Living like on a construction site: Overcrowding in Manacor raises new questions

Living like on a construction site: Overcrowding in Manacor raises new questions

How did 228 square meters of storage, parking and living space suddenly become a dormitory for dozens?

The scene in Manacor resembled an unfinished shell: makeshift railings made from construction props, curtains instead of walls, people rolling out their mats even in the covered courtyard. This is how the authorities describe the case in which the National Police and the Balearic housing inspection service checked a property that officially lists 90 square meters of living space, 103 square meters of storage and 35 square meters of parking – but was reportedly used by up to 30 people. The inspection has been reported alongside coverage of eleven illegal shelters in Manacor.

Key question: Why are owners able to exploit the tense housing situation, and why do inspections apparently only achieve their goals sporadically here?

The facts in brief: The house in Manacor had six partitioned sleeping areas, several kitchens and three shared bathrooms. Some sleeping places were located in the courtyard; tenants said they paid between €80 and €100 per month for their sleeping space, regardless of how many people shared a room. Seven people were present during the inspection, but the police report that at times up to 30 people lived there. The Balearic authority has opened proceedings; under the housing law fines range from €30,000 to €90,000 for very serious violations such as overcrowding, a pattern also seen in cases where makeshift settlements were cleared.

Critical analysis: This is not an isolated case but a symptom. Mallorca has faced a tight housing market for years, especially affecting low earners and migrant groups without secure papers or family safety nets. Owners with unused storage and parking spaces see an opportunity for quick income. Regulatory bodies intervene – if at all – often only reactively. Fines are important, but they hit after the fact, not the cause. As long as irrationally high demand and too few accessible, regulated housing options persist, such emergency solutions remain attractive – and dangerous. The broader scale of housing need on the island is reflected in reporting on homelessness on Mallorca.

What is often missing in public debate: concrete proposals for prevention. People talk about penalties and raids, but rarely about systematic support for those affected. Who reports victims if they fear reprisals? What role do employers play when they arrange accommodation? And how can social services reach people in sham employment relationships or with uncertain residence status?

Everyday scene: In front of Manacor town hall, on Plaça Ramón Llull, older women sit in the afternoon with their shopping bags watching children run across the square. Nearby the dishes clink in a small café, and the street smells of freshly brewed coffee. Such places connect the town. At the same time everyone knows: those who can pay too little have little hope of a permanent flat. Voices at the market tell of friends who lived in improvised rooms out of fear of rents they could never afford.

Concrete solution approaches: First: proactive inventory inspections that systematically check storage, commercial and parking areas for unauthorized residential use. Second: an anonymous reporting platform combined with mobile social teams – so people can receive help without immediately fearing criminal proceedings. Third: a mandatory requirement to present habitability certificates (Certificado de Habitabilidad) when transferring ownership and when renting, linked to faster administrative procedures. Fourth: short-term emergency shelters and legal advice for those affected, plus services in multiple languages to remove information barriers. Fifth: municipal incentives to convert storage spaces into regulated, affordable housing units – combined with inspections to prevent new loopholes and pilot projects such as ten capped apartments.

Practically speaking this also means: fines must hurt the perpetrators, but at the same time municipalities must place people living in precarious conditions into stable housing – otherwise the business of exploiting need remains lucrative. Equally important is cooperation between police, the housing inspectorate and social services: one institution sanctions, the other catches people when they fall.

Punchy conclusion: The fine proceedings now underway are necessary. But they are only a repair attempt on a larger construction – the missing network of affordable housing, reliable prevention and social accessibility. If Manacor and other places on Mallorca really want to prevent people from continuing to live like on a construction site, they need the courage for preventive administration, concrete local assistance and much greater transparency about who owns spaces and how they are used. Otherwise much will stay the same: provisional, dangerous and costly – for the weakest in our society.