Dear Sir,
I can understand the seemly never-ending letters supporting an “apartment rental free for all” but surely these supporters of such a move are failing to appreciate the reality of apartment ownership. Most apartment buyers do so to enjoy Majorca and co-exist with like-minded owners within their community.
These owners have chosen a lifestyle to enjoy their leisure time/retirement. What they don’t want is for a selfish apartment owner to rent out an apartment to someone who views it as a place where they have carte blanche to behave how they want, ignoring community rules and generally leaving the remaining owner/occupiers to suffer the consequences.
Hotels/aparthotels, etc. are there for these tourists to enjoy in whatever way they choose and with like-minded other tourists but please don’t let a minority of apartment owners think they have a right to accumulate income (probably tax free) at the expense of owner/occupiers who want to reside in well-managed, private communities.
The demarcation lines are obvious. Leave genuine apartment owners to enjoy what they have invested in and allow the tourist who wants a “holiday” to enjoy the facilities of the great hotels on the island. If there is a requirement for rentable holiday apartments, then why don’t developers build specific “rentable apartment communities” which the government would licence and benefit from the income tax levied.
The answer is simple. Few owners would buy an apartment in such a complex. They would not be inspired by paying taxes and being subject to legal controls. Tourists would probably not rent them, preferring the freedom and facilities of hotel living.
In short, stop apartment owners offering tourist rental and leave hotels to satisfy all tourist accommodation needs.
Pete Godfrey
Chipping Norton
Dear Sir,
The dogs in Palma Nova come in all shapes and colour, small mostly, and there are lots of them. Nice to see. No stray dogs observed so far. According to the Bulletin a lot of dogs are abandoned by their owners; that’s a shame, no way to treat man´s best friend.
Dogs do what dogs do everywhere, and most owners don’t seem to take care; on the streets and sidewalks the droppings are frequent.
To all responsible: a cleaning is long overdue; heavy equipment needed.
Leif Krogstad
Palma Nova