The island's government has decided to apply the extraordinary legalization of houses on rural land, as provided for in the Decree Law on Administrative Simplification approved by Parliament last Tuesday. Houses built on specially protected land cannot be legalized, as there is no statute of limitations for violations.

There is no precise list of the buildings affected, but it is estimated that there are around 30,000. The amnesty does not apply to buildings that were erected decades ago and are not listed in the registers, or to irregularly erected buildings whose infringement has already expired. Owners who can benefit from the amnesty must pay a fine, the amount of which depends on their income and the value of the building.

Certain conditions apply to legalized buildings that were erected outside the building regulations. For example, the owners must exclude the use of the legalized property for tourist purposes. This restriction on use must be entered in the land register. The regulation for owners of legal houses with irregular pools that are legalized remains unclear. According to the decree, these could possibly be used for vacation rentals, but this is subject to interpretation.