Viewpoint: Time for action

I think the time has come for the Balearic government to finally make a stand and sort out the thorny issue of holiday lets. I know that the hoteliers are a very powerful lobby but the present legislation means that many people in Britain, Germany and Scandinavia will think twice about buying a holiday home because they are not legally allowed to rent it out during the months that it remains vacant. This state of affairs, coupled with the fact that there are few winter flights means that buying a holiday home on the island could be an expensive and difficult operation for many. If only the government would see sense and put in place some ground rules so that home owners can rent out their properties. It would give the hard pressed real estate industry a lift. Afterall, it was the property boom which almost propelled Spain into the G8, the club of major economic powers, and until it recovers the Spanish economy will continue to have problems. The Balearic government has a golden opportunity to help the real estate sector and at the same time help tourism as well. Not everyone wants to stay in a hotel and as long as the holiday apartments meet the necessary criteria Ican´t see any reason why owners shouldn´t be allowed to make some money from their homes to help pay the mortgage. The hoteliers can take the lion´s share of the tourism market but surely they can leave just a small percentage to the holiday homes market?