The new government in the Balearics is to undertake reform of the current housing law with the aim of addressing the shortage of housing and the shortage of affordable housing in particular.
While the government plans scrapping the system of expropriation of empty homes that are the property of large owners, e.g. banks, it has four key measures. One will involve the transfer of public land to developers for building homes for rent and which they will manage. The rents, below the market price, will be set by the government. After a number of years to be determined, these homes would become part of the public housing stock - like VPO properties, therefore.
Other measures will entail adjustment of density indices to allow taller buildings, something that architects and developers have been crying out for; the conversion of commercial properties into housing; and resizing existing properties. This latter proposal would apply, for example, to apartments of 200 square metres. The government is of the view that these are not necessary because families are smaller than they once used to be. One apartment of this size could become three or four.
There will be regulatory changes for the development of co-living and co-housing, which would be of particular benefit for seasonal workers, while the government will also look to eliminate some of the bureaucracy related to building licences in backing up its planned measures.