Prohens rejects the royal housing decrees arguing that they harm "small property owners"

PalmaFirst reaction from President Marga Prohens to the royal decree-laws that the Spanish government approved this Tuesday to deal with the housing crisis. The Popular Party member has completely rejected the initiatives, which seek to protect tenants and avoid housing speculation, arguing that they "load" the housing crisis "onto the backs of small property owners".

Prohens has also criticized the Spanish government for negotiating against the clock to approve these two decree-laws to solve a problem that it "has not been able to solve in eight years." Thus, she rejected the initiatives because "they do not go to the root of the problem." "In the last 20 years, the population of the Islands has grown by almost 50%, while the construction of housing has increased by less than 30%: there is a problem of supply and demand and of prices," she argued.

Regarding the measures that have been announced, Prohens referred to the compensation of 12 monthly payments that the owner will have to pay if they do not renew the contract for the tenant, and she expressed that this could harm the owners. "Even if they want to entertain us with their vulture funds, in the Islands 96% are small owners, families who, with their effort, have been able to have a home, or two or more," she asserted.

For all these reasons, she warned that the measures of the Spanish government could lead to a reduction in supply or even the eviction of people from their rental apartments. "It is the greatest irresponsibility that the PSOE and the government of Spain have committed."

The PSIB brings the limitation of rents back to Parliament

For its part, the PSIB has announced that next Tuesday it will once again bring a legislative proposal so that the Balearic Islands can be declared a stressed residential market area, which would make it possible to limit the increase in rental prices. The spokesperson for the Socialists in Parliament, Iago Negueruela, has demanded that the Government, which refuses to do so, allow town councils to avail themselves of this regulation, because "many of the evictions are due to rent increases". "If the President of the Government wants vulture funds in Palma, that is a problem for her and the mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez," he said: "But if the one in Inca, Virgilio Moreno, does not want vulture funds in Inca, let him not have them". "The government of Spain has already done part of its homework," insisted Negueruela, and demanded that Prohens say whether she will allow rental prices to be limited or "does not want to do it because she wants investment funds that expel the people from here".