If you’ve moved to Spain or bought a holiday home here, you’ve probably noticed it: iron bars (rejas) on ground-floor windows almost everywhere, from city flats to village houses. Here’s why, and what you can do if you want security without living behind bars.
Why so many Spanish homes have bars on the windows
- Ground-floor living: in many towns, bedroom and living-room windows open straight onto the street or a patio.
- Windows open most of the year: in a warm climate, people want to ventilate day and night.
- Tradition: wrought-iron rejas have been part of Spanish architecture for centuries, and they are a familiar, low-cost deterrent.
- Burglary and squatting worries: especially for second homes that stand empty part of the year.
The downsides of bars
- Darker rooms and blocked views.
- The feeling of living in a cage.
- Fixed bars can stop you getting out of a window in a fire.
- Iron rusts and needs repainting.
- They do nothing to keep mosquitoes out.
The modern alternative: Crimsafe security screens
Crimsafe is an Australian security screen system with more than 30 years of development: 0.9 mm grade 304 stainless steel mesh held by the patented Screw-Clamp® system, with three-point locking. It passes the Australian Standard tests for impact, crowbar, pull and knife attacks, yet from inside it barely affects your view. It works as an insect screen too, and the Safe-S-Cape version opens from inside without a key. That’s why we call it invisible bars.
Do I need permission from my community of owners?
It depends on how it is fitted. If the screen goes inside the window opening and doesn’t change the façade, you usually don’t need it. If it is fitted outside and changes the façade, check with your comunidad or property administrator first. More answers in our FAQ.
Getting a quote in English
Crim Defend is the exclusive Crimsafe licensee for Spain and Andorra and the only official Crimsafe partner in Europe. We’re a family business based in Arenys de Mar, near Barcelona, we work across Spain and Andorra, and we speak English. Get a no-obligation quote or call or WhatsApp us on +34 711 088 439.
Written by Chris, Operations Director at Crim Defend. An electrician by trade, Chris worked on high-security prison projects in Australia before bringing Crimsafe to Spain.