When Caravans Become the Last Address: How the Housing Crisis Is Changing Mallorca

When Caravans Become the Last Address

On the MA-13, half-asleep just past the airport, a tourist asks: "Are those long-term campers?" The wind smells of sea and tyres, and the answer is bitter: Many of these vehicles are not weekend getaways but the last address for people without a roof over their heads. On the outskirts of Palma, in Son Ferriol, and in some towns in the east, settlements of caravans, converted vans and improvised huts have emerged in recent years. You can hear the clatter of coffee machines, children shouting and sometimes the siren of an ambulance — everyday life, not a headline.

The central question: How can housing become affordable again?

The figures you hear in bars and markets have become routine: many households spend more than half their income on rent; apartments under €900 are scarce. That pushes people into shared flats, into cellars — or onto wheels. In a community garden in Son Ferriol I met a family whose children ran barefoot through the wet grass; they said: "We have lost hope of being able to stay here long-term." Those words are not a statistic, they are the soundtrack of a city on the edge of its social balance.

Law and reality

The legal situation is complicated. Tenancy agreements are often limited in time and become more expensive when renewed. The central government and the Balearic authorities have announced measures, but their effect depends on implementation by municipalities. Interests clash on the island: authorities, landlords, environmentalists — and in between people who simply need a room or a place to sleep. Enforcement problems and lengthy bureaucracy make things worse: illegal short-term rentals are not consistently pursued, licenses are sometimes changed unilaterally, and affected people remain stuck between responsibilities.

Why building alone is not the answer

Building sounds like a solution, but reality is stubborn: land prices, expensive materials and strict regulations drive up costs. Approval processes drag on, and investors see more profit in holiday apartments than in social housing. This leads to absurd situations — empty apartments near the beach while families camp in parking lots. Ecological concerns are legitimate: the island has limits and cannot give up open land arbitrarily. But doing nothing is not a solution; smart densification and reuse of fallow land are needed.

Aspects that rarely make it onto the table

Little discussed is the hidden workforce: shift workers in logistics and hospitality, seasonal workers who do not earn enough to keep a flat. Or the psychological burden of constant insecurity: children changing schools, the stress of job hunting — that leaves traces. Technical infrastructure is also often missing: sanitation, electricity, waste disposal — improvised camps worsen both the situation and neighborhood relations. And then there is the image problem: tourists see caravans by the roadside, take photos — and think: "That must be part of it."

Concrete opportunities and approaches

The problem needs both short-term and structural answers. Short-term help includes:

- Targeted emergency shelters and mobile services: warm showers, toilets, a contact point for social assistance and legal advice.

- Temporary reuse: opening vacant hotels or office spaces seasonally for long-term housing.

Longer-term requires more courage and planning:

- Social housing with deadlines and budgets: clear targets, faster approval procedures, earmarked funds.

- Incentives for landlords: tax benefits or guarantees for long-term rentals instead of short-term lets.

- Community land trusts and cooperatives: taking land out of speculation and securing permanently affordable housing.

- Stricter control of holiday rentals: checking licenses, enforcing sanctions, supporting digital monitoring of platforms.

A pragmatic outlook

The island has limited space and many expectations. Solutions must be thought through locally: Son Ferriol needs different answers than resort or beach areas. Cooperation is needed between municipalities, the Balearic government and the state — and above all one priority: housing must not be a luxury. If politics and administration do not deliver now, the picture will harden: caravans at the roadside, children who need a room instead of a sleeping bag, and neighbourhoods that will eventually say: this cannot go on.

I was walking through Son Ferriol on a rainy afternoon — between the patter of rain and the smell of wet asphalt I heard more stories than official figures. They rarely sound good. Time for concrete measures is not just a demand, it is a necessity.