More bills for tourist property owners in Mallorca

3,000 holiday home owners in Mallorca affected

People who own tourist rentals in Mallorca have been sent a letter telling. | Ultima Hora

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterBalearic Islands19/04/2022 08:37

People who own tourist rentals in Mallorca have been sent a letter telling them that they will have to pay a new fee of 35 euros per month or 420 euros a year if they’re open for 12 months.

The letter from the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores or SGAA states:

“This entity has verified that in the business of which you are the owner works and services of the repertoire administered by the SGAE, the Association for the Management of Intellectual Rights and Society of Performers of Spain. "The licence for prior authorisation of the authors or owners of the works is required, in accordance with the provisions of the Intellectual Property Law, as well as the payment of the corresponding remuneration rights accrued by said public communication.”

It also informs owners that they have 7 days to contact an SGAE representative or face legal action and if both sides fail to reach an amicable settlement, the SGAE may claim for all court delays up to a maximum of 5 years from the first notification, plus the violation investigation costs.

Most holiday property owners say they’ve never heard from, or been visited by anyone from the SGAE and both Habtur and the Asociación Balear de Alquiler de Viviendas Vacacionales have questioned the reasoning behind the new charges.

“This type of letter began to be received in the middle of last season and is now being re-emphasised in the face of the imminent full opening of tourist establishments in the Balearic Islands,” said Asociación de Viviendas Vacacionales President, Miguel Cifre. “Holiday rentals are very different from hotels because our customers arrive fully equipped technologically."

The SGAE’s claim will affect more than 3,000 holiday home owners in Mallorca and the other Balearic Islands.

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3 comments

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Morgan | over 2 years ago

Hold on here.. This sounds *much* to fishy to take at face value. The purpose as stated appears to have absolutely nothing to do with holiday lets or tourism. It's like a supermarket charging a fee because geckos are reptiles. I doubt it would stand up in court. I am the proprietor of exactly the tourist accommodations supposedly targeted by this. I have so far received no such notices. Until I do, I have to suspect it's just another anti-government wind up.

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Marvin | over 2 years ago

As ever here. Nothing makes any sense. What repertoire and intellectual property are they referring to that holiday rental owners have supposedly been using? Complete and utter nonsense.

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Roger | over 2 years ago

This really is one of the worst examples of 'stealth tax' that I have ever seen....inspection of quality standards is right, validating bona fides of owners is right, imposing registration and a licence fee is right....but beyond the key criteria is ridiculous....as for the reasons who knows?...maybe its government's desire to raise taxes, maybe its government's ongoing intent (in accordance with its socialist ideology) to control everything, or maybe its another attempt by the hotel sector to minimise competition, and if that is the case it is a flawed ideology that will backfire.

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