The Government of the Balearic Islands has approved this week an amendment to the regional Tourism Law that enables the inspectors of the island councils of each island, equivalent to the "cabildos" in the Canary Islands, to seal properties rented to tourists without a license.
According to Marta Vidal, Balearic Minister of Housing, the Tourism Law only contemplated the closure of establishments that seriously infringed the regulations. With the modification included in the decree, this option is extended to homes illegally rented to tourists.
This change is part of the Decree Law of urgent measures regarding housing, with the aim of increasing the supply of available housing in the municipalities of the Balearic Islands at affordable prices.
The Decree seeks to increase the availability of housing without consuming territory, in existing buildings and undeveloped plots in urban land.
The measure is designed to facilitate access to housing for the middle and working classes and young people, through a new figure, limited price housing (LPH).
The Decree enables a set of measures to generate the creation of new limited price housing by the Administration.
Conversion of shops and permission for more heights
The Decree also contemplates the change of use of existing premises (commercial, administrative, etc.), both on ground floors and upper floors, for their conversion into LPH housing.
It will also allow the division of existing homes to create new LPH homes, by increasing the maximum densities, both in existing buildings and in undeveloped plots with permitted multi-family residential uses and single-family between party walls.
It also foresees the increase of buildability in height in existing buildings or in plots with permitted multi-family residential uses, the creation of housing on land for facilities still to be developed, or protection housing if it is plots for public facilities.
In addition, the Decree Law enables the possibility of changing the use to residential of obsolete tourist establishments to be used to create this type of housing.
It also extends the special regime already in force that allows the creation of protected housing in unfinished buildings with expired licenses, in a ruinous state or in a situation of inadequacy, to recover these structures that are now unusable to generate new homes.
Likewise, the transfer of land of public ownership to private initiative for the promotion of protected housing and endowment accommodation is foreseen.
