MÉS for Palma demands limiting rents and supports the housing strike

PalmaMÉS per Palma will present a motion to the next municipal plenary session in support of the general strike for housing called for November 11. The initiative demands measures to curb real estate speculation, limit rental prices, and facilitate access to housing in the Balearic capital.

Among the proposals, the party asks that the Government of the Balearic Islands declare Palma a stressed residential market area to regulate rents. It also proposes supporting a regulation that prevents the purchase of homes by non-residents and progressively increasing the property tax (IBI) and capital gains tax on multi-property owners and properties that are not intended for long-term residence.

According to the data collected by MÉS in the motion, the average rent in Palma reaches 1,581 euros per month, more than double the approximately 750 euros in 2020. The party's candidate for mayor, David Pujol, believes that the rising cost of housing is already affecting people with stable jobs who cannot afford current prices. "Having a job does not guarantee being able to live in Palma," he states.

Support for the November 11 mobilization

The motion urges the administrations to assume the demands of the Tenants' Unions and the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages (PAH). Furthermore, it proposes that the City Council condemn the attacks and insults from the right and the far-right against the people and organizations mobilized in defense of the right to housing.

The municipal spokesperson for MÉS per Palma, Neus Truyol, has defended the participation in the general strike and has demanded an institutional response to the difficulties in accessing housing. According to the leader, the mobilization must serve for governments to adopt measures in the face of a situation that, in her view, forces many people to live with the uncertainty of not finding a home or losing the one they already have.

Regulate rents and tax large property owners

One of the main demands of the party is that the Government, presided over by Marga Prohens, declares Palma a stressed residential market zone. The proposal also suggests that the municipal government formally submit this request to the regional executive.

In fiscal matters, MÉS advocates for progressively increasing the IBI (property tax) and capital gains tax for multi-property owners and for properties that are not intended for long-term rental. The party also proposes supporting a regulation that prohibits non-residents from purchasing homes.

Pujol considers that increasing the residential supply is not enough if prices remain out of reach for a large part of the population. "It is not enough to build more flats if they remain inaccessible," he maintains.

Criticism of the PP's housing policy

MÉS per Palma also criticizes the housing policy of the PP municipal government, led by Jaime Martínez. The party considers that the City Council has given up on promoting social housing policies and questions the transfer of public land for 75 years to private developers to build rental housing, which it considers unaffordable for a significant part of the citizenry.

Truyol accuses the municipal government of prioritizing real estate interests over the residential needs of families and denounces that the rising cost of housing is driving residents out of Palma.

The motion will be debated at the next municipal plenary session and intends for the City Council to express its support for the general strike on November 11 and demand that the competent administrations take measures to curb speculation and improve access to housing.