British second-home owners could find the door slammed shut on their Mediterranean dream under radical new plans being thrashed out in the Balearic Islands.
Lawmakers in Mallorca, Menorca, and Ibiza are set to debate a proposal that would block non-residents from buying property if they have not lived on the island for at least five years.
The bill, tabled by Left-wing party Mes per Mallorca, comes amid mounting fury over soaring house prices and the relentless march of tourism.
Around 90,000 homes across the Balearics are already owned by foreign nationals - some 16 per cent of the housing stock.
British buyers remain a powerful force in the Spanish property market, with nearly 12,000 homes snapped up by UK purchasers in 2024 alone, according to Idealista.
Foreign buyers accounted for 13.8 per cent of all sales last year - almost 97,300 transactions, a record high for non-Spainards.
Lluis Apesteguia, an MP for Mes per Mallorca, insisted that 'extraordinary measures were necessary' after the islands welcomed 19 million visitors last year.
He said: 'We have to prioritise the houses that are for living in – not for those who want to speculate and continue with this game of Monopoly.'
Around 90,000 homes across the Balearics are already owned by foreign nationals - some 16 per cent of the housing stock. (Pictured: Stock image, Mallorca)
People march during a protest against overtourism in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025
'Mallorca is not for sale' reads a protest banner held by a girl in a march against housing prices and the impact of tourism on the residents of the Balearic Islands, in Palma, Mallorca, Spain, April 5, 2025
Activists are also preparing to ramp up the pressure.
Campaign group Menys Turisme Més Vida, which staged mass anti-tourist protests last summer, says it will return to the streets, blaming second-home owners for pricing locals out of hotspots including Barcelona and the Balearics.
Supporters argue the crackdown could set a precedent across Spain, mirroring rules in Denmark that require UK-born buyers to have lived there for five consecutive years before purchasing property.
But critics say the plan is legally flawed. Sebastià Sagreras, of the centre-Right People's Party (PP), warned EU regulations meant the proposals 'cannot be fulfilled' and confirmed his party would vote against them.
Marc Pons, of the Left-wing Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), which supports caps on visitor numbers, said the government could 'not rely solely on this solution to the problems', even if it helped slow price rises.
It is the latest attempt by Spain to rein in foreign buyers.
Last year, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged a tax of up to 100 per cent on properties bought by non-residents from outside the EU, promising it would tackle the country's deepening housing crisis.
The measure has yet to pass parliament and has drawn criticism from those who say it could drive prices even higher as overseas purchasers rush to beat any new rules.
The pressure is acute in the Balearics, now among Spain's most expensive regions.
Tourists sit in a restaurant as people protest against overtourism in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, Sunday, June 15, 2025
Dozens of people during a demonstration against tourist overcrowding, at the peace park, on 27 September, 2024 in Ibiza
Demonstrators hold a cardboard cruise boat during a protest against mass tourism and housing prices in Palma de Mallorca, on the Balearic island of Mallorca on June 15, 2025
The average price of a 90-square-metre home has rocketed to £403,000 – up sharply from £248,000 in 2020.
Ferran Rosa, an MP in the Balearic parliament, said: 'Housing is certainly the largest problem for Mallorcans, as prices have been rising for years and more and more houses are devoted to non-residential uses.
'Our plan is to ensure that houses are used for living, rather than "tourist" uses, considering second homes for non-residents a tourist use.
'In this respect, we base our bill in similar regulations existing across the EU that intend to guarantee the right to housing.'
