In the months leading up to summer, social media in the Balearic Islands are flooded with seasonal rental listings. This form of rental, which is not regulated by the Housing Law (Law 12/2023 of May 24), removes a significant number of rental properties from the annual housing market. Owners who comply with the LAU and the Civil Code often prefer to keep their properties vacant year-round and rent them out at exorbitant prices during the summer months. This creates an acute housing shortage for workers who desperately search through various groups and social media profiles to find adequate accommodation.
Ads for this type of housing, which must be registered in an official registry starting in July—as stipulated by the Royal Decree-Law of December 23, 2024, which also covers room rentals—can number in the hundreds. Seasonal workers from outside the islands struggle to find housing for the duration of their employment contracts. The ads are for both offers and requests and are valid for a specific period of time.
A multitude of unaffordable rental offers
A glance online reveals groups such as “Rental apartments (between individuals),” “Rent in Ibiza,” “Fair rent in Ibiza,” and “Rentals of rooms, apartments, etc. in Ibiza.” The profile “Seasonal room rentals in Ibiza” is the most frequently visited, with 46,000 members. These ads, which are predominantly posted on Facebook, also penetrate groups not specifically focused on apartment rentals, such as “Ibiza Winter Residents,” with 65,213 members. On Telegram, groups such as “Rent in Ibiza” and “Rentals in Ibiza,” among others, are full of advertisements.
In addition to the high prices, the listings contain a variety of conditions. One message on Telegram reads: “Seasonal rental from April to September. Viver area. Couples only (no friends). No children, no pets. New flooring. €1,500 per month + utilities + deposit.” Another user posts an ad for a two-bedroom apartment in the “Apartments and Rooms for Rent in Ibiza” group, emphasizing that they are only looking for “serious inquiries and clean, tidy, and respectful people” who know how to live peacefully with their roommates. One of the rooms, a double room, costs €1,500 plus utilities, while the single room costs €800.
Workers looking for workers from the peninsula or who have already moved to Ibiza to sign their contracts despite not yet having a home – which many companies refuse – are also posting their requests. Melissa Bianchi is looking for a room in the most central location possible, which she can move into from mid-May to the end of October, in “Rent in Ibiza” on Telegram. KR is looking for a room available in June until the end of the season, offering up to €1,000. Miguel, a biologist, is also looking for a room or caravan “preferably near the port.” He explains: “I will be working as an environmental technician regulating ship unloading. I am respectful, clean, and fast! I urgently need accommodation as I start next week! Feel free to speak to me privately! Maximum budget: €700.”
Illegal tourist offers infiltrate the networks
As part of these seasonal rentals, there are also offers for tourist rentals in residential homes, which are offered without a license and are completely prohibited by law. These advertisements attempt to circumvent the law and inspections in Ibiza by appearing on social media. Various agreements between the Consell d’Eivissa and real estate platforms for tourist rentals require them to report and remove advertisements without a tourist license. The result is an increase in such listings on social networks, although an investigation shows that the number of illegal listings is not very high.
This is supported by information from high-ranking institutions on the island, which emphasize that users on social networks do not have the same guarantees offered by a company like Airbnb or Booking.com. Fear of fraud is pervasive. There have been cases of ads being removed from these platforms because they were unlicensed, and the Facebook inspectorate was alerted. However, since these platforms do not have applications on this network, they return to advertising on Airbnb, as the Island Council reports.
Why seasonal rentals?
Seasonal rentals are perfectly legal as long as they do not conceal actual use as a habitual residence. They are regulated by Title III of the Municipal Lease Law, which is defined as “for other purposes.”
This type of rental can be granted for a specific period of time if the property is not intended for the tenant’s habitual and permanent residence. Seasonal accommodation is defined as “the rental of urban property for one season for industrial, commercial, artisanal, professional, recreational, welfare, cultural, or educational activities, regardless of the persons who enter it.”
This type of contract has no maximum or minimum term, which experts say is leading to an increase in this type of rental, especially in areas with limited prices (which is not the case in the Balearic Islands). The terms of the contract also depend on the agreements between the parties, depending on the tenant’s housing needs.
Deposits also vary. In this type of fixed-term rental contract, the deposit is two months, not one, as is the case with contracts for the main residence. Furthermore, the contract can be concluded verbally; However, it is advisable to conclude a written contract to define the period during which the landlord requires the accommodation, which must also include the habitual residence where the landlord is registered.
The government, which is responsible for housing, excluding tourist rentals, issued 150 fines last year: 94 for seasonal rentals in social housing, 46 for conducting this type of operation with substandard housing, eight for issuing deposits, and two for falsifying documents throughout the Balearic archipelago.
In the second quarter of 2024, this type of rental reached a market share of 13%, representing a 55% increase in supply compared to the previous year, while the supply of permanent rentals fell by 17% during the same period, according to the latest Idealista study. In Palma, they already accounted for 13% of the total rental offer during this period, an increase of 72% compared to the same period last year, placing them third in the ranking after Málaga and Bilbao.
