Mallorca housing row: 100,000-plus Balearic homes empty

€600 for a room: some young people pay that much while more than 100,000 homes stand empty across the Balearic Islands, MÉS per Mallorca spokesman Lluís Apesteguia says in parliament in Palma, Mallorca, on 21 October 2026. He says the islands also have more than 100,000 second homes. He accuses regional president Marga Prohens of failing people who cannot afford to live decently.

A fight over existing homes

Apesteguia says the housing problem is about how homes are used, not simply how many are built. In some towns, he says, rental listings have disappeared because properties are let by the week. He criticises the regional government for building more homes and cutting taxes for people who can already afford to buy.

MÉS per Mallorca has put forward a bill to change Balearic planning law. It wants to keep land in residential use and curb speculation. Apesteguia also criticises a legal change that allows investment funds to buy price-controlled homes.

Petrol prices and tourist numbers

MÉS wants a cap on petrol prices in the islands, limiting them to no more than 5 per cent above prices on the Spanish mainland. It is also calling for a minimum wage specific to the Balearics.

On tourism, Apesteguia proposes a ten-year plan to bring visitor numbers down to 13 million. He wants a higher tourist tax to provide €120 million a year for other parts of the economy. These are MÉS proposals, not measures now in force.

Topics: Housing · Politics · Palma · Santanyí

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com