Inhabitants of country properties increase

Rural living in Mallorca appears to be gaining in popularity, as more people make the transition into country life.

Only a few short years ago, abandoned and dilapidated old buildings were a common sight when exploring the Mallorca countryside. Neglected old farm buildings were simply a part of the landscape.

More people inhabiting country properties

However, it seems that more and more people are moving out of town into properties that have possibly been in the family for years and rarely visited, or have lain dormant, unable to be rented out due to legal restrictions or the amount of work needed to make them habitable.

According to a survey done in 2022 by The Centre of Economic Politics of academic institution Esade (EsadeEcPol), the Balearics had an immense 41% increase in rural population across the whole of Spain, being beaten only by Madrid and the Canary Isles [Europa Press, Última Hora, 12/02/2022].

New legalisation, relaxing rules on construction of country properties could increase inhabitants even more

This number could now see an even more significant increase due to a new procedure for legalizing constructions on rural land, which was brought out in May of this year and has a limited duration of just three years. Both planning permission and applying for a construction permit has long been a complicated procedure, with restrictions high and specifications precise. Add to this the fact that the sheer amount of rules and regulations can cause great delays when applying to build or develop a property, and the whole process can be incredibly stressful.  Many properties across Mallorca have been constructed illegally, and up until now it has not been possible to legalise the structures, a situation which has left many people in limbo or even forced to knock down a building and rebuild it to original specifications at the property owner´s cost, combined with a hefty fine for the illegal construction itself.

The new legislation, which covers the whole of the Balearics, not just Mallorca, will allow for prescribed construction of buildings which have been long exempt from meeting these current planning parameters, offering hope to those who want to legalise constructions already in place, which had been originally built without the correct legal permission necessary. Such constructions include porches, swimming pools, utility rooms or any other structure that has been added to the property without having obtained a licence prior to the work being done.

Home owners will be required to pay a fee in order to legalise, which will rise yearly, and properties developed will not be permitted to be used as tourist rentals.