Nearly 1,000 families are looking for affordable housing in Ibiza as Town Council hands over keys to seven homes

The handover on Monday of seven council-owned affordable rental homes in the sa Penya neighbourhood offers a stark illustration of the scale of Ibiza’s housing crisis, both across the island and in Ibiza Town itself.

The Town Council received 100 applications for the seven properties, which will ultimately house 17 people. However, mayor Rafael Triguero estimates that almost 1,000 households are currently looking for social, protected or price-capped housing that would allow them to live in decent conditions.

“Practically every week we meet residents of our town who are looking for somewhere to live, and we are very aware of the social crisis caused by the lack of housing,” Triguero said during the key-handover ceremony, held at sa Peixateria in the Marina district.

Housing and Social Welfare councillor Lola Penín, who also attended the event, explained that “of the 100 applications received, only around 50 passed the first stage”, which required applicants to have been registered as residents in Ibiza for ten years and to have spent at least one year on the Ibavi Public Register of Housing Applicants.

A public draw was then held among those who passed the initial screening. However, some of those selected were later excluded after the remaining requirements were checked.

“Of those other 50, the draw was held before verifying further criteria, such as income levels or whether applicants had outstanding debts,” Penín explained. The waiting list was subsequently used to include other applicants who did meet all the requirements.

As well as proving ten consecutive years of registered residency in Ibiza and at least one year on the Ibavi register, applicants had to remain below the established income thresholds and could not own another property. They also had to be Spanish nationals or legally resident in Spain and be up to date with their tax and Social Security obligations.

Seven homes for 17 people

Rents for the properties have been set at €6.18 per square metre, resulting in monthly payments ranging from €203 to €460.

Two of the flats are located in Calle Vista Alegre and have two bedrooms. They are intended for households of up to four people and have 54 and 74 square metres of usable floor space respectively.

There are also three one-bedroom properties in Plaça de sa Drassaneta, one of which has been reserved for a single-parent family. The remaining two are in Calle Retir, also have one bedroom and are primarily aimed at young people under the age of 35.

Handover of the keys to the affordable rental housing in Sa Penya, Ibiza.

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“In total, these seven homes will provide housing for 17 people,” Penín said, highlighting the difficult situations faced by some of the successful applicants.

“Behind every household, behind every person, there is a story,” she said, citing “the case of a young woman who has formed a single-parent family and was facing eviction”.

She also mentioned another family that was due to lose its current home within the next few months. “Their contract ended in November and they would have had to leave,” Penín said.

Nearly 1,000 families seeking affordable housing

Triguero said there are currently almost 1,000 households in Ibiza Town looking for “price-capped housing, officially protected housing [VPO] or social housing”.

The mayor stressed that the seven properties handed over on Monday represent only one part of a broader housing programme.

“Today is a gesture. These first seven homes represent what we are doing, but it does not end here,” he said.

Triguero also announced that the Town Council is preparing a “new initiative” in the housing sector.

“Next month we will be able to announce another plot in Ibiza Town earmarked for protected housing,” he told journalists covering the event.

The Town Council also wants the allocation of these homes to help bring permanent residents back into Ibiza Town’s historic neighbourhoods.

“We want to bring life back to sa Penya, but also to sa Riba and the Marina,” Triguero said.

Penín echoed this aim, pointing out that “most of the people currently living in sa Penya are elderly” and arguing that bringing in younger residents and families with children could help revitalise these neighbourhoods.

The new tenants signed their contracts at sa Peixateria before receiving the keys to the properties in Vista Alegre, Retir and sa Drassaneta.

The homes have been renovated using funding from the Ibiza World Heritage Consortium, while two of them were formerly council-owned commercial premises that have been converted into housing.

The scheme also includes a reserve list to fill any future vacancies without having to launch an entirely new allocation process.