Mallorca is fighting against the illegal rental of tourist apartments. In order to be able to lend them, the owners must have the appropriate consents. Not all comply with these regulations, although their violation entails serious financial penalties. One example is the case of the rental of 12 apartments in one of the buildings in the Levante district. The authorities are demanding a fine of 80,000 euros for each apartment illegally loaned. Given that all the facilities were managed by the same operator, the total fine was 960,000 euros.
Penalties for illegal apartment rentals increased by one hundred percent
Just a few weeks ago, the maximum fine was €40,000, but the authorities have decided to double it to put an end to this illegal activity. Tourism Minister José Marcial Rodríguez Díaz praised his ministry’s Control and Sanctions Service for scrupulously following all administrative procedures and acting in accordance with the law. He stressed that such actions are not only economically damaging and constitute unfair competition for entrepreneurs who comply with all business rules, but also a huge problem for the local community, which is why they must be combated.
At the end of July, a demonstration took place in Palma, attended by more than 20,000 residents, protesting against excessive tourism in Mallorca, wage cuts, the deterioration in the quality of life, traffic jams on the roads and beaches, noise and, above all, high prices for apartments and long-term rentals.
