“Who can afford to pay 1,200 euros to rent a flat when the salary doesn’t even reach 1,000 euros?” asks Jesús. The lack of affordable housing in the Balearic Islands has led him, like dozens of families, including children and the elderly, to settle in a caravan around the Son Hugo sports centre, located in the Palma de sa Indioteria neighbourhood. It is an isolated area, easily accessible and close to the industrial estate of Son Castelló, where some of its “residents” work. Because many of those who sleep in these vehicles are workers, but the high prices of the real estate market, which has been plagued for years by speculation, the voracity of investment funds and illegal tourism, prevent them from accessing decent housing to live in.
Living on concrete is not a new phenomenon, but it has become an increasingly popular housing alternative in the archipelago, where renting a room can cost more than 700 euros. According to a recent study by the real estate portal Idealista, up to 91 people are currently competing for each room advertised in the Balearic capital. The impossibility of renting a home has triggered a demand for this type of space, the supply of which has increased by 29% in the last year. According to Idealista data published this Tuesday, renting a studio in Palma now costs up to 90% more than a room in a shared apartment.
In Son Hugo, the rain is getting heavier – autumn has started with an orange alert in Mallorca – and families are taking refuge in vans. Others are chatting while preparing food, trying not to disturb their neighbours. “The administration is more concerned about tourists and tour operators. That’s why the prices are going up. They are exorbitant and we can’t afford them, and most of the people who live here work. There are even bus drivers who take tourists from one place to another,” says Jesús. He is 76 years old and retired ten years ago. For several months he has been living in his caravan, a vehicle that was already scrapped and that he is slowly and carefully repairing. Jesús takes care of elDiario.es while carrying out small repairs in his current “home”. “I have been applying for officially protected housing for over a year. The social worker gave me a very favourable report. But now I’m still waiting,” he explains.
“It’s shameful to be rated and to reach this level”
Walking between the trucks, you can see hanging clothes, drawn curtains, a child crying and a dog running around one of the cars, whose occupant prefers not to talk about it. Many remain silent. Next to another caravan, Mircea [nombre ficticio] plays with his daughter. She lives with her mother, but spends many afternoons with him in this car park on the outskirts of Palma. “I am here because I have no other alternative. But my situation is not the worst. There are people who have worked and contributed for 15 or 20 years and to reach this level is shameful,” he says. He himself is a bus driver in Mallorca.
“I have a bus license, a trailer license and everything. But it doesn’t only happen to me. There are a lot of elderly people and children here. Well, we are privileged because we have a big caravan,” explains Mircea, originally from Romania. He shares this with another colleague who is also present at the time of this interview. He continues: “The problem is that there are people who have small cars and it’s even harder.” It’s not for nothing that small cars coexist alongside vans, many of which date back to the 90s. “But it’s impossible to find something with rents that are more expensive than a salary. They didn’t offer us anything either. And on the other hand, they don’t make it easy for you when they suddenly ask you for 7,000 euros to get into an apartment,” he complains.
There are a lot of elderly people and children here. We are privileged because we have a big caravan. The problem is that there are people who have small cars and it is even harder. They do not make it easy for you when they suddenly ask you for 7,000 euros to get into an apartment.
Mircea
— Bus driver and caravan resident with another person
Faced with this situation, Mircea implores that “at least electricity and a water tap be installed” in the area to be able to access these basic resources. “Is it normal that we are like animals?” he asks. He explains that he has only been in the area for a few months because he has just separated. However, he admits that it is another story: “I hope I will get through this, because I have a good job, but there are people who will live impossible moments in life. Them, their children and their children’s children,” he laments with resignation in the face of the increasingly serious housing situation. A few moments later, he returns to play with his daughter.
A glance at the Idealista portal allows you to check the state of the real estate situation in the capital of the Balearic Islands. The cheapest properties are small studios located in the outlying districts and offered at 700 euros: an interior ground floor of 38 meters and a third of 35. The last advertisement registered before the publication of this report is that of a penthouse of 100 square meters with garage. : the price, 1,950 euros per month per season.
“They ask you for six months to move into an apartment”
In another caravan, Víctor, of Peruvian origin, only asks for “water, drainage and a telephone line, like elsewhere”. “Because in the end, it represents a big expense”, he comments. A naval mechanic, Víctor laments that, despite his qualifications, “there is still no place to sleep”. “Not a space, not a house. It is impossible. They ask you for almost six months to be able to rent. “It is crazy and abusive”, he adds. He says that he has lived in Mallorca for five years, but this is the first time that he has not managed to find a place to live: “And now I find myself here”.
A unique case is that of David, originally from Colombia: “If you earn 1,200 euros, pay 600 for a room and 300 or 400 for food, what do you have left to live on? You can’t live like this, no one can. And we came to this life because we don’t have any other.” About him, however, he assures that he likes to “feel the outdoors”: “I’m a bit of a hippie. Even if I had an apartment, I would rent it and continue to live here, as long as those in charge allow me to.”
If you earn 1,200 euros, pay 600 for a room and 300 or 400 for food, what do you have left to live on? You can’t live like this, nobody can. And we came to this life because we have no other.
David
— Resident in a caravan
Last May, the group of campers took to the streets of Palma to demand “their right to live in peace” and that they not be banned from living there, given the current serious situation of the real estate market. Those affected are asking Palma City Council for “a solution” and to be offered “apartments at affordable prices”. From the Consistory, they point out that they can access the social aid available from the municipal corporation, the Consell de Mallorca or the Balearic Government, after which “a file is opened and they are helped in everything possible”, as stated by Cort’s spokesperson, Mercedes Celeste, following the demonstration.
The motorhome owners decided to gather due to the reform planned in the municipal civic ordinance, which adds new obstacles for people destined to live in this type of private car. Among other measures, the amendment, promoted by the PP, requires owners to change parking spaces every ten days and to keep the engine off, does not allow outdoor installations in motorhomes and increases the amount of fines.
In statements to this media, municipal sources specify that the civic ordinance is still in the final stages of development, since the different allegations accepted so far are being incorporated. The City Hall also specifies that there are currently no parking spaces or spaces set up for caravans, which, it adds, “must comply with the regulations applicable to other vehicles.”
In the midst of this situation, David, who works six intensive months a year in the tourism sector, appeals to his lifestyle in his caravan: “Here, no one bothers anyone. Everyone goes their own way and sometimes that’s better than living in different places and being disturbed all day long. I have my job and I’m here six months a year. But that’s good for me. I don’t need more. Because I’ve come to ask myself one question: ‘Do I live to work or do I work to live? Be careful with that. “I prefer to work to live.”
