Mallorca rental shortage forces families to earn over €3,000 a month

A recent survey of Mallorca's rental listings found that apartments priced under €1,000 per month have virtually disappeared. On the day of the check, only 23 such units were offered across the island, most of them in Palma and many for short‑term stays. Applying the guideline that rent should not exceed 30 % of household income, a family would need to earn more than €3,000 monthly to afford a conventional rental, a level many residents, especially young people, cannot reach.

The housing association’s president, José Miguel Artieda, said the scarcity is driven by seasonal demand and a long‑term rise in rental prices that far outpaces the national average. Property owners increasingly split homes into individual rooms, which can net up to €2,375 per month from a three‑room apartment, compared with €800‑€900 from whole‑unit rents. Most of these conversions are done by small landlords rather than large firms. Artieda and consumer groups are calling for new regulation to set standards for room rentals and seasonal lets, urging the central government to incorporate such rules into the urban lease law.