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Criticism Mounts Over New Canary Islands Social Housing Rules: "Discriminatory and Ineffective"

Organizations denounce the new regulation requiring 12 years of residency for social housing access, labeling it as exclusionary.

Generic image of housing inequality in the Canary Islands.
IA

Generic image of housing inequality in the Canary Islands.

The new regulation for accessing social housing in the Canary Islands, in effect since April 7th, has been labeled "discriminatory and ineffective" by several organizations demanding its suspension.

Over 34,000 people are awaiting social housing in the Canary Islands, while the regional government has only delivered 24 public housing units in the last three years. The new regulation, which mandates a minimum of 12 years of continuous residency on the islands (or 15 discontinuous) and 5 years in the municipality where the housing is located, along with an annual income not exceeding 21,000 euros, has faced strong opposition.
The Tenants' Union of Fuerteventura deems the regulation "extremely demanding for working people with fewer resources" and dismisses it as an "electoralist" measure under the "false premise of Canary Islanders first." They call for real intervention in the real estate market to facilitate access to decent housing.
The platform Right to a Roof of Gran Canaria warns of a "grave risk of silent exclusion" by "over-bureaucratizing vulnerability" and points out that the central problem, the lack of public housing, "remains intact." The Tenants' Union of Tenerife agrees that the regulation "directly discriminates" against a segment of the population, given the "insufficient quantity of public housing".
The Observatory of Human Rights DESCA asserts that the decree violates the right to equal treatment and non-discrimination, contravening international treaties, the Spanish Constitution, and the Canary Islands' Statute of Autonomy. Miguel Ruiz, a lawyer and researcher at the observatory, states that the regulation is "typical of far-right governments" and discriminates based on "priority of origin and class," pushing many individuals towards "homelessness."
Despite the housing emergency, the Canary Islands are positioned in the "luxury real estate Olympus," accounting for 12% of the national market. The DESCA Observatory criticizes the Canary Government for "disguising the problem" and "buying into the discourse of PP and Vox," favoring the "rich" and legislating "against poor migrants" while speculation continues to benefit others.
Javier Marrero, from Right to a Roof, advocates for a "paradigm shift" through the massive expansion of public housing stock, the implementation of the housing law, the declaration of rent-controlled areas, the limitation of tourist rentals, and the mobilization of vacant properties held by large landlords. Miguel Ruiz adds the legal viability of limiting purchases by non-residents and the need to "shield public housing" and "mobilize land."
Collectives agree on the necessity of capping rents, citing the success of this measure in Catalonia, and propose "taxing empty homes," particularly those owned by large holders, to acquire more properties. The general conclusion is to legislate with "brave public policies against speculation," recalling the constitutional mandate to regulate land use "in accordance with the general interest."

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