Canary Islands to challenge national Housing Law in Constitutional Court

The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, has announced that his administration will file an appeal with the Constitutional Court (TC) to contest the National Housing Law. Clavijo says that the law encroaches upon the autonomous community's jurisdiction and has created great uncertainty among property owners regarding renting out their homes.

During an interview reported by Europa Press, Clavijo stated, "We will formally announce our decision in the Governing Council meeting today, as we believe that this law infringes upon the powers of the autonomous community. Ultimately, many people are deciding against renting out their properties due to concerns about whether tenants will meet their financial obligations. They are apprehensive."

While Clavijo did not provide specific figures, he acknowledged that a significant number of homes on the islands remain unoccupied and unavailable for rent. He argued that rental housing should offer security to both tenants and landlords.

He further contended that the existing legislation hampers the housing supply and insisted that addressing the housing crisis requires a multifaceted approach. He outlined three key elements: first, stimulating private sector construction of additional housing; second, encouraging the private sector to construct officially protected housing; and finally, enabling public authorities to participate in housing construction.

He added, "This will be a central focus of our new government, where we aim to facilitate these three dimensions. Additionally, we have already initiated efforts to regulate holiday rentals, as I fully concur that, in certain areas, these rentals have a direct impact on long-term rental prices."