Ten developments of protected housing in Ibiza and Formentera will be inspected under the Balearic Government's new Housing Inspection Plan for 2026-2027.

The programme began this September and will run until December 2027, with the aim of detecting breaches of housing regulations, including the fraudulent use of protected homes, overcrowding and substandard living conditions.

Across the Balearic Islands, the plan covers 74 protected-housing developments, with 60 in Mallorca, 10 in Ibiza and Formentera combined and four in Menorca.

Inspections begin in September

The Balearic Government has launched the new inspection programme through its Directorate General of Housing and Architecture.

The plan is intended to strengthen checks on housing subject to public protection and ensure that homes are being used in accordance with the applicable rules.

The programme runs from September 2026 through December 2027.

In tourist municipalities, where most of the protected-housing developments in Ibiza and Formentera are located, inspections will be carried out preferentially during the tourist season.

Three main areas of concern

In Ibiza and Formentera, the inspections will focus on three principal areas.

The first is the fraudulent use of protected housing, including possible cases in which homes are being used in breach of the conditions attached to their protected status.

The second is substandard or inadequate housing, referred to by the Government as infraviviendas.

The third is overcrowding, with inspectors checking whether properties are being occupied beyond what is permitted under housing and habitability requirements.

What inspectors will check

During inspections of protected-housing developments, technicians will examine several aspects of the properties and their legal status.

These include whether contracts have been properly authorised, the prices applied to rentals and sales, whether beneficiaries meet the relevant requirements and whether the required notifications concerning rights of first refusal and retraction have been made when a protected property is sold.

The checks are intended to establish whether the protected-housing framework is being respected throughout the life of the property.

At least 10 limited-price homes will also be inspected

The plan goes beyond protected-housing developments.

The Government also intends to inspect a minimum of 10 limited-price homes that are already registered in the corresponding register.

These inspections form part of the wider programme to check compliance with housing regulations and the conditions attached to different forms of regulated housing.

The official announcement does not identify those 10 homes or state how they will be divided between Ibiza and the other islands.

Other housing checks included in the plan

The inspection programme covers more than protected and limited-price homes.

It also includes checks relating to general habitability requirements, possible breaches involving large property owners, regulations governing estate agents and the payment and deposit of rental bonds.

Inspectors can also act on their own initiative or following complaints from individuals or other public administrations.

The Government specifically says this includes complaints concerning possible breaches of housing regulations, particularly cases involving inadequate housing conditions.

Residents can report possible irregularities

The Govern has also kept a public complaints channel open through the CAIB website.

Residents can use the channel to communicate possible irregularities relating to housing.

The system allows the administration to receive information from members of the public as well as carrying out inspections on its own initiative.

Inspections in tourist areas

The timing of inspections in Ibiza and Formentera will partly reflect the islands' seasonal nature.

The Government says protected-housing developments located in tourist municipalities will be visited preferentially during the tourist season.

This is significant for the Pitiüses, where much of the protected housing covered by the programme is located in municipalities with substantial seasonal tourism activity.

Penalties can include the benefit obtained

The Directorate General of Housing and Architecture has also reminded the public about the financial consequences of housing infringements.

Where the benefit obtained from an infringement is greater than the corresponding fine, the sanction can be increased by an amount equivalent to the benefit obtained.

This provision is intended to prevent an offender from retaining an economic advantage that exceeds the basic financial penalty.

74 developments across the Balearics

The new inspection programme covers protected-housing developments throughout the archipelago.

Mallorca accounts for the largest number, with 60 developments scheduled for inspection.

Ibiza and Formentera together account for 10, while Menorca has four.

The figures refer to developments or housing promotions, not individual homes.

Protecting the purpose of public housing

The Government says the wider purpose of the plan is to ensure compliance with housing regulations and promote the socially appropriate use of the residential housing stock.

That includes making sure that homes subject to public protection remain within the legal framework governing their use, pricing and beneficiaries.

The plan also seeks to identify cases where housing conditions or occupancy levels may breach the applicable rules.

Why this matters in Ibiza and Formentera

The inspection programme comes as housing affordability and availability remain major issues across the Pitiüses.

Protected housing is intended for people who meet specific legal requirements, so ensuring that those homes continue to comply with the relevant rules is an important part of the system.

The new inspections will provide the Government with an opportunity to check existing developments rather than concentrating solely on the construction of new housing.

A two-year inspection programme

The inspections are not a one-off operation.

They began in September 2026 and are scheduled to continue through December 2027.

During that period, inspectors will examine protected-housing developments, limited-price homes and other areas covered by housing legislation, while also responding to information supplied through the public complaints channel.

What happens next

The first inspections are now getting under way.

For Ibiza and Formentera, the plan identifies 10 protected-housing developments for inspection during the programme period.

The precise developments have not been publicly identified in the Government's announcement.

The inspections will focus on legal use, contracts, prices, beneficiary requirements, housing conditions and occupancy, with additional checks possible where complaints or other evidence indicate a potential breach.

A closer look at protected housing

The new programme is ultimately about checking what happens after protected homes have been created.

The Government will examine whether they continue to be used according to the rules governing protected housing, whether the people occupying them meet the relevant requirements and whether properties are being sold or rented within the applicable legal framework.

For Ibiza and Formentera, the 10 planned development inspections form one part of a wider housing-control programme that will continue until the end of 2027.