The Residents Association of a Palma neighbourhood is calling on residents to tell on their neighbours if they are renting out their homes illegally to tourists. The Pere Garau area of Palma, just outside the city centre, only has a single home which can be rented out to tourists because its paperwork is in order and it has received the blessing of the Council of Mallorca tourism department.
But the Residents Association believes that many more are being illegally offered to tourists for short stays and for this reason they are calling on neighbours to contact the local authorities and report their neighbours if they feel that this illegal practice is being conducted.
So-called illegal lets have been blamed for the tourist overcrowding on the island and the tourist industry and the thousands of people who marched through the city on Sunday to protest against mass tourism, are calling for action.
The hoteliers federations claim that there has been a massive growth in illegal holiday lets over recent years with more than 90,000 new "illegal tourism places" being on the market. "The owners of these flats and homes do not pay taxes and they do not operate legally," say the hoteliers.
Other neighbourhoods of the city could follow the example of their counterparts in Pere Garau. While the number of hotel and apartment places is closely regulated the illegal offer continues to grow, say hoteliers.