An accommodation crisis in Ibiza is pricing out dance music workers and locals

Local businesses have also been impacted by the accommodation crisis. When Spanish supermarket chain Mercadona opened a new superstore in San Antonio last year there were hundreds of applications for various positions, yet, as the Diario de Ibiza reported, many of the newly employed staff had trouble finding sensibly-priced housing and were forced to quit before taking to the checkouts.

Amid the insatiable clamour for beds, this summer one San Antonio landlord went to new extremes, dividing his luxury villa into 50 separate dormitories and charging 400€ per person per bunk. The story was so bizarre that the Spanish current affairs television programme Ana Rosa, which is similar in style and exposure to the BBC flagship show Panorama, sent a camera crew to the island to document the goings on.

Online scammers are also taking advantage of the property shortage, using Facebook to post fake profiles advertising apartments that don’t exist. “It’s been happening loads this summer,” continues Mark Saunders. “I’ve had multiple groups in tears in my office. They sent over full deposits of 1500€ to 2000€. Then when they landed they realised the address simply didn’t exist. The scammers know Ibiza is busy and it’s so easy to advertise on Facebook. Unfortunately some of the youngsters who have never done a season out here tend to fall for it.”

Working your way through a full summer in Ibiza has never been an easy task. Speak to anyone brave enough to stay the course and they’ll probably liken their twisted White Isle romp to some sort of crazed marathon – a long and arduous journey fuelled by cheese baguettes, cheap vino and god only knows what else. For most, living conditions are basic, wages are generally low, sleep is often nigh on impossible and the chances of getting ripped off during your six month stay are sky high. Yet all those who survive the legendary Balearic endurance contest tend to reflect upon the experience in the same manner as pilgrims drawn to some sacred place, their lives freshly defined.

In the past, the struggle and madness of it all was further counterbalanced by the relatively low cost of living. Yet the way things are going, by 2020, maybe even sooner, the island may no longer be economically accessible to an entire social class of young dance music devotees looking to engage the industry at a grassroots level. Without their boundless energy and new ideas driving the scene on the ground, the raw mood on the island’s best dancefloors would surely disappear forever.

5 tips for securing long term worker accommodation in Ibiza

1 Book your apartment via a reputable letting agent like Ibiza Workers Accom

2 If you are renting privately, make sure you know the person personally or get hooked up via a reliable friend

3 Recently set-up Facebook accounts with no friends advertising Ibiza worker-style accommodation are probably fake

4 Arrange your accommodation early to secure the best property you can. If you land on the island in May there will be less choice

5 Come out to the island with a group of trusted friends if possible

Johnny Lee is Mixmag's Ibiza Correspondent

Lawrence Abbott is an artist and freelance creative designer. Follow him on Twitter