that arrive in the late spring and summer drench the landscape and each storm releases colossal amounts of water that can be collected for use in your home.

One square meter of roof space can potentially collect one liter of water for each one millimeter of rain that falls; thus the ratio is 1:1:1.

• If you’re building your own home, talk to your architect about how to design the roof space to optimize rainwater collection.
• If you’re buying an older home, talk to an architect or water management consultant about how you can use the existing roof space for collection, and/or make adjustments to the existing roof to optimize the amount of rainwater you can collect on your property.

Water storage at your home in Mexico

As we remarked on our article about water pressure in Mexico, most properties, even those supplied by a mains water system, have an underground cistern to store water for use on the property.

If your home is not near a water mains feed system, and/or remotely or rurally situated, having ample water storage is essential to keep you sufficiently supplied with water through the dry months of the year when rain is scarce or non-existent, and to minimize your dependency on water truck deliveries.

Water for your garden during Mexico’s dry season

The dry season brings two key challenges to home owners who have gardens in homes without a mains water supply: the absence of rain requires you to use substantial quantities of water to keep your garden flora alive, and your water cisterns are not being replenished for daily water use around the home.

Don’t underestimate the volume of water that you’ll need to maintain your home’s garden during the dry season.

There are many techniques to optimize the use of water in your garden during the dry season, and this article provides an excellent primer on the subject.

Water filtering for drinking

As we remarked in our article about drinking water in Mexico, most people buy bottled water, or filter the water that is supplied to the property before they use it for drinking—whether it’s supplied by a mains feed system, water delivery trucks, or is collected from rainfall.

Water recycling on the property

The latest techniques used for water collection at residential homes also feature systems to recycle water within the property—channeling water that cannot be reused in the home into the garden to feed the flora, and channeling water that can be filtered and reused in the home back into the property’s main water cistern.

The methods recycle a helpful percentage of every liter used, which reduces the amount of water cistern storage space required (cisterns are expensive to build) and make efficient use of the rainwater that’s been collected.

Contact a water consultant in your local area, or talk to a local architect or plumber about options available for water recycling on your property.

Learn more about water supplies in Mexico

Mexperience publishes articles and guides to help you understand water supplies and the efficient use of water at your home in Mexico, including:

• How water is delivered to homes in Mexico
• Understanding water pressure systems
• Clarity about drinking the water
• Latest articles related to use of water in Mexico
• Latest articles about Mexico’s rainy season and dry season
• Free and continuously-updated guide to House Maintenance and Security in Mexico

This article describes how electricity is supplied to homes in Mexico, how to plan for electric power cuts, how to find current electricity prices, and how to pay your electricity bill.

Electricity supply to homes in Mexico

All electricity in Mexico is supplied by CFE, a colossal state-owned electric company. Rates for domestic electricity are set by the government and include subsidies for homes that conserve energy as well as seasonal subsidies for homes in regions with very hot summers or cold winters. (See the section below for prices and bills.)

Electricity voltage in Mexico

Electricity to homes in Mexico is delivered at 120-140 volts at a frequency of 60Hz.

If you require a 220-240 volts circuit (for example, for certain types of air conditioning units, electric ovens, or high-end induction hobs), you will need to ask the electric company to supply you with a “bifase” circuit and have an electrician undertake the special wiring for you inside your home.

Electricity plugs and sockets in Mexico

Electric plugs (clavijas) and sockets (enchufes) are type A and/or B—identical to those used in the USA.

The older Type A socket plugs have flat pins whereas the newer plugs have a notch on one side and might also have a third (earth) pin that prevents them from being plugged in to an older Type A plug socket without the use of an adapter.

Older Type A sockets have two identical sized pin inlets that will accommodate all older Type A plug pins without an adapter; Type B sockets have a wider pin inlet on one side, allowing Type B plugs (with a notch) to be inserted, and they also have a third (earth) pin inlet to accommodate Type B plugs with three-pins.

All modern homes in Mexico have the newer Type B 3-pin plugs, but there are still many older properties that have the old two-pin plug that will not accommodate newer plugs, or plugs with three pins, unless you use an adapter.

Reliability of electric supply

Mexico’s electricity power grid has been undergoing a continual upgrade in recent years, making electricity supply here more reliable than it ever has been.

Most of Mexico’s electricity supply is delivered by overhead cables. Overhead cables are more susceptible to the elements and this affects the reliability of the supply, especially during the rain and wind storms.

Some towns and cities are beginning to create underground ducts for cabling; new developments are often designed with underground cable ducts now, but it will be decades —if not longer— before Mexico’s electricity system is principally delivered by means of underground ducting.

Power outages which were frequent a decade or more ago —and could last for days in some cases— are far less frequent now and, when they do happen, the outages tend to be quite short or temporary in nature.

How frequent and severe the outages depend principally on local factors. Different neighborhoods tend to have different ‘patterns’ of outages; and ‘good’ neighborhoods can suddenly begin to experience frequent outages for no apparent reason. Rural areas tend to experience more power outages than urban areas.

Old or failing local transformers (the ones you see strapped to lamp posts) are the principal culprits of localized power outages in Mexico, and the electric company has been working hard to replace these with newer and more reliable transformers.

In areas subject to the rainy season (May/June through October/November) power outages tend to be more frequent as heavy rains, wind, and lightning affect the transformers and electricity sub-stations.

Another issue to be mindful of is the fluctuation of voltage, so it’s prudent to protect sensitive equipment (for example, computers, high-fidelity electrical appliances) with power-surge protection boxes if you notice that the voltage fluctuates a lot in your area (light bulbs are a key indicator).

If you live in an area that is susceptible to tropical storms and hurricanes, keep in mind that electricity supplies might be affected, perhaps for days or longer, after a storm or hurricane.

See also: Dealing with electrical power cuts in Mexico

Uninterrupted Power Supplies (UPS)

If you have electrical equipment that is critical to your work or well-being, an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS – wiki) can be installed in your home.

There are many types of UPS systems on the market, and you will need to do some research to decide which one is best for your specific needs.  Essentially there are two types: battery powered UPS and fuel-powered UPS.

• If you want to keep low-voltage appliances (e.g., WiFi modems, computer monitors, and computers) running during regular outages which may last from a few minutes to a few hours then a battery-backup system will probably work for you.
• If you must keep high-power appliances (e.g. refrigerators) running continuously, or lower power appliances running for long periods, then you will need a fuel-powered (e.g., diesel) generator on your property.

Battery backup units (Amazon Mexico) are affordable and easy to install and use as you simply plug your critical appliances into the unit, which contains a large battery.  When there is power, the unit charges its battery and passes electricity to your appliances directly. When there’s a power cut, the unit’s circuitry detects this and feeds electricity to your appliances from its battery power.

Fuel-based generators come in many sizes and research is required to determine which one is right for your circumstances.

Electricity prices in Mexico

Prices for electricity in Mexico are set by the government and vary each month.  Also, the more electricity you use, the higher your rate is per kwH consumed.  This is done to help low-income families and to encourage users generally to conserve energy, by penalizing higher energy consumers and rewarding lower energy consumers with generous subsidies.

Current electricity prices in Mexico

You can get the current and historical rates from this page on the CFE’s website (Spanish).  Choose the “Domesticas – 1” option for residential electricity prices.

Seasonal electricity subsidies

Subsidies are applied in some northern cities and some southern cities in summer when air conditioning/heating uses rise. The subsidies apply from April to October in the south, and May to November in the north.

Electricity meters

All properties have electricity meters, usually visible to the street, so that the electric company’s representative can visit and read the meter for each bill. Mexico is gradually changing-out old-style analog meters to new-style electronic meters which are digital and can be read and controlled remotely.

Electricity bills in Mexico

Electricity bills in Mexico are dispatched every two months.

CFE workers deliver electricity bills in paper format by hand to homes across Mexico.  You can use the CFE’s smartphone app, CFE Contigo, to pause paper bills and have digital/electronic bills only (the app will alert you when there’s a bill waiting to be paid), although many people still prefer to receive paper bills as these can be used as proof of address for official purposes.

Paying your electricity bill

There are several convenient ways to pay your electricity bill.

You ought to pay your bill in a timely manner because the CFE is efficient at cutting-off supplies to homes and it can take between one and three days to get power restored to your home if you are cut-off due to late payment.

Convenient ways to pay your electricity bill include:

• At any CFE automated teller.
• Through the CFE Contigo smartphone app if you have a Mexican bank account/card.
• Via online banking if you have a Mexican bank account.
• In cash at one of Mexico’s local convenience stores.  Take the paper bill with you to scan the barcode, or show them the PDF bill you can download from your CFE smartphone app. A small service fee is added if you pay this way.
• You can make a line at at retail bank or at the local electricity office and pay there, but we don’t recommend this as lines tend to be long, especially near paydays.

Late payments

We recommend that you pay your electricity bill in good time, because the electric company is very efficient at cutting-off power supply to your home off if you are late in payment.  This can be especially inconvenient if you live in a hot area and rely on air-conditioning and have fridges/freezers running.

If are paying electronically, you ought to pay at least a couple of working days before the due date, as it can take time for the payment to reach your account.  If you are paying cash at a convenience store, the payment will usually register within 24 hours.

Getting reconnected if you’re cut-off

When you don’t pay your electricity bill by the due date, or if you pay too close to the due date and your payment fails to reach the account on time, a technician is assigned and sent to your property to disconnect you. Digital meters are disconnected electronically using a special device carried by the technician.

If you are cut-off due to late payment, you will need to:

• Pay the outstanding bill plus the penalty fee for reconnection; then
• You need to request a reconnection, that is best done using the CFE Contigo app available at the Android and iPhone app stores, or otherwise via the CFE Web Portal; or in person at the local electricity office that deals with your property.

When you request a reconnection, the payment on account will be checked, and your service will join a line for reconnections.  A technician will be scheduled-in to revisit your home and reconnect your electricity supply.

Timescale for reconnection: According to this page on the CFE website, it takes between one and three days after your request for a reconnection to get your home reconnected following cut-off due to late payment.

Risk of contract cancellation: After 15 days of non-payment the electricity company might cancel your contract and if this happens you will need to seek a brand new contract/reconnection afterwards.  This takes longer to arrange than a short-term disconnection/reconnection.  If you only live in your home in Mexico part-time be sure to pay your electricity bill even when you’re absent and avoid allowing the account to remain unpaid for more than a couple of weeks.

Taking care of your home in Mexico

Mexperience publishes guides and articles to help you maintain and secure your house, home, and dwelling spaces in Mexico.

• Dealing with electrical power cuts in Mexico
• Electricity company website (CFE)
• Insurance for your home in Mexico
• Latest insights about taking care of your home in Mexico

If you’ve been living in Mexico a while, and you decide to move home within Mexico, whether that’s across town or across the country, there’s less paperwork to deal with than there is for an international move, but there are other considerations to take into account.

This article helps you to consider key aspects of a home move internationally (to or from Mexico), as well as a domestic home move within the country.

Choosing a reliable moving company

Whether you’re moving across town, across Mexico, or across the world, your personal goods matter.  While insurance can reimburse you in the event of mishap, some things carry sentimental value that cannot be easily replaced by substitution.

Thus, you ought to consider carefully who you will entrust to:

• pack your personal belongings if you won’t be packing yourself;
• care for your goods during their shipment;
• manage them through international Customs procedures; and
• deliver (and perhaps unpack) them safely at your new destination.

The moving company should be experienced and highly professional in the way they manage your move—providing you with personal, specific, and direct help. They should also offer you the ability to fully insure your household goods while they’re in the moving company’s care and control.

What to look for when choosing a Home Moving company

When you’re planning to move your personal goods, whether you’re moving across town, to a new city in Mexico, or internationally, it’s important to choose the right moving company.

Good home movers are experienced specialists packing, local transportation, long-distance shipping, storage, and the integrated logistics which are required to move your personal goods professionally and efficiently across a country, or across the world.

Key things to consider when choosing a home moving company:

Transparent process and pricing: The company should ask detailed questions about your intended moving plans, and provide a personalized quotation based on your individual circumstances and shipment size.

Their experience: Experience matters and the better home movers have years of experience managing home moves across different countries.

Their network: The home moving you choose ought to have a strong network of associates that support the moving effort—in Mexico, and abroad.

Their personnel: Good home movers invest in their people, offering customers professionally-trained removals teams staffed by individuals who are fully vetted and insured.

Their knowledge: Experienced home movers will be fully apprised with current Customs (import/export) rules and management of the paperwork and processes to facilitate your shipment’s swift passage through international ports of entry, including assistance with your Menaje de Casa if you need one.

International home moves to and from Mexico

If your move to or from Mexico involves an international border crossing and you want assistance with the move, you will need to hire a company that is experienced with moving household goods internationally.

Paperwork and restrictions apply: If you are moving personal goods to Mexico from abroad, or if you are leaving Mexico after having lived here for a time and want to take your goods with you, there are special requirements, paperwork, and some restrictions to consider as part of your move.

Residency status: If you are moving to Mexico from your home country (or a third country where you are currently resident) you will need to have residency status in Mexico or hold a Mexican passport. Depending on your individual situation, you might or might not need to get a Menaje de Casa certified by your local Mexican consulate.  For more details about this, read about importing your personal goods to Mexico.

Leaving Mexico with your personal goods: If you’ve been living in Mexico for a while and move out of Mexico with your personal goods, you will need to complete some paperwork for Mexican Customs to clear your goods as they leave Mexico and you’ll need to fulfil the Customs requirements of the country you are moving to. A moving company will be able to advise and guide you.

Clearing customs: Mexican Customs clearance of your goods will usually be undertaken by the moving company, who will ensure that all the paperwork is in order and liaise directly between you and the Customs officials about the status of your shipment.

Domestic home moves within Mexico

In Mexico, moving companies are referred to as “Fletes y Mudanzas.”  It’s common to see trucks and vans on the street and traveling on highways labelled as such and the corresponding firm’s name, e.g., “Hermanos Sanchez: Fletes y Mudanzas.”

If you are moving within Mexico and intend to hire a local firm you will need to be able to speak Spanish, or get someone to interpret for you, to make the arrangements.

Some of the larger and more expensive international moving companies based in bigger cities might have some English-speaking staff on hand to assist, but the majority of local movers based in Mexico are unlikely to speak much English.

Moving companies offer a sliding scale of services; from entire house packing, removal, shipping, and unpacking/reinstallation of your goods in your new home, to a simple ‘lift, ship and unload’ service.  Some firms offer storage services in case your goods cannot be transferred to your new home right away.

Typical fees and charges for home moves

The fees that moving companies charge for moving your household goods can vary considerably.  Typically their fees will depend on some key factors, including:

• The level of service you require—from a basic ‘lift, ship and unload’ of packed items, through to packing, moving, and unpacking at the destination.
• How many things will be moved, and whether there are any special items—this is usually calculated in cubic feet or cubic meters, and extraordinary items like fine art, statues, and antiques may require special handling.
• The distance between the point of origin and the delivery location.
• International shipments cost more, not just because of the distance, but due to the additional paperwork and logistics involved in moving your household goods across international borders.
• Domestic moves (within Mexico) are less expensive, but remember that Mexico is a big country and it may take several days for a truck to move your household goods.
• You might need to pay for storage if the household goods are removed from their point of origin but cannot be unloaded/delivered at their destination as originally scheduled—for example, if you new home is not ready to be moved into yet.

Every home move is unique in some way. We recommend you contact a home movers company, describe your situation, answer the questions they will ask you about your move and intended shipment, and obtain a personalized quote based on your individual circumstances.

Practical tips when you hire home movers to ship your personal goods

Here are some tips to note when you hire a home movers company to ship your personal goods—whether you’re moving across Mexico or moving internationally.

• When the removals team arrives at your house in Mexico, be sure that there is some space reserved on the street for the moving truck if they cannot drive onto and park on your property.
• If you live in a gated community or condo complex, let the gate guards know about your move date and liaise with your neighbors and/or Homeowners Association as may be appropriate.
• When the moving company’s vehicle arrives, check all the paperwork thoroughly, and be clear about what is to be removed from the house.  Ask the moving company about the vehicle and team that they intend to send, including vehicle license plates, ahead of the scheduled arrival.
• Make a note (and take pictures) of the vehicle and its license plates when the moving team arrives. If you become suspicious about anything when the moving truck arrives, telephone the moving company’s offices before your goods are loaded onto the truck.
• If you or anyone in your household doesn’t speak Spanish, be sure to have an interpreter at your home on the day of the move and on the day you expect to take delivery of your household goods at your new address.

Useful resources and contacts

Here is a list of useful contacts and resources related to importing your personal goods to Mexico.

Moving companies: We recommend you use a moving company to ship your household goods across borders.

Mexican consulates: Applications for a certified Menaje de Casa must be made through a Mexican Consulate abroad, in the country where the goods are being shipped from.  Contact your nearest Mexican consulate to ask for details of their Menaje de Casa procedures.

Bringing your pets: Read additional information about procedures and paperwork needed to bring your pets to Mexico

Temporary vehicle imports: Useful information if you plan to use your foreign-plated vehicle to move your things to Mexico.

Mexican Customs: If you want further advice, visit the Mexican Customs website.

Taking care of your home in Mexico

Mexperience publishes guides and articles to help you maintain and secure your house, home, and dwelling spaces in Mexico.

• How to import your personal goods to Mexico
• Protecting your home from burglars
• Latest insights about Home Maintenance in Mexico

By combining a number of common sense precautions with some security features, and considering an adequate home insurance policy, you can mitigate the risks and reduce the financial burden of any unforeseen events involving your property.

Knowing (and getting known in) your local neighborhood

Part of planning your move to Mexico is about deciding where you want to live and choosing suitable accommodations for your individual situation and lifestyle.

One of the most effective ways to support your everyday security is to be an active part of a strong local community.  This creates an effective security deterrent in any neighborhood and includes:

• becoming involved locally;
• cultivating good cooperative relationships with your neighbors;
• making practical contributions to the security of your residential street, gated community, or apartment/condo development.

Choosing your location

Virtually every town and city world-wide has neighborhoods where crime is higher than in others, and Mexico is no different. Therefore it makes sense to research the location you’re moving to, and specifically, which are of that location you’re moving to.

If you’re completely unfamiliar with the town or area, the services of a good local realty agent can help. The agent will be able to brief you about the area and ensure that your search includes neighborhoods that match your everyday needs, and which avoids any unsuitable ones.

Once you have identified a suitable neighborhood, or shortlisted a list of potential ones to live in, do some additional research and be sure to spend some time there locally: go to the local cafés and restaurants, try and get connected to some existing local foreign residents already living there, search online groups for news and information.

If you’re already familiar with a location you want to live in, but are unsure about the neighborhoods locally, do your homework.  Even if you are familiar, check to ensure that the area(s) you are considering locally are suitable for your situation and lifestyle needs.

Cultivate your local interests

When you have chosen your neighborhood and found suitable accommodations there, whether you are renting a property or have purchased a house there, take time to get acquainted with it and the other people who live nearby.

This work is an integral part of settling-in to your life in Mexico and cultivating local networks and community—that in turn, supports the security of your home and dwelling spaces.

Tips for integrating into your local community include:

Get invited to the local social media group

Some streets, many local villages, and most gated communities, apartment buildings and condo developments operate a social media group, usually via WhastApp or Telegram.

If you move into a gated community, apartment or condo, you might be invited by one of your neighbors to join soon after they see you move in.

If you live on an open residential street, or in a small village-type community area, you might have to cultivate some relationships locally to get invited, or you could ask a neighbor if a social media groups exists that you could join so as to become an active part of the local community and its messaging system.

The neighborhood groups on social media are helpful as they serve as a type of “neighborhood watch” system as well as a virtual notice board.  Residents or local community members can use the group to message others and ask questions, report any suspicious activity they might see in the vicinity, call for help or assistance, and also to coordinate a response to an incident.

For example, if someone calls the local police, or the electric company to report a power cut in the area, they can announce this on the group so that others are aware.  The groups can also be used to organize physical gatherings for residents to meet discuss local matters and issues in person.

If the locality or apartment/condo building you move into doesn’t have a social media group already, you might take the initiative and offer to start one, and serve as its coordinator.

Shop regularly in your locality

Shopping at the local stores and getting to know the local shopkeepers and other traders in the vicinity.

Make use of local services

Local shopkeepers remember their regular customers. Make regular use of using local service providers that may include local coffee shops, local food stalls, and local fondas, as this will help to get you known locally.

Make an effort to meet and know your neighbors

This might be easier to accomplish if you live in a gated community or condo development, but it’s also possible, with some effort and kind neighborliness, to achieve along residential streets.

If you have young children and they play with other children locally, use that opportunity to meet with other parents and build a rapport with them. Children’s birthday parties are an ideal opportunity to get people together and commune locally.

Find and attend local community hubs

The local corner shops, local fondas, and local coffee shops often serve as small community hubs in local Mexican neighborhoods and small towns. Go there often enough and you’ll have an opportunity to meet other local regulars who frequent those places as well.

Some of the more popular places foreign residents choose to live in Mexico have long-established community hubs; for example in Chapala/Ajijic, the Lake Chapala Society is an important hub that is integral to that area.

People you see regularly see you

On a daily and weekly basis, get used to the people you see coming and going regularly and let them get used to seeing you come and go each day.  This helps to spots unusual patterns which you and your neighbors can use to report anything suspicious using the local social media groups.

Common home security features

Cultivating good relationships with your neighbors is an excellent foundation for your local security, and physical security features on your property serve as a deterrent to opportunists, and make it difficult for the more determined criminals to become intruders in your home.

Here is a list of key things to consider and review.

Locks and bolts

A good lock and key system on doors and windows is the first essential line of defense against potential intruders. Most burglars are looking for ‘easy’ (fast) access break-ins, so making it difficult (i.e., time consuming) for a person to get into your home is a helpful deterrent in its own right.

If you have just moved into a new house you bought from previous occupants, you ought to consider changing the locks: you only have to change the barrels, not the entire locking mechanism. Ask a local locksmith (cerrajero) to visit your home and give you a quote for changing all the locks.

Security lighting

Your property ought be properly lit at night and, ideally, have one or two outdoor sensors which switch on lights in strategic places when they detect movement after dark.

Lights outside the front of the house and in the garden, terrace, and patio areas if you have them provide a pleasant ambience at night and they signal to others that the property is not vacant or abandoned.

Carefully placed lighting is an inexpensive deterrent to would-be intruders. If you are frequently away, or plan to be coming and going from the property often, consider setting lights outside and inside your home to come on for a few hours each evening using timed switches.

Radio or music player

Another deterrent some people use to secure their home is to have a radio or music player switched on automatically for a number of hours in the day when they are out or away from the house for a period. Burglars prefer empty houses, and the presence of light and sound are the two common deterrents that will add to a good lock and bolt system.

Surveillance systems

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) systems are becoming commonplace now, especially those linked wirelessly over the internet. The images may be recorded for future reference, and might help identify intruders if your home is broken into.

Self-installation kits are available online and from homeware and electrical stores.  Cameras are either wired or (more commonly) work wirelessly using your home’s WiFi system.

If you require more sophistication, for example, wired cameras with a power backup in the event of an electric power cut, consult a professional security firm for assistance.

Audible alarm systems

The screech of alarm is mostly ignored in Mexico just as it is in most places around the world, not least because it may get set-off by any number of benign occurrences: the wind, birds, a cat, a large vehicle going past the house, etc.

If you live in a gated community or condo complex, the Home Owner’s Association might have rules about these and, where they are allowed, procedures may be in place in the event that one of the alarms is triggered.

Some alarm systems are connected to a local private security firm who get alerted when an alarm is triggered and send a patrol car and security guard to check on the property.  Some of these alarms might be silent, although most people prefer the alarm to give out an audible sound to scare off the intruder.

Regardless of whether it’s linked to a security firm or not, be sure that audible alarms cut out after just a few minutes; this is especially important if you’re away from the property as you don’t want to irritate your neighbors.

Iron bars on windows

You might notice that some home windows in Mexico, especially those facing the street, feature heavy iron window bars surrounding them. On some properties, they make up part of the design of the house, and artistically formed can look striking especially on older style colonial style homes.

In some older properties, window panes may be cut and placed inside part of an elaborate mosaic iron frame that can look artistically pleasing and can also prevent or hinder intrusion. (They are more difficult to keep clean, though.)

Keep in mind that window bars and mosaic iron window frames lock you and your family in as well keeping intruders out.

If your home has iron bars or mosaic frames across the windows, have an exit plan in place and know how you’ll get out in the event of an emergency, for example;

• Ensure that any door keys required for exit are constantly at hand, very near the doors.
• If the property has limited exits, install fire extinguishers or fire blankets to aid passage out of the building in case of a fire.
• Read our article about reviewing your home in preparation for earthquakes and consider how exits through doorways will be kept clear.

Pet dogs

One of the best deterrents against intruders in Mexico is to keep a pet dog—preferably a medium or larger dog.  It does not have to be a ‘natural’ guard dog (e.g., Doberman Pincher or Alsatian).

Many people in Mexico carry a fear of dogs and, besides the noise it would make barking if an intruder were to enter the home, the ‘prospect’ of being bitten or worse also acts as a deterrent.  Walking your dog is also an ideal way to meet your neighbors.

Fire prevention and fire drills

It’s prudent to review your home for fire precautions and practice a fire drill, especially if you have a young family.

• Small fire extinguisher(s) and/or a fire blankets can prevent a small fire incident getting out of control and/or help you exit the house in an emergency situation caused by fire.  These may be especially important if your windows are covered by iron bars.
• If your home has windows that open upstairs, you may want to consider installing rope ladders in the upstairs rooms or on upstairs terraces as part a planned emergency exit route.
• Smoke alarms are not commonly installed in Mexican homes, so if you are renting you may want to purchase battery-operated units that you can take with you when you leave. If you are buying a house, even a new house, chances are that smoke alarms will not be installed there, either.
• Most homes in Mexico use LP gas for heating water and cooking.  Aside from the fire risk, gas appliances can leak odorless carbon monoxide, so you might consider installing a CO detector near your gas boiler and in the kitchen.

Insurance coverage for your Mexican home

Home insurance is a sensible coverage to include in your annual budget when you’re living in Mexico. Premiums will depend on where you live and the value of the material possessions you want to insure—you’ll need to name items of high value such as fine watches, precious stones, and jewelry, and probably pay a premium to cover these.

Adequate insurance home policies will provide coverages for:

The physical estate

Property insurance covers the cost of repair or replacement of physical buildings after break-ins, floods, or other natural disasters, e.g., earthquakes, hurricanes. Some policies also cover the cost of repair due to acts of vandalism related to any break-in or burglary.

Better policies will also pay the costs of temporary accommodations for you and your family if you’re unable to live on the property while it’s being repaired or rebuilt.

House contents

Contents insurance covers the repair or replacement of material goods you own inside the property, should they become damaged or stolen. This element of the policy usually carries a co-pay (so only higher value items are worth claiming for) and the policies also tend to include clauses that limit the total amount of coverage, unless named items (like expensive jewels) are specifically named and covered by the policy.

Third party liability

The better policies include coverage for third party liability damages.  These include events like a tree falling from your garden onto your neighbor’s home, and also includes coverages for any injuries sustained by people visiting or working on the property (e.g., guests, maids, gardeners).

Security risks of unattended properties in Mexico

One of the most common causes for house burglary in Mexico is due to a property being empty and unattended for a period of time.  Would-be local burglars sometimes “scope” a neighborhood, and spot patterns of movement of local residents, and that includes absences.

While you’re away on vacation

One of the best deterrents against burglary is attendance. Burglars are looking for low-risk situations, and the presence of others on a property creates complications and significantly increases the burglar’s risk.

Therefore, avoid leaving your property unattended in Mexico for too long without someone looking after it for you, especially if the property is situated in a rural or remote area.

Even home insurance time limits of one month of vacancy is a long time to leave your property unattended in Mexico.

If you are going away on vacation —even if only for a long holiday weekend— ask a friend or a neighbor to check-in on the house for you.

For longer vacations (a week or more) consider asking someone to house-sit for you, especially if your house is situated in a remote or quiet rural area and is not part of a gated community or condo/apartment building.

If you will be away for only a short while, use automatic timed light switches that come on for a few hours each evening, and get a music player or radio (or the TV) switch on as well. See common home security features earlier in this article for details.

Part-time residency and other extended absences

If you only live in your Mexican home part-time, then you ought to consider paying someone locally to manage the property for you while you are away, or have someone move in to the house and live there in your absence.

Hiring a home manager

Some local realty agents offer house management services, or the agency might be able to connect you with someone who offers home management locally.

Professional home managers usually offer some or all of the following services:

• Call in once or twice a week to clear any post and check on any issues that may have arisen, e.g., leaky pipes, as well as to water pot plants you may have inside the house.
• Visit the property on an ad-hoc basis after any major storms or heavy rainfalls to check that everything is in good order.
• The better home managers will email or text you with a regular brief, and all managers ought to telephone you in the event of any unforeseen significant incidents involving the property.
• They’ll liaise with local workers who might need to undertake repairs or remedial work to the property, as well with the Home Owners Association (HOA) if relevant.
• Some managers will pay disbursements like local bills (including HOA fees, telephone, electricity, etc.) and pay any local helpers you might have hired; for example, some absentee owners pay for a cleaner to call in once a month, or if they have a gardener tending to the property on a (semi)regular basis.
• They might also stock your fridge and pantry with fresh basic food items and perhaps some beverages that you like before you are due to arrive back.

If your home is situated in a gated community, apartment block or condo developments, it will be easier to manage part-time residency issues and your property will be generally safer.

If your home is situated in the countryside or in a rural enclave, then you should seriously consider getting a house sitter, a live-in property manager, or renting the house out during your absence.  A good realty agent or house manager will be able to advise you about options, and costs.

Taking care of your home in Mexico

Mexperience publishes guides and articles to help you maintain and secure your house, home, and dwelling spaces in Mexico.

• Latest insights about taking care of your home in Mexico
• Insurance for your home in Mexico
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• Hiring local helpers and domestic staff

Mexico’s provinces, especially those colonial towns and cities that are within an easy drive of Mexico City, are well stocked with aging homes, many of which were constructed between the early 1950s and late 1970s—although some also date back to the colonial era.  They stand today in silent witness to eras long past and their owners (or heirs) remain custodians of these properties, responsible for their upkeep.

The idyllic countryside home in Mexico

These homes —typically country-style houses with attractive and colorful landscaped gardens, a swimming pool, and a terrace to while away long evening conversations with friends and family— often served as second homes owned by those holding significant professional, government, or corporate appointments, or by families with wealth bequeathed through generations.

These second homes would typically remain vacant save for the gardener and housekeeper taking care of routine upkeep until the owners and their family and friends descended upon the property at weekends and during holidays as a form of ritualistic retreat into the Mexican countryside.

The colorful gardens, the charming views, the refreshing pool, the invigorating morning air, and the laidback feel of the Mexican countryside extended a helpful escape from urban routines, and provided open spaces for children, their siblings and friends to play and etch some additional memories into the journey of their childhood.

Forty or more years later, the lives and situations of the owners and their children (or grandchildren) are often far removed from the memories that echo in the rooms and gardens of these old properties.

The demands of owning older houses in Mexico

Anyone who owns or occupies a country house with a large garden and a swimming pool knows that these require constant attendance and structures that remain empty or unoccupied for extended periods often decay in haste, however keen the hired housekeeper or gardener might (or might not) be.

In situations where the original owners have died, the estate usually passes into hands of the children, who now assume title and responsibility for the spaces where they once played unburdened by the weights of adulthood and property management.

They begin to discover that houses which might be listed for sale at online listing portals for several million pesos can call for hundreds of thousands of pesos in ready cash every year to upkeep.

These aging properties with their extensive gardens, pools, and outbuildings tend to hold less interest in the everyday lives of the original owners’ children and grandchildren usually because the offspring have neither the free time nor the economic means to inhabit them as they and their parents did during the era of their childhood.

Priorities shift in unforeseen ways and negotiating use of the space with siblings (and their own families), as well as arguments over the running costs and stewardship of the property adds to the complexity of holding title.

Quandaries can emerge for the present owners of these aged homes, for example:

• for some, it’s emotionally difficult to sell and accept the passing of one’s life time;
• disagreement about what to do with the property may exist between family members;
• legal documents might not be in good shape after parents die, making a sale more complex;
• arguments may ensue about the distribution of costs for essential upkeep; and
• if the property is part of a gated community, disagreement may arise about who pays the (ever-increasing) HOA fees;
• when the matter of selling the property is discussed, heirs might not agree on the price to sell at, or whether to sell at all, nor how to share occupation of the property in the meantime.

And thus, homes which were joyful retreats of weekend cheer and a place to while away school holidays might now lay mostly unoccupied, echoing with memories and ghosts of a lifestyle passed, and an era long departed.

These situations serve as reminders that properties, in kind with their owners, pass through cycles and that the habits and spoils of one generation are not promised to another.

New generations may rent the house to mitigate costs

Aging owners —and more often now, heirs— of these older properties may turn to the rental market to generate the cash they need to manage costs—ostensibly the property’s but more often, their own.

Some owners of older properties are using online marketplaces like Airbnb to offer their houses for leisure breaks, especially if the house is situated in a tourist town and has a swimming pool.  However, it takes considerable time and effort to manage short-term rentals, and the net income is less than most owners anticipate.

Long-term rentals promise owners a regular monthly income with fewer overheads, and people seeking to rent on a long-term basis might be attracted to an older property, marketed with ‘old-world charm and character’. Renters of these properties might also discover that the charms of renting an older property are entirely outweighed by the challenges of living day-to-day in an aging house.

Buying older properties in Mexico

For potential buyers, some of these properties offer attractive plots of land with mature trees and fine views—but buyer beware, there are more than just ghosts and memories lurking in the walls and foundations of older properties.

Experienced buyers shopping for an older home know that they’ll need to make a capital outlay over and above the agreed sale price to make repairs and bring structures and interiors up to date. They’re also mindful that the attention required to maintain and secure the property doesn’t go away, even after a refit.

The negotiated price ought to reflect the investment that will be required to restore the property’s structures if these have fallen into decay, with additional provision added for contingencies. Potential owners ought also to reflect on their own situation and intentions regarding the property and its location, considering their life stage, as well as current and future needs.

Some people argue that buying vacant land and building a home on it using new materials, the latest construction techniques, and applying modern building standards to one’s own design is preferable to taking ownership of an older home.  By the same token, older homes have stood the test of time; tend to be situated in established neighborhoods with ready access to local services and amenities, can occupy exceptional plots of land that may be difficult to find elsewhere, and have mature gardens with trees and other plants that may otherwise take many years to grow and flourish on newly developed land.

When purchasing an older home, especially where several heirs may share ownership, additional patience and flexibility will probably be needed as the decision-making process to sell is inevitably met by objections and discussions internally—deliberations which buyers tend to be oblivious about, and are often the core reason why a seller doesn’t immediately accept a full asking-price offer.  If one heir has a strong character and can steer the family into a constructive decision, this can help to expedite the transfer of the property to the buyer.

The cycle doesn’t stop with your purchase

As new buyers take possession of their provincial retreat, they begin to breathe new life into the spaces—remodeling, redecorating, and planting fresh flowers and saplings that will grow along with a new generation of people who muster and dwell together in these spaces.

Wise owners will make suitable provision for the asset without delay and take into consideration the changing cycles that touch all our lives, regardless of circumstance.  Being cognizant of this —especially if your heirs are or might be abroad— helps to consider the effects of the passage of time beyond one’s own.

Making appropriate provision and leaving instruction to others in matters of passing the torches you carried from one generation to another is part-and-parcel of responsible land and property custodianship in Mexico.

Learn more about property management in Mexico

Mexperience publishes a range of free eBook guides about property and real estate in Mexico:

• Changing cycles of neighborhoods in Mexico City
• Charms and compromises of countryside living in Mexico
• Key factors to consider as you plan your lifestyle in Mexico
• Learn about home maintenance and security in Mexico
• View the latest articles about real estate in Mexico
• Comprehensive guides to buying and selling real estate and renting property in Mexico