Santa Eulària has established the eligibility and selection criteria for up to 26 affordable-rent homes planned in a partially constructed municipal building on Calle Teniente Coronel Costa Ribas. Applicants will need to demonstrate at least ten years of registered residence in the municipality during the previous 20 years, meet specific household income requirements and satisfy additional conditions relating to property ownership and tax residency.

The criteria are included in the tender documentation published by the Ajuntament de Santa Eulària des Riu for the construction and management of the homes. The project will be delivered through a private company selected by public tender, with the municipality retaining supervisory responsibilities over the allocation process.

The development is intended to provide affordable rental accommodation for people with an established connection to Santa Eulària, with a scoring system giving additional priority to younger adults, older residents, families with children and applicants with longer periods of municipal residence.

Ten Years of Residence in Santa Eulària

One of the main eligibility requirements is having been registered as a resident in Santa Eulària for at least ten years within the previous 20 years.

Applicants will need to provide an updated certificate of registration (certificado de empadronamiento) to demonstrate their residential history.

The requirement does not mean that applicants must have lived in the municipality for ten consecutive years. The qualifying period is calculated across the previous two decades.

Applicants must also be tax residents in Spain. This must be demonstrated through their most recent personal income tax return (IRPF) or a certificate from the Spanish Tax Agency if they are not required to submit a tax return.

Another condition is that applicants must not own a residential property in Spain. However, the tender documentation provides exceptions for certain circumstances, including separation or divorce, properties that are inaccessible because of a disability and situations involving bare ownership (nuda propiedad), subject to the conditions established in the tender.

Minimum and Maximum Household Income

The selection rules also establish minimum and maximum household income thresholds based on Spain's Public Multiple Effects Income Indicator (IPREM).

Unlike some housing assistance schemes that focus primarily on households with the lowest incomes, these homes require applicants to demonstrate that their household income falls within a specified range.

For a household consisting of one adult, the minimum income requirement is four times the annual IPREM calculated over 12 monthly payments. The maximum is eight times that amount.

For a household consisting of two adults, the minimum rises to six times the annual 12-payment IPREM, while the maximum is fourteen times the same reference amount.

The tender documentation also includes additional calculation rules and adjustment coefficients depending on the number of people in the household.

This means that applicants must demonstrate both that they earn enough to meet the minimum threshold and that their household income does not exceed the maximum permitted.

Young Adults, Older Residents and Families Receive Additional Priority

Once applicants have met the mandatory eligibility requirements, their applications will be assessed through a points-based system designed to establish the order of priority.

The criteria award:

• Applicants aged 25 to 40: Seven points.

• Applicants over 65: Seven points.

• Children under 18: One additional point for each minor in the household.

• Additional municipal residence: Half a point for every year of registered residence beyond the required ten years, up to a maximum of ten points under this criterion.

The age-related points are intended to support younger residents who may have left the municipality for education or employment and wish to return, while also recognising the housing needs of older people.

Importantly, being outside the preferred age groups does not automatically exclude someone from applying. The points system determines priority among applicants who meet the mandatory requirements.

A Private Company Will Manage Applications and Tenant Selection

One of the distinctive aspects of the project is the involvement of a private company in the allocation and management of the homes.

The successful tenderer will be responsible for financing and carrying out the construction work, maintaining the building and managing the rental properties throughout the duration of the surface-right agreement.

According to the tender documentation, the company will also manage the applicant registration process. Its responsibilities will include:

• Receiving and registering applications.

• Checking supporting documents.

• Assessing whether applicants meet the eligibility requirements.

• Deciding whether applications are accepted or rejected.

• Preparing provisional and final lists of eligible and excluded applicants.

• Formalising rental agreements with the selected tenants.

The municipality will retain oversight through a Joint Management and Tenant Selection Commission, made up of representatives from the council and the successful company.

This commission will supervise the process, while the municipality will retain responsibility for approving and updating admission criteria and reviewing the proposed tenant lists.

The arrangement means that the council will not directly handle the day-to-day administration of applications or rental contracts, although it will retain supervisory and control functions.

When Will Applications Open?

Residents cannot apply for the homes yet.

The project remains in the tendering stage, with the municipality currently seeking a private company to undertake the construction, maintenance and management of the development.

Companies interested in the project have until 7 December 2026 at 18:00 to submit their bids through Spain's Public Sector Procurement Platform.

Once a company has been selected, it will be responsible for creating and maintaining a dedicated Housing Applicant Register.

This register must become operational at least one year before the expected completion of the construction work. The company will also need to establish an information website before construction begins, explaining the development, the required documentation and the conditions for applying.

The municipality has therefore not yet announced an opening date for residents' applications.

Special Provision for Healthcare, Education and Essential Service Workers

The tender documentation also includes an exceptional mechanism for certain professionals who have moved to Ibiza for work but do not meet the normal municipal residency requirement.

Potential beneficiaries include workers in healthcare, education, security and essential public services who have received a professional posting in Santa Eulària or elsewhere on the island.

However, this provision is not an alternative application route available from the beginning.

It can only be activated if homes remain unallocated after the ordinary selection process has been completed. The municipality will then assess, through the joint commission, what proportion of the remaining properties could be assigned to these professional groups.

Applicants would need to demonstrate their professional status through an official appointment or employment contract and provide evidence that their work destination is in Ibiza.

Allocations through this exceptional mechanism would be temporary, according to the tender documentation.

Up to 26 Homes in a Municipal Building on Calle Teniente Coronel Costa Ribas

The development will occupy an unfinished building at number 6, Calle Teniente Coronel Costa Ribas, in Santa Eulària.

The municipality acquired the property in September 2026 for €2.2 million, with funding shared between the Consell d'Eivissa, which contributed 60% through its Strategic Municipal Investment Plan (PLA 5), and the town council, which covered the remaining 40%.

The plot measures approximately 402 square metres and currently contains a partially constructed building with a basement, ground floor and four upper floors.

Companies bidding for the project must present two possible development proposals: one retaining, adapting or making use of the existing structure, and another involving demolition and construction of a new building.

The final number of homes will depend on the selected architectural proposal, with a maximum of 26. The indicative distribution is:

• 40% one-bedroom homes.

• 40% two-bedroom homes.

• 20% homes with three or more bedrooms.

The successful company will receive a surface right over the municipal property for up to 75 years. It will be responsible for completing the works within a maximum of three years from their effective commencement, as well as maintaining and managing the building during the agreement.

The land will remain publicly owned, and the building will return to municipal ownership when the surface-right period ends.

Part of Santa Eulària's Wider Affordable Housing Plans

The project forms part of the municipality's wider efforts to increase the availability of affordable rental accommodation.

It will complement the planned development of 94 price-limited homes in es Puig d'en Valls. Once both projects have been completed, they could provide up to 120 additional homes for rent under the price-limited housing framework.

For residents interested in the Costa Ribas development, the next important milestone will be the selection of the private company responsible for delivering the project. Only after that stage will the registration process and application timetable become clearer.

The ten-year residency requirement, household income thresholds and priority scoring system are intended to establish who can apply and how eligible applicants will be ranked. Until the tender is awarded and the applicant register is opened, however, residents cannot submit applications for these homes.