Anfi against thousands: Spain's Supreme Court reopens the timeshare battle in Gran Canaria

Contents

1. What the Supreme Court has just decided
2. Why this matters
3. What you should do as a buyer
4. The bigger picture
5. Frequently asked questions

What the Supreme Court has just decided

On 30 May 2026 it became public that the Civil Chamber of the Tribunal Supremo has admitted an appeal from Anfi Sales and Anfi Resorts for further review. The order comes from Justice Nuria Auxiliadora Orellana Cano. What sounds innocuous is tactically significant: up to this point Anfi had been losing case after case — before courts in San Bartolomé de Tirajana, before the Provincial Court of Las Palmas, all the way up to the Supreme Court itself.

The case in question concerns a contract signed on 22 July 2013. Two private buyers filed suit in 2019. Court of First Instance No. 2 in San Bartolomé de Tirajana ruled in their favour; the Third Section of the Provincial Court confirmed it: contract entirely void. The reason: no specific apartment named, only a «floating suite», a room category, a standard reservation system for four occupants. Nothing concrete for a buyer to hold on to.

Anfi is appealing. Its argument: the transitional provision of Law 4/2012 has been violated, and the established case law on contracts in historic holiday resorts predating the pioneering 1998 law has been ignored. Anfi also relies on Article 1273 of the Spanish Civil Code: the criteria used to determine the contracted accommodation, it argues, were sufficient.

The Supreme Court accepts the appeal with the explicit aim of «refining, clarifying or confirming» its own case law — referring to its own September 2025 judgments, which most recently redrew the field.

Why this matters

Anyone holding — or who has held — an Anfi contract should watch the proceedings closely.

Up to now the line was relatively clear: contracts with unspecified apartments («floating week», that is, floating weeks with no fixed property), advance payments during the cooling-off period, terms running beyond the legal 50-year limit — all of these have been grounds for successful claims. Several law firms in Gran Canaria, led by Canarian Legal Alliance, have specialised in these cases and recovered hundreds of thousands of euros for their clients.

If the Supreme Court were now to change its line and declare floating-week contracts valid under certain conditions, the situation for all pending cases would shift. That is exactly what Anfi is trying to achieve.

The more likely outcome, however: the Supreme Court accepts the appeal in order to refine and confirm its own case law — not to reverse it. That is generally how the highest court operates: when the boundaries of its doctrine become unclear, it takes a case and sharpens the line. The phrasing is plain: «refine, clarify or confirm». Three verbs, three options — and only one of them would be a genuine reversal.

What you should do as a buyer

If you have a timeshare contract with Anfi or another company in southern Gran Canaria, don't panic. A few calm steps:

1. Check your own contract. What apartment specification does it have — a specific unit, or a «floating week» in a category? When was it signed? What was the term? Were there advance payments in the first three months?
2. Don't pause an existing case. If you already have a claim running, don't withdraw or suspend it. The probability of the Supreme Court reversing consumer-protective case law is low — and interest continues to accrue while the case runs.
3. Take legal advice for a first claim. If you have never sued and hold an old Anfi or similar contract, speak to a law firm specialising in Spanish consumer law. The names most often cited are Canarian Legal Alliance, M1 Legal and Praetor Abogados — several offer English-language advice.
4. Secure your evidence. Original contract, deposit receipts, reminders, everything. If you still have documents from the 1990s or 2000s: keep them.
5. Don't sign «resale» offers. A common pattern: anyone showing up online as a timeshare victim will sooner or later receive offers to «broker» the contract in exchange for an upfront payment of a few thousand euros. Almost always a scam. Reputable lawyers do not charge an upfront fee for brokering — they work on a no-win, no-fee basis or a clearly defined hourly rate.

The bigger picture

Anfi is not an isolated case. The «floating weeks», «holiday clubs» and «vacation points» industry has produced hundreds of thousands of contracts in Spain over the last three decades, with tens of thousands in southern Gran Canaria alone. Many of them with British and German buyers who arrived on holiday, left with a promise to spend every year in a nice apartment — and years later discovered that the contract couldn't be cancelled, the annual fees kept rising, and the resale value was zero.

Since the pioneering Law 42/1998 and the 4/2012 reform, Spain has gradually strengthened consumer rights. The maximum contract length is 50 years; advance payments in the first three months are unlawful; contracts must name the specific property. Over the last decade, the Supreme Court has applied that line consistently.

What changed on 30 May 2026: Anfi gets a last chance to challenge specific points of that line. Consumers now have 20 days to file their response in Madrid. The eventual outcome will determine the financial future of thousands of pending timeshare claims.

It is worth following.

Frequently asked questions

Does this case directly affect me?
Only if your contract has exactly this floating-week structure (no specific apartment, only a category). And even then, this is a single case — the Supreme Court's underlying consumer-protection line is unlikely to be overturned.

Should I pause my ongoing claim?
No. If you are already suing, keep going. The probability that the Supreme Court holds the consumer-protective line is high. Interest accrues while the case runs.

Is it still worth filing a new claim?
Yes, if your contract is vulnerable under current case law: floating week without a specific apartment, term beyond 50 years, advance payments in the first three months. An initial legal consultation will clarify.

What does a claim cost?
Reputable firms in these cases usually work on a no-win, no-fee basis or with moderate flat fees plus a success bonus. Upfront payments of several thousand euros for «brokering» are suspect — almost always a scam.

Who is Anfi?
Anfi Sales SL and Anfi Resorts SL are the flagship companies of the Anfi Group. Originally founded by Norwegian investor Björn Lyng and the Canarian Santana-Cazorla family. They operate resorts including Anfi del Mar and Anfi Beach Club in southern Gran Canaria.

Where can I find reliable help?
Specialists in Spanish consumer law for timeshare cases include Canarian Legal Alliance (English-language service), M1 Legal and Praetor Abogados. For neutral initial advice: the European Consumer Centre (ECC) in Madrid.