The Canarian Vacation Rental Association calls for "Tougher Measures" against illegal holiday lets

The Canarian Vacation Rental Association (ASCAV) has urged the Ministry of Tourism in the Canary Islands to take "immediate tough measures" against illegal holiday homes, and has called for Tourism Inspectors to act straightaway.

In a statement released yesterday (Thursday), the association claims that the decree regulating holiday rentals is being "flagrantly violated," causing damage not only to the residential housing sector but also to the overall tourist image of the Canary Islands.

ASCAV finds it "absolutely unacceptable" that a sector committed to legality and taxation of holiday homes is discredited by "wrongdoers causing immeasurable harm, not only from the authorities but also in the eyes of public perception."

According to the association, it has become commonplace to see headlines in the media about collective tent advertisements in a living room, tents on rooftops, inflatable mattresses in residences, and motorhomes or boats advertised on online platforms.

Moratorium in La Laguna

Despite acknowledging the existence of numerous illegal and undeclared holiday homes in the islands, ASCAV was responding to the proposal by Drago Verdes Canarias to impose a moratorium on holiday rental properties and licences in La Laguna.

The association presents data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) for 2023 to explain that there are 74,096 total homes (conventional family homes by typology) in the city. According to the transparency portal of the Government of the Canary Islands, as of January 2024, only 787 holiday homes are officially registered in the municipality, representing 1.06% of the total housing stock, with 3,158 beds and 1.98 holiday rentals per 100 inhabitants.

Therefore, the association claims that Drago Verdes Canarias has used biased data and accuses them of "irresponsibility, ignorance, and lack of transparency." The statement makes no mention of undeclared and illegal residences, i.e. residential properties being used for holiday lets and properties on holiday complexes being lived in, against which ASCAV is calling for "tougher measures" in another note issued yesterday to the Ministry of Tourism.