Majorca has launched a fresh attack on foreigners in an attempt to restrict their purchasing of homes in the Balearic Islands. The centre-right El Pi party is set to present a motion for the Council of Mallorca to urge the Spanish Government to push the EU into creating a special legal regime for the archipelago that would put limitations on home purchases by foreign individuals and companies.
The regionalist party, which is fighting to manage the impact of tourism and promote local wellbeing and holds a significant influence at the municipal level in Majorca, has highlighted that 20 years ago, 64% of homes in the Balearics belonged to single owners, while 36% were owned by companies or individuals with multiple properties. However, these figures have now changed to 54% and 46%, respectively. This data, the party has argued, demonstrates a loss of purchasing power and residential autonomy for families and citizens of one of Spain’s most popular tourist hotspots.
This issue no longer affects young people, but also families, separated individuals, and workers who are unable to access decent housing.
According to the Majorca Daily Bulletin, a spokesperson at the Council of Mallorca, Antoni Salas, said “they have tried to make us believe we are a wealthy society”, while the reality is one of lost competitiveness, broken social cohesion and impoverishment.
“Housing has become a safe and highly profitable speculative asset in a territory with unsustainable human pressure and a structural housing shortage.”
Large investment groups and foreign capital come to speculate, “and further aggravate a problem that is already suffocating residents”, he added.
For this reason, Mr Salas has argued that the Spanish Government in Madrid should promote this special legal regime within the EU, taking into account the island’s status.
This revelation comes just weeks after new data revealed that foreign buyers – including thousands of Brits – now own nearly half of all properties in the island’s most desirable areas. The data, released by the Balearic Ministry of Housing, showed that the picturesque municipality of Andratx has officially become the capital of foreign ownership on the island. A staggering 48.2% of all residential properties in the area are now held by non-Spanish citizens
Land registry data for 2025 indicated that the total number of Majorcan residential properties held by non-Spanish citizens is 92,030, accounting for just over 16%. The invasion of foreign capital is concentrated in the island’s coastal gems. In contrast, the island’s capital, Palma, remains largely in local hands, with foreign ownership sitting at a much lower 14.5%. In Soller, there are 1,276 residential properties in foreign hands – 19.4% of the total housing stock.