What is the exact position about apartments in 2018

[Harters]

Originally Posted by bobley

We've covered ourselves quite safely.

Yes - but you said if you wanted to rent the heck out of the house, you could plug it through your friends, who would then tell their friends. It was that point I was addressing with my "you only need one person" comment. If you are genuinely only renting to friends and family , then there is no problem - but you know, as well as I know, that for many owners "friends and family" is a complete fraud (one of which I've taken advantage of for many years - I have not even got a clue what my "friends" last name is)

[bobley]

If I wanted to indeed - but I'm happy to confirm that I dont want to.

[mike_dublin]

Two more articles - as confusing as ever ...

https://majorcadailybulletin.com/new...ies-falls.html

...What he had meant to say, and he clarified this later, is that the government can only take sanctions against an owner if publicity or marketing is touristic (e.g. uses terms such as tourist or holiday) and there isn't the necessary holiday rental licence. If the owner of a holiday home cannot rent out to private individuals, he went on, the Balearic tourism legislation would be challenged by the national government as it would contradict state law, i.e. the tenancy act...

https://majorcadailybulletin.com/new...le-months.html

... The sixty-day rule is to apply to newly licensed holiday rentals in parts of Majorca deemed to be saturated. These include specific resorts - Arenal (in Llucmajor), Magalluf, Paguera, Palmanova and Santa Ponsa - and certain towns such as Alcudia, Pollensa and Soller. ...

[bobley]

Best bit of those links are the comments beneath.

The situation is ridiculous and appears to be getting worse by the day.

[mike_dublin]

https://majorcadailybulletin.com/new...-tourists.html

Owners of properties who rent out for a few days or a couple of weeks without having a holiday rental licence will be obliged to demonstrate that the letting is not for tourism purposes.

The tourism director-general, Antoni Sansó, explains that although the ley de arrendamientos urbanos (tenancy act) does indeed allow for letting contracts to be for as short as a day, if the letting implies tourism marketing, the government will act as it has powers to do so under tourism legislation.

... Owners would need to prove otherwise and that they are not involved in tourism marketing.

As an example, says Sansó, if ministry inspectors receive a complaint from a neighbour regarding a regular change of tenants in a property without a holiday rental licence, the inspectors will act. ...

If the property is let without a licence for a month or more, so long as there has been no publicity suggesting a tourist/holiday let, then there is no infringement of the tenancy act. ...

...

At a meeting in Muro more than a month ago which generated a good deal of confusion, Sansó appeared to imply that a Balearic interpretation of the tenancy act, a national law, could constitute a violation of that law. The interpretation, or rather the stated case in the Balearic legislation of less than a month, does not exist in the national law.

[animagic21]

Are they all mad?! None of this makes sense!!!

[Rosie34]

I've given up trying to understand the convoluted explaantions/implications

[favie]

Only thing I understand is I won't be having my holiday in PP this year!

Looked at a tourist apartment today, as last resort, 1 bedroom......same price as a 3 bed/2 bathroom seaview apt. in St Eulalia where we have a wedding to attend in June. Think I will have my second holiday in Bonnie Scotland this year and hope things change for 2019.

[Sparky]

From the MDB :-

Rentals licences moratorium to be lifted in mid-July.


The moratorium on the issuing of new holiday rentals licences is due to be lifted on 15 July. For this to happen, the Council of Majorca's zoning plan has to be definitively approved by the full council session - one scheduled for 12 July. Between now and then, the Balearic Environment Commission, which falls under the government's environment ministry, has to issue its own report into the plan. The latest draft of the plan takes account of alterations made following submissions for greater restrictions and, in seven instances, less restriction.

From 15 July, owners should therefore be able to apply for a new licence from the tourism ministry. There are, however, a host of factors to be taken into account. The first and most obvious one is the definition of the zone in which the property is located. This affects whether letting can be all year or for a maximum of sixty days and be the owner's main residence in the latter case. In general, where rentals are permissible all year, this applies to all types of property. There are, however, certain exceptions, such as Muro, where apartment holiday rentals are not going to be permitted at all.

.....................................

Full story here :- https://majorcadailybulletin.com/new...-mid-july.html

[bobley]

Its all a bit sad really? If I wanted to rent my little house out (which has all the certificates and metering mentioned in the article, but it's in the old town and not my habitual residence anyway) then I'd have to pay several thousand euros just for the privilege of being able to charge ~ €2000 a year of which I'd have to give €400 back as tax so that wont be happening.

Instead I'll let my friends stay for free as long as they keep the place clean and bring back my mail. As the temporary guests wont be paying tourists they wont pay any tourist tax and I wont pay any tax on the rental (I will have to pay my none rental tax though... rats, hadn't thought of that...).

Perhaps I should try to stay a bit longer and qualify for habitual status...sounds quiet a nice idea.. but I prefer the UK TBH.

It will certainly be interesting to see the stats at the end of the season...

[Sparky]

Originally Posted by Hanser

We went there last night. Very nicely styled and the menu has many original dishes. We had the salmon, steak and chicken ones. Novel creme brule. Very good service and pleasant island wines. Well worth a visit as some of the restaurants are getting predictable.

My only improvement would be to have some greens with the dishes.

The town does seem oddly quiet. It cannot just be the rentals issue, can it?

I think the rental issue is the biggest reason for the lack of tourists .

[Carol]

Before we jump to any conclusions about ‘lack of tourists’ maybe we should wait until the Irish,Scottish summer holidays at the end of this month and the English at the end of July.

[Sparky]

Originally Posted by Carol

Before we jump to any conclusions about ‘lack of tourists’ maybe we should wait until the Irish,Scottish summer holidays at the end of this month and the English at the end of July.

Sorry Carol but i am talking about how it has been so far this year and it is very quiet with some places reporting a 25% to 50% drop in takings. Of course it will improve in July and August but i worry that it will not be enough for some businesses to survive

[Bekki]

My in-laws are currently on holiday as they do every June for a couple of weeks. They have said how quiet it is around during the day in comparison with previous years. Evenings in their local haunts are a little quiet too. They are not complaining as are having a great time but as we all do wjo love PP worry for how this affects the local businesses. Fingers crossed they end up having a good summer as they work so incredibly hard and deserve suceess.

[Meerkat]

I do wonder if the change in law regarding rentals is having an impact. We had an awful job finding a suitable place to rent this year as we are not keen on hotels and prefer to self cater. There was definitely fewer places to rent than in previous years and I do worry that this will impact on the local bars, shops, restaurants etc.