Why so many people lose their homes in Mallorca – a reality check

Why so many people lose their homes in Mallorca – a reality check

210 evictions in the third quarter, but 679 orders: Where is the solution to the housing shortage?

The raw numbers are harsh: In the period from July to September courts in the Balearic Islands issued 679 eviction orders, of which only 210 were actually enforced. That corresponds to 14.2 people affected per 100,000 inhabitants — the highest rate in Spain, reports the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ). On the streets of Palma this is not just a statistic, you can see it: towers of moving boxes in front of old townhouse windows, police cars in narrow alleys and neighbours standing in doorframes whispering.

Key question: Why is the number of eviction orders pronounced so high while far fewer are actually carried out — and what does that say about the island's social and administrative structures?

Analysis: Two dynamics run in parallel. First: courts issue far fewer eviction orders than in the past, but the number of orders still reaches a level that is alarming relative to the population. Second: only a portion of these orders ends in immediate enforcement. Reasons cited include an overburdened judiciary and legal protections for vulnerable people — single parents, those in need of care and similar groups may not be put out on the street immediately. That explains the gap between paper and practice, but it is not the whole explanation.

Numbers at a glance: 210 enforced evictions in the quarter; 679 court orders in total; in the mortgage area 26 new enforcement proceedings were opened (minus 16 percent), while banks filed 6.4 percent more lawsuits to enforce mortgage loans. Nine evictions took place for other reasons, such as after illegal occupation. Debt-collection proceedings fell by around 70 percent. At the same time 471 private individuals applied for a debt relief mechanism (+77 percent), and 22 companies filed for insolvency (+15.8 percent).

What is missing from the public debate: First, a precise distinction between causes. Behind "eviction" lie a variety of situations — overdue rent, terminated leases, unlawful occupation, foreclosures due to mortgages. Second, media and politics often talk about numbers without focusing on preventive mechanisms. Third, the perspective of smaller municipalities is missing: in Portixol or Santanyí an empty holiday flat has very different consequences than in Palma's city centre, where supply is denser and neighbourhoods react more quickly.

Everyday scene: On a grey Tuesday morning I hear the rubbish truck on Avinguda de Jaume III, see a young mother with a stroller in front of a building involved in a tenancy dispute — the heating has failed, the landlord does not respond. On the pavement shopkeepers talk about vacant holiday apartments that could have been rented for months if regulations had worked differently. Such scenes are not isolated; they reflect the interfaces between tourism economy, the housing market and social policy.

Concrete solutions — realistic and local:

1. Faster, hybrid court hearings. Digital preliminary hearings could filter out simple cases so that in-person sessions only take place where complex social issues need to be resolved.

2. Municipal emergency funds for rent arrears. Short-term loans or grants, managed by town halls and social services, could prevent evictions when short-term hardships are verifiable and culpable.

3. Expansion of local legal advice. Mobile advice centres in neighbourhoods under high pressure (Palma, Calvià, Manacor) help tenants and landlords find settlements instead of court proceedings.

4. Mandatory mediation before eviction applications. A required mediation attempt can relieve courts and often produce practicable repayment plans.

5. Regulate and repurpose empty holiday flats. Municipalities should keep vacancy registers and create incentives to rent properties permanently — for example through tax benefits or short-term mandatory levies.

6. Protection and reintegration programmes for the most vulnerable. Single parents and people in need of care must have immediate access to transitional housing and accompanying social work so that evictions do not result in homelessness.

These measures require money, staff and political will. None of this is a luxury, but basic equipment for a functioning island society. In the short term much could be achieved through cooperation: municipalities pool resources, social organisations take over advisory services, courts use technical relief.

Pithy conclusion: The CGPJ statistics do not simply show "more evictions", they show a system rubbing in several places: an overheated housing market meets understaffed administrative apparatuses and insufficient prevention. Those who talk only about numbers do not see the people behind them. Those who only bemoan individual cases remain without a strategy. Mallorca needs pragmatic bridges — from the Amalfi-like façade to the reality in Palma's courtyards. Without these bridges, number battles will continue to cost people their homes, even though timely assistance could have protected them.