Authorities Clear Rented Slum Settlement in Manacor

In Manacor, police and housing authorities cleared an illegally erected settlement with eleven rented dwellings. Residents lived in unsanitary and unsafe conditions. The owner faces fines of up to 990,000 euros.

Early in the morning, shortly after 7 a.m., response vehicles rolled up along a sandy dirt road near Avenida de sa Cabana. During the inspection, inspectors found eleven provisional shelters that had apparently been rented to people seeking housing. What looked like an emergency camp turned out to be a permanent residence for several families.

What the inspection uncovered

The police together with the Balearic housing inspection describe the conditions as massively problematic. Communal toilets, garbage lying openly, torn roofs and crumbling walls — in many places basic safety standards were lacking. Electrical wiring was improvised, outlets improvised. Several residents said they had lived there for months. A neighbor who left early for work summed it up dryly: “It often smells of waste, and when it rains, water comes through the ceiling.”

One owner, many questions

Investigators found: all eleven dwellings belong to a single property owner. According to authorities, he exploited the island’s tense housing situation to house tenants in precarious huts for a fee. Whether this constitutes deliberate exploitation or negligent omission is currently under investigation.

High fines possible

Balearic housing law classifies the erection and rental of precarious accommodations as a serious administrative offense. For each illegal unit, fines range from 30,001 to 90,000 euros. With eleven cases, the theoretical total could approach 990,000 euros. The actual amount to be imposed will be decided as the ongoing proceedings conclude.

And now?

Social services were on site and offered the affected people short-term help and alternative accommodation. Many residents appear exhausted; some packed only a few belongings. The eviction highlights a larger problem: housing on Mallorca is scarce, and hurried solutions push people into unsafe living conditions.

The authorities emphasize that inspections are not about punishment alone, but about safety and humane living conditions. Whether the measure will have a lasting impact remains to be seen once the proceedings are finished and concrete measures for affordable housing follow.