Manacor: First price-cap apartments handed over to island residents

In Manacor, ten newly converted apartments with capped purchase prices have been allocated to island residents. An attempt to create affordable housing in the city center.

Manacor begins with first price-cap apartments

Early Tuesday morning, under pleasantly cool autumn light, the first ten apartments in Manacor were handed over with fixed maximum prices. They are apartments converted from former commercial premises and are now offered at prices between 119,000 and 164,000 euros — exclusively for people with residence on the Balearic Islands.

How the project came about

The idea: turning vacant storefronts in the city center into housing, instead of sealing off new spaces on the outskirts. This explains why the units are rather compact — one- to two-room apartments, practically laid out. Many doors, freshly painted corridors, a much-needed kitchenette, describes a neighbor about the houses through which craftsmen have passed in recent months.

"Finally a chance for young people who work here and live here," says Maria, 29, who was on the waiting list. Others in the neighborhood are cautiously optimistic: centrally located and with good bus connections, but will ten apartments really solve the problem? Hardly.

What is planned next

The Balearic government has already announced that similar conversions in several municipalities will be advanced. Officially, the aim is about 5,000 more apartments for residents under affordable conditions. The administrative acts are underway, subsidies and requirements for maximum sale prices are to provide clarity.

In Manacor, the first apartments were allocated according to a simple catalog: priority to long-standing island residents and households with lower incomes. Buyers must live in the apartment and may not resell it immediately — small mechanisms to curb speculation.

Local voices and open questions

At the handover, reactions were mixed. A retiree calls it a bold step, a young craftsman says the square meters are too small. City representatives emphasize that this is only the beginning: "We must make smart use of the building stock", says a spokeswoman for the town hall.

Realistically, there is still a lot to do: sizes, infrastructure, and the long-term nature of the subsidies remain open. But for the ten families and individuals who now hold the keys, this is at least real relief. And right in the center of Manacor, where one rarely feels that policy and everyday life come together so quickly.

Important: If you are interested in similar programs, you should contact local information offices — deadlines and conditions vary.