Crackdown on holiday rentals, party boats and youth hostels — that’s how the measures presented this Tuesday by the Mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, can be summed up. The mayor has announced a package of measures to be implemented across the municipality.
Among those to be applied as soon as possible — with retroactive effect going back three months to prevent new permits from being approved — is a total ban on holiday rentals in Palma “in any form whatsoever.” Until now, such rentals were prohibited in multi-family buildings, but the restriction will now be extended to include single-family homes and room rentals, which up to now have been advertised on platforms such as Airbnb.
“There are only 639 legal tourist rental licences in the municipality. Those are valid and will remain so, but if they are cancelled, no new permits will be issued,” he warned. The aim is for the measure to be approved — not at the next council meeting, which is too soon — but at the following one, though it will take effect retroactively.
In addition, the opening of any new hostels will be banned throughout Palma, and those that still exist will be encouraged to convert into hotels or residential housing.
Martínez also stated that party boats will be completely banned from next season onwards along Palma’s Paseo Marítimo, and that the council is working with the Balearic Ports Authority (APB) to determine how the restriction will be enforced. The activity had generated a significant number of complaints from local residents.
According to Martínez, the ban on holiday rentals aims to increase the supply of housing available for long-term lets.