Mallorca, the island of dreams that awakens so many longings, has long since lost its luster for many locals. While tourists toast in vacation apartments with sea views, the Mallorcans ask themselves: where to go when the rent eats up half the monthly salary?
In its documentary "Re: Housing crisis in Mallorca"aired on December 19, was dedicated to precisely this topic. If you missed the show, you can still watch it in the Arte media library until December 17, 2025. Perhaps you should watch it with a glass of wine - because the stories told there could be heavy on the stomach.
Caravans instead of apartments - the reality of the displaced
Begona, 60 years old, parks cars every day - and that's it for the place. Her own "apartment" is a caravan in Palma, which she shares with her son Hector. Together they earn 2,500 euros a month - enough to dream about, but not enough to rent an apartment. Hector, who would like to start a family, wonders: how do you bring a girlfriend home when you have no room for privacy?
Christofer, 22 years old, a medical student and idealist, lives in a basement room for 600 euros a month. Power cuts and the stench of faulty sewage pumps accompany him during his studies. "Studying here is almost as hard as the exam itself," he says, smiling wryly.
The crisis does not stop at the villages
In Sencelles, in the center of the island, a journalist from the documentary meets families who are protesting against rising rents. Some are fighting, others are moving away - to the Spanish mainland, to regions where tourists can hardly find their way. If you want to stay here, you either have to be rich or creative - or both.
How did it get this far?
Mallorca's housing market has become a plaything of interests in recent years. Since the pandemic, the rental supply has shrunk by a third, while prices have exploded. Those who paid 1,164 euros in 2001 now have to pay 1,604 euros - on average.
Solutions or lip service?
The government regularly announces programs such as the much-cited "Lloguer Segur", which aims to create 2,000 new apartments with capped rents. But many locals are asking themselves: are they really coming, or are they just another promise?
Note on the media library
The Arte documentary "Re: Housing crisis in Mallorca" is still open until December 17, 2025 in the Arte media library available. You might want to watch the show - but better not if you've just had to pay your own rent.
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