Anger at new 12-year residency rule to get Public Housing in the Canary Islands
A new housing decree introduced by the Canary Islands Government has sparked debate after introducing a requirement that applicants must have lived in the Canary Islands for at least 12 continuous years to qualify for social or subsidised housing.
The regulation, which also replaces random housing lotteries with a system based on social and economic criteria, aims to prioritise long-term residents when allocating protected housing, rather than those who have become residents within this time period.
However, housing groups and tenant unions argue the rule could be discriminatory and may conflict with constitutional rights.
Housing groups demand the decree be scrapped
Organisations including the Sindicato de Inquilinas de Tenerife, the Sindicato de Inquilinas de Fuerteventura and the platform Derecho al Techo have called for the immediate repeal of the decree.
They argue the residency requirement could violate rights established in the Statutes of the Canary Islands, the Spanish Constitution and European legal frameworks.
According to these groups, requiring more than a decade of residency could undermine equal access to housing and disproportionately affect vulnerable residents who have lived in the islands for a shorter period.
They also criticised the announcement of new housing allocations, claiming some of the homes referred to “do not actually exist”, and warned that the rule risks shifting the housing crisis onto already vulnerable groups.
Supporters say the islands are a special case
Other experts believe the requirement reflects the particular circumstances of the Canary Islands.
Raúl Alonso, a lawyer and representative of the Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios in Tenerife, argues that the rule is reasonable given the limited resources of the islands.
He says the measure aims to prevent people from moving to the archipelago and immediately applying for subsidised housing.
“We are a small territory and population issues cannot be treated in the same way as on mainland Spain,” Alonso explained.
Vulnerability vs. residency
Tenant representatives disagree, insisting that housing should be prioritised based on vulnerability rather than how long someone has lived in the islands.
Pili Puyi from the tenant union argues that the measure could exclude people facing serious hardship.
She questions whether someone who has lived in the Canary Islands for only a few years but is in severe financial difficulty should be excluded from housing assistance while someone with longer residency but fewer needs qualifies.
Possible legal challenges
While Alonso acknowledges that the 12-year threshold is ultimately a subjective policy choice, housing activists say the rule could be challenged in court if it conflicts with constitutional principles.
Campaigners insist that the right to housing should instead be addressed by expanding the stock of public housing and regulating the property market.
The debate highlights the growing tension between protecting limited resources in the archipelago and ensuring equal access to housing for all residents.
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