The rents are meant to sit below market price — that is the aim.

What it's about

There are plenty of empty homes across the Canary Islands. At the same time, families struggle to find anything affordable. The government wants to change that without building new stock.

The idea is simple: hire an outside provider to approach owners, bring homes into a pool, and match them with vetted tenants. In return, the state takes on the risk.

Visocan, the regional public company, runs the tender. Housing Minister Pablo Rodríguez presented the measure at the Monday press conference after cabinet.

How much cheaper will the rent be?

This is the question everyone asks — and here's the catch.

Diario de Avisos led with a 30 per cent discount in its 21 April headline. That number appears nowhere in the official communications. Neither the regional government nor Visocan commits to a specific percentage.

The only figure Rodríguez and President Fernando Clavijo have put on the record — at the Housing Congress in Las Palmas in December 2025 — was a range of 20 to 25 per cent below market.

What counts is what ends up in the signed contract.

What owners get

Anyone who puts a home into the pool is offered guarantees:

  • Rent is paid, even if the tenant doesn't
  • The home is returned in the agreed condition
  • In some cases, grants for renovation work

These exact worries — unpaid rent, damage, legal disputes — are why many owners pulled their homes off the market in the first place. Rodríguez said as much: "The key is the mediation".

What the provider does

The winning bidder takes on the whole package. Companies, third-sector organisations and specialised bodies can all apply.

The tasks include:

  • Market analysis by island and municipality
  • Approaching owners and bringing homes into the programme
  • Pre-screening tenant applicants
  • Drafting contracts between both sides
  • Ongoing oversight of each tenancy

Part of a bigger plan

The Bolsa Activa doesn't stand alone. The government has rolled out several housing tools in recent months:

March 2026: New decree for public housing. The old lottery is out; a points system based on income, social and family criteria is in. Registration is online.

April 2025: Law-decree cutting planning permits to under six months. New "Incentivised Affordable Housing" category, aimed at middle-income households.

In the pipeline: A Canary Islands Young Person's Mortgage, with the state guaranteeing up to 95 per cent of the purchase value. Plus continued rental aid for young people.

The starting point

The government has formally declared a housing emergency. Its figures:

  • Around 4,000 subsidised homes at various build stages
  • Over 200 more homes already purchased
  • 150 finished

Mobilising empty homes is cheaper and faster than building new ones. On islands where land is scarce, that matters.

What's still open

Three questions remain unanswered:

1. What discount will the final contract actually set? 2. How many homes can the Bolsa Activa bring in during its first years? 3. Are the guarantees enough to win back wary owners?

Answers will come once the contract is awarded and the service is up and running.

Updates are published by the Department of Public Works, Housing and Mobility at gobiernodecanarias.org. Tender documents are available through Visocan.