New Holiday Rental Law in the Canary Islands: Everything You Need to Know

Article updated on 17 October 2026. We published it in January 2025, when the law was still a draft. We have rewritten it using the final text of Law 6/2025 of 10 December and its reform by Law 7/2026 of 31 July.

The law in one sentence

Law 6/2025 on the Sustainable Regulation of the Tourist Use of Homes changes the rules for holiday rentals in the Canary Islands:

• A holiday rental home can no longer be opened in just any residential home: only where the town hall's planning expressly allows it.
• Homes that were already operating have a transitional regime that depends on who the holder is.

Key dates:

• The Canary Islands Parliament passed the law on 12 November 2025.
• It was published in the Canary Islands Official Gazette on 12 December 2025.
• It has been in force since 13 December 2025.
• It was amended by Law 7/2026, in force since 15 August 2026.

The law replaces Decree 113/2015 wherever they conflict. The rest of the regulation (equipment, guest information, complaint forms…) still applies.

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If you already have a holiday rental home

The first thing is to know whether you are both the owner of the home and the holder of the declaración responsable (DR). The law calls this the "dual condition".

Your situation	What the law lets you do	Deadline
Owner and DR holder	Apply for consolidated tourist use, which does not expire, at the town hall	Until 13/12/2030
Operator who is not the owner, or an owner who does not opt for consolidated use	Continue for 5 years as now (extendable once, maximum 10)	Until 13/12/2030
Any of the above	Extend up to 20 years in exchange for putting another home up for long-term rent	Application until 13/12/2030

To access consolidated use you must:

• have operated the home without interruption for more than a year before 13/12/2025 (shown, for example, by IGIC returns);
• provide all the classified-activity documentation;
• pass the Cabildo's check. If its report is negative, it is binding and the authorisation is lost.

The right ends if you sell the home. Since Law 7/2026 there is an exception for inheritance: the heir can continue for a maximum of 10 years.

The date you must not forget: 31 July 2027

Many homes were registered with the DR at the Cabildo but never filed the prior notification of classified activity with the town hall.

Law 7/2026 gives them until 31 July 2027 to file it. It must be accompanied by:

• a municipal certificate on the home's planning legality (or proof that it is out of planning order or that its tourist use is consolidated);
• a technical report signed by a competent professional, with plans and photographs.

If it is not filed before 31 July 2027, you must stop the activity immediately and the declaración responsable lapses automatically.

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If you want to open a new holiday rental home

For new declaraciones responsables, the main requirements are:

• Municipal planning must expressly allow it.
  • At least 90 % of the buildable floor area or homes in the area must be reserved for residential use.
  • Until the town hall regulates, there are only subsidiary rules, which will apply from December 2030 if the town hall has not adapted its planning.
• Minimum age of the home: 10 years.
• Prohibited in some cases:
  • protected housing (or housing that has been protected in the last 10 years);
  • protected rural land and protected natural areas;
  • flood-prone areas;
  • agricultural settlements;
  • buildings whose owners' association prohibits it;
  • areas declared stressed (new authorisations are automatically suspended there).
• Technical requirements:
  • 35 m² usable at least (or the minimum habitability standard plus a compensating element, such as a pool or parking);
  • 2 bathrooms if there are more than 4 places and 3 if there are more than 8;
  • energy certificate with a minimum rating of F (buildings up to 2007) or D (later ones);
  • hot water from renewables where possible.
• Documentation filed with the DR at the Cabildo:
  • activity report signed by a competent professional;
  • municipal planning certificate (cédula urbanística);
  • certificate from the owners' association, if the home is in a condominium building.
• The DR lasts 5 years. To renew it you must keep complying with everything, including that the area remains suitable.

We explain it in detail in our guide to technical requirements.

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Other changes worth knowing

• Registration number mandatory in adverts. Advertising without it is an infringement.

• Seasonal rentals. Since Law 7/2026, the following are presumed tourist:

  • a rental of 31 days or less;
  • one advertised on Airbnb, Booking or other platforms.

  The contract must state the real reason for the stay.

• Occasional tourist-use home. It allows renting up to 15 days a year during festivals or events, but only if a municipal ordinance enables it.

• Inspections. Cabildos and town halls must approve checking plans for all existing holiday rental homes. In Fuerteventura, the Canary Islands Police are already inspecting.

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What we recommend you do now

1. Locate your DR and check whether you filed the prior notification of classified activity at the town hall.
2. If you did not, commission the technical report in good time: the deadline is 31 July 2027.
3. Review your energy certificate and the home's floor area and bathrooms.
4. If you are owner and holder, consider applying for consolidated tourist use.

Can we help?

At FuerteProyecto we write the technical report on classified activity and the energy certificate for holiday rental homes in Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, and guide you on which regime applies to you.

• Phone: +34 620 395 305
• Email: info@fuerteproyecto.com