The PSIB rents an illegal Airbnb apartment to criticize Prohens' housing policies

PalmThe PSIB (Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands) wants to highlight the housing problems in the Balearic Islands, and this Monday they chose a way to dramatize the situation. The party rented an unlicensed apartment on the Airbnb platform, from where they accused the regional government of failing to manage the fight against illegal tourist rentals effectively. It is a multi-family apartment being marketed on this website, even though it is prohibited. From the scene of the crime, the PSIB's parliamentary spokesperson, Iago Negueruela, urged the PP (People's Party) to "see the illegal supply" that exists in Palma.

The apartment, he lamented, "should be for workers in this city," as the party stated in a press release. "While the PP says it wants to ban vacation rentals in Palma and the rest of the islands, we allow this," he lamented. Negueruela has accused President Marga Prohens of "whitewashing Airbnb" by sitting at the same table as its representatives at the Fitur tourism fair and allowing the platform to advertise at the Balearic Islands' stand. "Citizens have real problems accessing housing," he said: "Airbnb is part of the problem, it will never be the solution." The apartment rented by the Socialists has been listed since July 2023 and costs 160 euros per night. It could generate around 38,760 euros annually, since, according to the party's calculations based on data from the platform itself, it is rented an average of 255 days a year. It is fraudulently registered on Airbnb, using a license for an apartment in Son Servera. "Prohens is responsible for this illegal apartment and the PSIB will begin to permanently report any illegalities we find," he insisted. The PP accuses the previous government

The PP spokesperson, Sebastià Sagreras, questioned the PSIB's decision to hold the press conference in this apartment instead of in Parliament, which, he said, hinders the work of the media. He also insisted that the housing emergency is the Government's biggest concern and that "the situation became untenable in the Islands after eight years of Socialist governments."