The Minister of Tourism and Employment for the Canary Islands, Jéssica de León, has announced that the decision to establish moratoriums or put a stop to issuing VV licences for holiday rental properties will be left to local councils, rather than being imposed by the Canary Islands Government.
She made this clear during a press conference on Friday, where she presented updates to the draft law on the Sustainable Management of Tourist Housing.
De León explained that in other parts of Spain, such as Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, and Seville, these measures have been implemented by municipal governments. Following this precedent, she believes that each Canary Islands council should have the authority to decide how to handle holiday rentals based on local needs. “Local councils know the percentage of holiday homes in their municipalities and how it affects them,” she stated.
The minister emphasised that the regional government does not support a blanket moratorium that would apply equally to all the islands, especially the smaller western islands like La Palma, El Hierro, and La Gomera. She highlighted that these islands should not be treated the same as more developed tourist destinations like Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote, or Fuerteventura.
Contrary to concerns, De León also assured that there hasn't been a significant increase in VV licence registrations since the new legislation was introduced. She reaffirmed that the intent of the law remains unchanged: “Once approved, no new applications for holiday rentals will be accepted until local councils have developed their plans,” as the law mandates.
Until the legislation is fully enacted, local councils can continue to use existing regulations to suspend applications and issuing of licences, then reauthorise them later, once they establish new guidelines tailored to their municipalities.
De León clarified that the law will not give new powers to municipalities but will instead refine the existing legal framework. The goal is to clarify responsibilities in managing holiday rentals, which had been left uncertain under previous decrees.
