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Council charges 15 cases of unauthorised tourist rentals

MIRADOR PREMSAThe Formentera Council's Office of Land has announced its intent to pursue legal action for 15 violations of tourism and land use codes. The move, explained land and tourism councillor Alejandra Ferrer, is a way to protect law-abiding and tax-paying businesses from unfair competition. She voiced the Council's hope that a portion of the illegal rentals join Formentera's offer for long-term tenants, mitigating the housing crunch.

Legal action will be pursued with 14 apartments in multifamily buildings and one house on rural land where owners failed to declare rental activity. In a bid to regulate tourism, Balearic law 8/2012 (July 19) established penalties for illegal rentals of €4,000 and up.

“Formentera has got a lot riding on our visitors' satisfaction,” said Ferrer, “and accommodation looms large when that's rated”. The councillor said that fact explained periodic sweeps by the Council flagging rentals where owners lack the required credentials—“accreditation and controls,” Ferrer pointed out, “that can ensure minimum quality standards.”