Illegal Vacation Rentals in Palma: Eleven Apartments Remain Online

A house, eleven apartments – and apparently without a license

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In the middle of Palma's old town, just a short walk from Plaça de Cort, one property reportedly continues to offer holiday accommodations. Under the name “Mallorca Suites”, eleven units are listed on booking platforms – prices in peak season are said to reach up to €600 per night. Yes, you read that correctly.

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What the neighbors say

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Early in the morning, delivery trucks bring packages through the narrow alley; residents have called the building a nerve point in the district for years. “The tourists change all the time, the doorbells ring around the clock,” says María, 62, who has lived on the street for thirty years. “By 9:30 a.m. there was another group with suitcases. Not a problem if everything were legal.”

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Authorities, fines, and a pending case

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The operator has acknowledged to local media that she rents without a valid license. She points to a pending court case and says the matter is not yet resolved. The city administration has reportedly already imposed fines – but apparently that has little effect on the business: the listings stay online, bookings continue.

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This is annoying for two reasons. First, it worsens daily life for residents – noise, trash, constant turnover. Second, the situation raises questions about equal treatment and enforcement of the rules: If an address has been sanctioned multiple times and still rents out, how reliable is the control?

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The situation on the ground

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The old town is full of narrow streets, historic facades, and small apartments – not all buildings are suitable for intensive tourist use. Nevertheless I see new listings every month for apartments that seem to be permanently rented to changing guests. Sometimes controls are targeted, sometimes there are long delays in proceedings. For many residents this is frustrating.

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What should happen now

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More transparency would be a start: disclosure of whether procedures are ongoing, how often inspections take place, and what penalties repeated violations may incur. In the short term, city authorities and platforms should work more closely so that listings do not continue to generate revenue while a case is legally unresolved.

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Although the topic touches on broad debates about tourism, housing, and the image of the city, the situation here is very concrete: a building near the town hall, eleven apartments – and residents who say they have had enough. The question remains: when will the authorities take the consequences that many here want?