In Ibiza, a luxury holiday villa is available at 15,906 euros a night. Mallorca isn't quite in the same league - 7,714 euros for a villa in Andratx, for example - but the prices being charged for these holiday rentals are being viewed as the tip of a property market iceberg that is making the renting of properties unaffordable for seasonal workers.
Natalia Bueno, president of the API association of real estate agents in the Balearics, points to how difficult it is for many workers to find accommodation this season due to the rise in prices, especially in tourist resorts. In this regard, she highlights the fact seasonal workers only need accommodation for a few months, while owners can obtain 60% tax relief for renting out for the whole year. This is one reason why "we have the problem".
Antoni Barceló, president of the Habtur holiday rentals association, says that there is a demand for luxury villas in Mallorca and that it is a sector which is "on the rise". Nevertheless, he adds that "there are not so many properties with these characteristics in Mallorca".
The luxury end of the market clearly has nothing directly to do with seasonal workers and their accommodation or indeed with residents who struggle to find affordable accommodation. Except, that is, when it comes to the building of homes. Bueno believes that the housing problem in Mallorca will not be solved until the authorities stop creating obstacles for the building of social housing, which has been on virtual "standby" since the 1990s.
"In Mallorca there are low salaries, but taxation is similar to that of other European countries. If you add to this the fact that there are no affordable flats and that many Europeans have a higher purchasing power, you can understand the situation we are in. The foreigners have the houses, but our children... ?"
No comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
Currently there are no comments.