The moratorium on the issuing of new holiday rentals licences is due to be lifted on 15 July. For this to happen, the Council of Majorca's zoning plan has to be definitively approved by the full council session - one scheduled for 12 July. Between now and then, the Balearic Environment Commission, which falls under the government's environment ministry, has to issue its own report into the plan. The latest draft of the plan takes account of alterations made following submissions for greater restrictions and, in seven instances, less restriction.
From 15 July, owners should therefore be able to apply for a new licence from the tourism ministry. There are, however, a host of factors to be taken into account. The first and most obvious one is the definition of the zone in which the property is located. This affects whether letting can be all year or for a maximum of sixty days and be the owner's main residence in the latter case. In general, where rentals are permissible all year, this applies to all types of property. There are, however, certain exceptions, such as Muro, where apartment holiday rentals are not going to be permitted at all.
Other factors include the property having certifications for habitability and energy efficiency. There have to be individual water, electricity or gas meters, something that will rule out some apartment blocks where there are no water meters and payment is covered by the community charge. Owners in a community can also veto holiday letting; a majority vote would be needed one way or the other.
With all new licence approvals, there will be a charge per place, i.e. the number of beds. This charge has yet to be specified. With hotels, a new place costs around 4,000 euros. It is thought that the charge for rentals will be lower. The licence will run for five years. It can be renewed and there will not be a further charge for the number of places.
Although the zoning plan is more or less decided - the environment commission and full council session are unlikely to challenge it - there is still the unknown of the new PIAT, plan for intervention in tourist areas. An important aspect of this will be the determination of how many rentals places there can be in the different zones.
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