What is the "residencialización" of tourist complexes?

The term describes units in tourism-zoned complexes being lived in permanently. According to Canarias7, the Gobierno de Canarias wants to give this residential use a legal order in certain cases.

Who is meant to benefit?

People who can prove they were already living in their unit as a home before 1 January 2017 — under the previous Ley del Suelo, per Canarias7.

How would the procedure work?

According to Canarias7, occupants prove pre-2017 residence at the ayuntamiento; the administration then issues a certification that consolidates the residential use.

No. It is a draft not yet approved by the Consejo de Gobierno; its content and timing may change. This text is not legal advice.

CANARY ISLANDS · HOUSING

Canary Islands plan to legalise homes in tourist complexes

Many foreign residents in the south of Gran Canaria bought an apartment or bungalow inside a tourist complex and now live in it as their main home. In areas zoned for tourism, that residential use is often not legally recognised — a long-running clash between tourist zoning and everyday living.

24 August 2026 · By Martin Kosinski · 5 min

Photo: *angys*, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Symbolbild).

According to Canarias7 (23 August 2026), the Gobierno de Canarias is preparing a "decreto-ley" to address this so-called "residencialización" of tourist complexes. The draft is due to go to the Consejo de Gobierno in autumn. Its core is a rule for people who were already living in these units before 1 January 2017.

What this is about: the "residencialización" of tourist zones

Many complexes in the south of Gran Canaria are tourist businesses on paper but are, in whole or in part, lived in permanently. This gap between tourist zoning and actual residential use is what the Canarian debate calls "residencialización". For many owners it means legal uncertainty: they live in their unit without its residential use being formally recognised.

According to Canarias7, with the planned decreto-ley the Gobierno de Canarias wants to create an orderly path for legally securing this de facto residential use in certain cases. The report places the move within the wider dispute between tourist zoning, the "unidad de explotación" and buyers' property rights.

The core rule: residential use for pre-2017 occupants

The key point, per Canarias7, concerns people who can prove they were already living in these units as an ordinary home before 1 January 2017 — under the previous Ley del Suelo. For them, residential use would be recognised, even where the municipality has not yet approved the "especialización de usos" for the area.

That matters because the formal re-designation of an area ("especialización de usos") is a lengthy municipal planning step. Under the reported rule, affected occupants would not have to wait for it; they could assert their pre-2017 residential use independently of that step. The exact legal text has not yet been published.

How it would work: proof and certification

In practice, per Canarias7, it works like this: occupants go to their ayuntamiento (the town hall), prove residence before 1 January 2017, and the administration then issues a certification ("certificación") that consolidates the unit's residential use. This certificate is meant to document the recognised residential use.

The report does not set out a definitive list of admissible proofs, any deadlines or fees; nor does it spell out possible effects on taxes or municipal services. Anyone affected should wait for the officially published wording and ask their own municipality about the specific requirements.

The background: tourist zones versus property rights

The plan eases a conflict that has simmered for years between the rules of tourist zoning and the "unidad de explotación" on one side, and actual residential use plus property rights on the other. Many buyers — including German and other foreign residents — occupy their unit as a home, while tourism law assigns it to a commercial operation.

An important distinction: this rule is different from the separately reported part of the decree that relaxes the "unidad de explotación" and lets owners on the vivienda-vacacional register market their units freely. The point described here concerns only the regularisation of residence for pre-2017 occupants, not tourist marketing.

Still a draft: timeline and open questions

The decree is so far a draft. According to Canarias7, the Gobierno de Canarias intends to bring the text to the Consejo de Gobierno in autumn; parliamentary ratification would then be required. Scope, wording and conditions may still change before publication in the official gazette.

For those affected, that means the broad direction — recognising residential use for pre-2017 occupants through a municipal certification — is in the report, but the details are not. Anyone permanently living in a unit inside a tourist complex should follow the final text and their own municipality's implementation closely.

Practical tip: If you use a unit in a tourist complex as your main home, you can already gather evidence of residence before 1 January 2017 — for example the historic padrón (municipal registration), utility contracts, and electricity or water bills.
Such documents could later ease the proof to be presented at the ayuntamiento; independent legal advice is advisable before taking any step.

Please note: The decreto-ley described here is a draft reported by Canarias7 and has not been approved by the Consejo de Gobierno; wording, scope and timing may change.
Admissible proofs, deadlines and any effects on taxes or municipal services are not set out in the report; this text is not legal advice.

Key facts

The Gobierno de Canarias is preparing a decreto-ley on the "residencialización" of tourist complexes; the draft is due to reach the Consejo de Gobierno in autumn (Canarias7, 23 August 2026).
Core rule: anyone proving residence before 1 January 2017 would have residential use recognised — even without an approved "especialización de usos" (Canarias7).
Procedure: prove residence at the ayuntamiento; the administration issues a certification that consolidates residential use (Canarias7).
The reference framework is the previous Ley del Suelo, under which the pre-2017 residence began (Canarias7).
Distinct from the separately reported relaxation of the "unidad de explotación" and free marketing for owners on the vivienda-vacacional register (Canarias7).
The draft is not yet approved; wording and timing may change, followed by parliamentary ratification.

FAQ

What is the "residencialización" of tourist complexes?: The term describes units in tourism-zoned complexes being lived in permanently. According to Canarias7, the Gobierno de Canarias wants to give this residential use a legal order in certain cases.
Who is meant to benefit?: People who can prove they were already living in their unit as a home before 1 January 2017 — under the previous Ley del Suelo, per Canarias7.
Must the municipality approve the "especialización de usos" first?: Per the report, no: pre-2017 residential use would be recognised even where the municipality has not yet approved the especialización de usos (Canarias7).
How would the procedure work?: According to Canarias7, occupants prove pre-2017 residence at the ayuntamiento; the administration then issues a certification that consolidates the residential use.
Is it in force yet?: No. It is a draft not yet approved by the Consejo de Gobierno; its content and timing may change. This text is not legal advice.

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