The number of people waiting for public housing in the Islands has doubled in two years
The government does not know when construction will begin on 408 subsidized housing units.
PalmThe housing crisis is reflected not only in the soaring sale and rental prices, but also in the number of people waiting for access to public housing and social rent due to their inability to afford market prices. This is reflected in the waiting list of the Balearic Housing Institute (Ibavi), which has doubled in just over two years, according to figures from the Ministry of Housing, Territory and Mobility, headed by José Luis Mateo – these data were published in the Official Gazette of the Parliament of the Balearic Islands (BOPIB) on January 23. In June 2023, there were 4,638 people on the waiting list of the Balearic Housing Institute (Ibavi), while by October 2025, that number had risen to 9,296. Between June and October 2025 alone, the list increased by 1,432 people.
ARA Baleares had already warned of the collapse of the Balearic Housing Institute (Ibavi), and despite attempts to speak with the agency's managing director, Roberto Cayuela, since his appointment in August 2023, the Regional Ministry has refused to grant any interviews. Cayuela appeared before Parliament in October 2023 to explain his management plan. One of his major announcements at that time was his intention to surpass the 1,200 homes built during the previous legislative term, a figure that, given the current state of the developments, seems unattainable.
The Ministry responds the same way 15 times.
Furthermore, the Housing Department has given the same answer 15 times to questions from PSIB deputy Carol Marquès regarding the status of various public housing developments. When asked when construction would begin, the response was identical each time, as can be seen in the Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands (BOPIB) of January 23: "Construction is expected to begin during 2026 and, barring unforeseen circumstances, should be completed within two years, the usual timeframe for public works projects, at the beginning of 2028. The keys to these homes will then be handed over." In other words, Ibavi doesn't know when construction will begin on eight public housing units in Ferreries, 14 in Maó, 110 in Palma, 35 in Ciutadella, 44 in Marratxí, 12 in Petra, 50 in Can Cantó (Ibiza), 10 in San Francisco (Formentera), 15 in El Mercat in Peguera, 35 in Alaior, 8 in Sa Pobla, 10 in Sencelles, and 23 in Llucmajor: a total of 408 homes for which there is no indication of when construction will even begin. We have attached an image from the BOPIB (Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands) with some of the same answers.