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Is This the End of the Holiday Rental Boom in the Canary Islands?

Law 6/2025 does not ban holiday rental homes, but it ends their free growth. What is myth and what is reality, which homes have a future and what Fuerteventura owners should do.

Article updated on 17 October 2026. The original version, from January 2025, included interviews and figures we cannot back with sources. We have rewritten it using Law 6/2025, in force since 13 December 2025, its reform by Law 7/2026 and official data.

The boom, in official figures

Since Decree 113/2015 allowed holiday rental homes to be registered with a simple declaración responsable, growth was enormous:

  • According to the preamble of Law 6/2025, between November 2022 and November 2023 the homes registered in the Canary Islands rose from 38,603 to 48,541 (+25.7 % in a year).
  • Holiday rental homes add up to almost 250,000 places, more than 37 % of all tourist accommodation in the Canary Islands.
  • In Fuerteventura, in 2023 those places were equivalent to 22.5 % of the population.

The law starts from a clear idea: that growth happened outside urban and tourism planning, and put pressure on residents' access to housing.

Myths and realities

Myth: "They are banning holiday rental homes." Reality: They are not banned. They are limited: new ones fit only where municipal planning expressly allows them, with at least 90 % of the housing reserved for residential use.

Myth: "Existing ones can carry on indefinitely without doing anything." Reality: Only consolidated tourist use is indefinite. It requires these conditions:

  • being both the owner and the holder of the declaración responsable;
  • applying before 13/12/2030;
  • having the classified-activity documentation;
  • passing the Cabildo's check.

The rest have a 5-year period, extendable. And anyone who did not file the prior notification of classified activity must do so before 31 July 2027 or stop.

Myth: "Homes with a licence will rise in value." Reality: Tourist authorisation ends when the home is sold. Since Law 7/2026, the only exception is inheritance, for a maximum of 10 years. The buyer does not inherit the licence.

Myth: "Renting on a seasonal basis is enough." Reality: Since Law 7/2026, a rental of 31 days or less, or one advertised on tourist platforms, is presumed tourist, and there are fines of up to €300,000 if the contract does not justify the stay.

So, is the boom over?

The free growth is over, yes. What is coming is a sector that is smaller, more regulated and more professional:

  • Fewer new registrations. They depend on each town hall regulating tourist use, and on the age (10 years) and technical requirements of the home.
  • A technical filter for existing ones. The prior notification of classified activity, the Cabildo's check and inspections will leave out homes that do not comply.
  • More control. The registration number is mandatory in every advert, Cabildos and town halls have checking plans and the Canary Islands Police are already inspecting.

In Fuerteventura the first data already point in that direction. In August 2026 the INE counted 7,116 holiday rental homes, about 100 fewer than a year earlier.

Which homes have a future

The homes with a future are those that:

  1. Were authorised before 13 December 2025.
  2. Have their owner as holder of the declaración responsable, which lets them apply for consolidated use.
  3. Have their classified activity in order, with the technical report and the prior notification at the town hall.
  4. Comply with Decree 113/2015 (equipment, safety, habitability) and have a valid energy certificate.

If your home meets all four points, the "end of the boom" may even be an advantage: less competition and a more orderly market.

Recommendations

If you already have a holiday rental home:

  • File the prior notification of classified activity before 31/07/2027, if you have not.
  • Consider consolidated use.
  • Review the energy certificate and the equipment.

If you plan to buy in order to rent as a holiday home:

  • Ask the town hall for the planning certificate (cédula urbanística).
  • Remember that the seller's licence does not pass to the buyer.

If you manage homes for third parties:

  • Your declaración responsable expires after 5 years or when your contract with the owner ends.
  • Talk to the owners so that they are the ones who secure consolidated use.

Need guidance?

At FuerteProyecto we help you adapt your holiday rental home to the new rules in Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. We write the technical report on classified activity and the energy certificate, and review what your home is missing.

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