The Aptur holiday rentals association held a meeting at the weekend to consider the Council of Majorca's zoning map that was unveiled on Friday.
A response from the association concerns the sixty-day limit on rentals in owners' habitual residences in various "saturated" areas of Majorca. Aptur has picked up on the fact that the Council of Majorca said that the sixty days is a nod in the direction of the "collaborative economy". As such, therefore, Aptur wants accommodation places in properties which might be subject to the sixty-day limit to be exempt from the calculation of places: the figure of 42,000 plus has been widely quoted, but it will be more like 30,000 as hotels and other types of accommodation are covered by the 42,000 figure.
Aptur has reiterated its view that by restricting rentals in towns such as Alcudia, Pollensa, Santanyi and Soller to sixty days, properties will eventually end up being owned by residential tourists, i.e. foreign buyers seeking second homes. This will penalise the "Majorcan middle class" that uses rentals as a means of generating additional family income.
Joan Miralles, the Aptur president, sees some hope for the next tourism season, noting that the final approval of the zoning (which is subject to any amendment under the Council of Majorca's PIAT plan for intervention in tourist areas) will be given before the start of the main season. "This will allow some people to apply for accommodation places and not completely lose the season." He might, however, be being somewhat optimistic in this regard.
It needs stressing that the zoning doesn't have any impact on existing holiday rentals licences. The councillor for land at the Council of Majorca, Mercedes Garrido, stated again last week that the legislation isn't retrospective.