Which listings were challenged on 23 October?
The Dirección General de Consumo has told two unnamed online platforms to remove 8,318 listings. The ads offered accommodation as "temporary rental contracts" but allowed bookings of fewer than 31 days.
According to the available information, the order covers Spain as a whole, not the Canary Islands specifically. For the Autonomous Community of Madrid, 6,772 listings were cited, of which 6,523 were in the city of Madrid.
No breakdown for the Canary Islands appears in the verified information. The reports mention no Canarian price changes, specific closures or new application routes.
What rules have applied to temporary lets since October?
A new rule for temporary rental contracts has applied since 8 October 2026, according to the cited reports. Such a contract must last at least 31 days and may generally run for no more than twelve months.
The time-limited purpose, such as work, study or medical treatment, must genuinely exist and be proven. So an offer for a stay of up to 30 days counts as tourist use, not as an ordinary temporary let.
In the view of the Dirección General de Consumo, a false description as a temporary let may amount to misleading and unfair commercial communication. It may breach Article 47 of the Texto Refundido de la Ley General para la Defensa de los Consumidores y Usuarios.
What does this mean for holidaymakers and residents?
Residents and foreign nationals may not call accommodation for at least 31 days a tourist rental just because the stay is short. The landlord must prove the actual temporary purpose.
Visitors who book for up to 30 days may feel the effect of the new classification. The reports, however, name no concrete impact on Canarian rental prices or booking channels.
Landlords and platforms were formally notified through the European Digital Services Act procedure. From the moment of notification, they can become directly liable for reported illegal content.
What sanctions do platforms face for breaches?
If the platforms do not remove or block the listings, Consumo can open sanction proceedings. No specific fine or binding removal deadline was given.
The ministry has acted against platforms before. Consumo imposed a sanction of 64 million euros on Airbnb over thousands of listings that did not comply with the rules.
Booking removed more than 4,000 listings after an official request from the ministry. Property agents such as Alquiler Seguro were also fined, in that case 3.6 million euros.
Which questions remain open after the removal request?
The names of the platforms, the exact number of affected listings in the Canary Islands, individual deadlines and possible fines have not been published. This phase is a removal request, not yet an announced sanction.
The platforms must now either delete the reported listings or block access to them. Consumo could then open proceedings.
For Canarian landlords and holidaymakers, it remains unclear how many island listings are affected. The ministry had published no regional breakdown by Friday.