67% of the island’s houses are primary residences.

67% of the island’s houses are primary residences. | R.L.

Vicki McLeodPalma06/09/2024 11:44
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It occurred to me the other day, while greeting my Mallorcan neighbour with a friendly “Hola,” that they might be just as much to blame for the housing crisis on this island as my English, French, and Danish neighbours, who descend upon us every August and monopolise the parking spaces. How can this poor, innocent Mallorcan be culpable? Simple. He and his family live in Palma for 50 weeks of the year, then retreat to our village for a couple of weeks each summer. The rest of the time? That house stands empty. No contribution to the local economy, no participation in village life—just another vacant property in a place desperate for homes.

Apparently, 67% of the island’s houses are primary residences, with the other 33% being second homes or holiday rentals. But let’s not pretend all those second homes are owned by wealthy foreigners here for their “holibobs.” No, we’ve got plenty of locals playing the same game, shuffling between a summer home and a winter home like it’s a sport. And somehow, this inconvenient truth is conveniently forgotten, with all the blame heaped onto the shoulders of foreigners.
If that isn’t an “own goal” in the “Tourists Go Home” debacle, I don’t know what is.

For nearly 20 years, I’ve lived in my village and watched as several houses on the main road—at least five that I can think of—fall into disrepair. Some are abandoned because the owner died without an heir, others because the heirs can’t agree on what to do, and still others are tangled in legal limbo or owned by someone who lives abroad in Cuba, France, or South America—places where many Andratx inhabitants fled during Franco’s reign.

Why doesn’t the council step in? They could reclaim these properties, renovate them, and rent them out to locals who are desperate for affordable housing. Wouldn’t that be a win-win? It’s high time we stop scapegoating the foreigners and start addressing the real issues at home.