New steps to limit housing sales to non-residents in the Canary Islands
The Government of the Canary Islands, in collaboration with the Canary Islands Federation of Municipalities (Fecam), has announced plans to promote a reform of Spain’s Local Government Act that would give councils across the country greater powers to regulate the property market.
The proposal calls for a team to draft changes to the existing law. Once agreed, the plan will go to national conferences and the Federation of Municipalities, before being debated in parliament.
President Fernando Clavijo said the plan will run alongside EU talks on possible limits to property purchases by non-residents. The aim is to ease pressure on the housing market, where many locals find it hard to afford a home.
The plan takes inspiration from measures already in place in major European cities such as Hamburg, Berlin, and Amsterdam, where local authorities have been granted tools to better manage the housing market and protect residents.
According to Mari Brito, head of Fecam, stronger local powers over planning, tourism, and taxes will let councils respond better to housing pressures.
Housing affordability has become a particularly hot topic in the Canary Islands in recent years. On islands such as Lanzarote and Tenerife, soaring property prices and the growth of holiday rentals have fuelled public protests and led local authorities to push for tougher controls on platforms like Airbnb, as well as new investment in protected housing projects. The proposed legislative changes are seen as a way of giving councils stronger tools to manage these pressures at a local level.
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