Vacation rentals in Mallorca are making headlines again - and this time it could get tight for apartment owners. The Balearic government has put a new plan on the table, which is causing relief for some and concern for others. Similar to Barcelona, where the city council has decided to gradually remove vacation apartments from the market, Mallorca could also see the end of vacation rentals in Apartment buildings come. This means that licenses issued under the previous government will simply not be renewed.
Apartments out, villas stay?
However, only apartments would be affected. Anyone renting out a villa or detached house on the island has less to worry about. Here the license remains unaffected. But for owners of apartments in popular tourist areas, things look bleak. The ruling People's Party (PP) is seriously considering not renewing licenses after five years. A step that will please hoteliers in particular, but will also attract the attention of environmentalists and critics of mass tourism.
What is happening to the housing market?
The hope? More apartments for locals. In Barcelona, according to the city council, the ban on vacation rentals could bring thousands of apartments back onto the rental market. And on Mallorca? Here, too, it is hoped that the tight housing market hoped. In Palma in particular, the expiry of the licenses could make a significant number of apartments available to the local population again.
What will become of the licenses?
It is not yet clear whether the plan will actually be implemented. The Balearic Prime Minister Marga Prohens only emphasized in her government statement that new licenses for apartments will no longer be issued. However, it remains to be seen whether all existing licenses will expire. In any case, pressure is growing - from environmentalists to hoteliers, who hope that a reduction in the number of vacation apartments will reduce competition.
And then there is the Moratoriumwhich has been in force for two years and ensures that no new applications for vacation rentals are accepted. This was imposed by the former left-wing government and the current government does not seem to want to change it for the time being.
Reviews are slow
Another problem is the Review of existing licenses. Thousands of applications that were submitted under the owners' own responsibility have still not been checked. It is assumed that many of these licenses have never been used. Now the state government wants to deactivate those that have never been used - but in view of the overworked inspectors it could take a while.
A hot topic with many unknowns
Vacation rentals remain one of the most discussed topics on Mallorca. What exactly the government intends to do with the licenses remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the pressure to regulate vacation rentals is increasing - whether from environmentalists, hoteliers or the local population, who are hoping to ease the pressure on the housing market.
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