Some owners see their water bills double for holiday rental properties
Owners of holiday rental properties in the capital of Gran Canaria have seen their water bills more than double in recent months, after the Las Palmas local council approved a new pricing structure in August that significantly increases costs for VV homes across all services — supply, sewage and treatment.
While destinations such as Valencia, Seville and Mallorca have chosen to restrict water access to combat illegal holiday lets, authorities in the Gran Canaria capital have instead targeted extra revenue from registered and fully legal tourist accommodation.
Reclassified from households to hotels
The reason this has happened is that under the new water tariff ordinance, holiday rentals are no longer treated as domestic consumers. They are now classified in the same category as hotels and other “extra-hotel” tourist establishments.
Javier Valentín, lawyer and vice-president of the Canary Islands Holiday Rental Association (ASCAV), said that this reclassification is technically possible because regional decree 113/2015 defines VV properties as a form of extra-hotel tourist accommodation — a rule that also affects rural houses and emblematic homes.
However, Valentín argues that water usage in a holiday rental is “practically identical” to a normal household, whereas hotels or apartment complexes have laundry facilities, swimming pools and other services that generate much higher consumption.
Legal challenge likely
“It makes no sense, the only objective for raising the price of water is that the council wants to collect more money,” he said. He also questions the legality of the new charge, claiming it fails to respect the principle of proportionality, which requires that public fees must reflect the real cost of the service provided.
ASCAV advises that affected owners can take the matter to court. “If I don’t agree with the amount charged on my water bill, I can challenge it in the courts and indirectly challenge the ordinance itself,” Valentín noted.
He added that he has “no doubt” other municipalities in the Canary Islands will follow the example set by Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
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