An ironic comment on social networks has sparked an intense debate among residents of Ibiza about the use of housing during the winter, with more than eighty interventions that show the growing discomfort with the temporary subletting. The exchange of opinions has put the spotlight on a widespread practice: tenants who leave the island in low season, give their apartments to third parties and return in summer, leaving residents with increasingly limited options to find a stable home.
“Let me pay your rent while you go to Thailand,” was the comment that started the debate. An intense exchange, since
One of the most controversial elements of the exchange was subletting, a figure that, unless expressly authorized, contravenes practically all rental contracts and which for many users explains why the annual supply is at a record low. “People should continue to pay their rent if they go away for months at a time. It’s not normal to use someone else to maintain your apartment and then kick them out in the summer. ” lamented a resident with years of accumulated moves. Dozens of testimonials surfaced in the conversation about six- or eleven-month contracts that end abruptly in May, a pattern that repeats itself every season.
Several participants introduced legal references, recalling that the Urban Leases Law (LAU) establishes that habitual residence contracts allow the tenant to stay for up to five years if desired. Others, however, clarified that there are also
Criticism of social impact
A good part of the interventions point out that these practices aggravate the precariousness of those who live on the island all year round, forced to chain accommodation every six months. “Residents should have priority. It cannot be that we live moving from house to house because others are going on a trip and do not want to lose the apartment. “complained a worker who said she had moved six times in three years.
Other participants argued that the practice of winter rental is not necessarily illegal if it complies with the regulations and if both parties accept the agreement. However, even among those who relativized the legal issue, there was consensus on one point: lucrative subletting, especially when the holder does not reside on the island for months at a time, upsets the market balance. ” There are many profiteers, not only landlords. There are also tenants who do business with the needs of others. “, warned another user.
The debate also shifted to a deeper socioeconomic dimension. Some speakers pointed out that real estate pressure does not depend solely on tenants or landlords, but also on an economic model that combines high seasonality, structural housing shortages and prices well above the average wage. “In Ibiza you earn well, but you live worse than ever. It’s not Thailand’s fault: it’s the system’s fault. “, summarized one commentator.
A discomfort that recurs every season
The exchange made it clear that the focus of the outrage is not the winter rental per se, but the tactical use of housing to keep a property available without taking on the costs of living on the island outside of the high season. “If you go away for four months, pay for your house. Don’t use someone else to take care of it for you and then put them out on the street in June. “said one resident. The conversation turned into a broad portrait of how subletting contributes to keeping homes that could be used for annual rentals off the market, a trend that many residents see as critical to Ibiza’s housing crisis.
