Safe villages in Veliko Tarnovo

@Alex_123

Quite a few Brits in that area.  Quite a lot of burglaries in the UK. Draw your own conclusions.....   It's probably as safe/unsafe as anywhere else; there are tea-leaves everywhere.

If you have a holiday home, make sure it's insured to the hilt with a decent instance company: make sure you tell them that it will be empty for lengthy periods (you won't incur any extra charges), and make sure that you turn off the water if you're not going to be there for a while, especially in the winter - and ensure you get the chimney swept regularly. 

I've used Intasure for donkey's years (see previous discussions) and I'm very happy with them.

@JimJ

Thanks for the info!

@Alex_123

Just a bit of extra info. I've been looking at houses for sale in Bulgaria for about a year now. I've seen a few that have been completely stripped and I mean upvc windows and doors removed, fittings and electrical wiring ripped out etc Some poor person has left their holiday home insecure and they end up with a worthless shell. My advice would be, if you're going to leave the house unoccupied, invest in window and door protection. Even if you buy in a 'safe' village, criminals are mobile and an empty house is an invitation.

my advise find a good village with good neighbours

they are your best chance to stay safe

l have lovely and vidulent neighbour's

in 16years have had no problems

of course you should still install security and have insurance cover

@Alex_123

VT (city and district) is very nice, and has always been popular with Brits. I think there are nice villages near Pavlikeni and near Polski Trambesh. We have friends in Stefan Stambolovo and they are very happy there.

My experience of Bulgaria is overwhelmingly positive, and we have wonderful neighbours. Crime, in general, seems quite low, and most villages are pretty decent. As others have suggested, you can improve your odds by finding a property in a good village, and making sure you have good neighbours. Unfortunately, the former is not always obvious from a quick house viewing, and the latter is something you usually find out after you've purchased. :-) However, a clue is in the price: good locations/good villages close to cities/large towns are in demand, and will cost more.

I think the key issue is how much you are away, and how long you intend to use it purely as a holiday home. If you spend only a few weeks a year in a house, and it's 15 years until you retire... then you're giving yourself tough odds. And, you'll spend your entire holiday doing garden and house maintenance... and when you're in the UK, you'll be worrying if the house is still OK. Houses are a headache and need constant maintenance... for a stress-free life, I reckon a holiday apartment in the mountains or on the coast is hard to beat!

Friendly, vigilant neighbours are nice to have but they're no guarantee that you won't be burgled. Anyone can be robbed at any time, in BG or "back home", and it's quite common for people to be burgled while they're asleep. If it can be done while you're at home, what on earth makes people who think of their neighbours as unpaid burglar alarms and security guards believe that the neighbours will be woken by intruders in another house?

Proper security costs money - to install and run - and needs to be backed up by adequate insurance. Relying on vigilant/nosy neighbours is foolish and arrogant: your security is on YOU, not the goodwill of others!