Ibiza's reputation is summer. The reality, for an empty villa, is winter. From October through April the island is wetter, saltier and quieter than visitors imagine, and a closed home accumulates damage across that entire season unless somebody competent intervenes.
What humidity actually does inside a closed house
Sealed-up rooms hold moisture. North-facing walls condense. Lime renders bloom. Antique woodwork swells, then cracks as it dries. Leather furnishings mould at the seams. Electronics — particularly amplifiers, AV receivers and anything left plugged in — corrode internally and fail in ways that look mysterious in March but are entirely predictable in November.
Why "closed and sealed" is the wrong strategy
The instinct is to lock everything up tightly and walk away. For an Ibiza villa that is precisely the wrong instinct. Without scheduled ventilation, dehumidification and inspection, you are creating the conditions for damage rather than preventing it.
What good off-season practice looks like
At a minimum: ventilate vulnerable rooms on a schedule, run dehumidifiers in basements, wine rooms, wardrobes and any north-facing space, take humidity readings monthly, and inspect the rooms most prone to issues — basements, bathrooms, behind heavy furniture — every visit. Pair this with proper covers on outdoor furniture, a maintained pool through winter, and an active eye on roof flashings before the autumn rains.
The cost of doing nothing
Owners who skip a winter of stewardship typically spend the equivalent of two or three years of light oversight on the resulting repairs: re-pointing, re-plastering, re-sanding pools, replacing electronics, restoring wood. The work is preventable. The bill is not, once it has been earned.
How we handle this
Each engagement begins with a humidity audit of the property: which rooms are vulnerable, which sensors and dehumidifiers belong where, what the seasonal schedule should be. Then we run it, log it, and report it monthly. Quietly, in writing, with photographs.