Holiday rental licences could be withdrawn because of health regulation breaches

Holiday rental accommodation is affected by this decree. Licences could be withdrawn for three years if there are breaches. The manager of the Habtur holiday rentals association, Maria Gibert, wants a government rethink, pointing out that owners will be blamed without these owners "having the mechanisms to control clients".

Gibert notes that owners can refuse to rent out accommodation to clients who hold parties but that is unclear if clients themselves would be engaged in an illegal activity. Accordingly, "we believe that the withdrawal of a licence would be of doubtful legality".

The Habtur representative is critical of "restrictive measures" being imposed on the holiday rental sector by a government which often speaks about "consensus and dialogue" and yet seeks neither with the Habtur association.

A reason why holiday rental is included in the penalty regime is the possibility of there being illegal parties and ones which exceed maximum capacities.

While these parties are an issue, Gibert observes that families constitute the majority of the holiday rental client base and not groups of friends. She adds that occupancy is currently around 70%, with the holiday rental market having picked up in areas where it is strongest, such as Pollensa, Alcudia and Santanyi.