The Canary Islands Government approved Spain's strictest public housing law on 9 March 2026: anyone seeking publicly subsidised housing must prove a minimum of twelve years of uninterrupted residency — or fifteen years if discontinuous. Plus five years in the specific municipality. CITA News, your Gran Canaria news source, explains what the new decree means for residents, expats and newcomers in the Canary Islands.
End of the Lottery System
The previous system relied on a lottery. The new decree replaces it with an objective scoring system based on social, economic and family criteria. Low-income families, single parents, people with disabilities and domestic violence victims receive priority.
Housing Minister Pablo Rodríguez stated the goal is a "fairer, more transparent" system. Registration will now be digital.
New Canary Islands Public Housing Law — Key Points
Residency requirement: 12 years uninterrupted (or 15 discontinuous) in the Canary Islands
Municipal tie: 5 years residency or work in the municipality
Income limit: Max. 2.5× IPREM (~€21,000/year) for fully subsidised housing
Youth quota: Min. 20% reserved for under-35s
Exception: Domestic violence victims exempt from municipal requirement
Subletting: Prohibited — including as holiday rental
Twelve Years: Spain's Highest Hurdle
The Canary Islands set the highest residency requirement in all of Spain. Madrid is planning ten years for ownership, five for rental; the Basque Country requires just one year. The Consultative Council rated the timeframe as "very high" — the government overruled this.
The backdrop: a tourism boom, rising rents and affordable housing shortage, especially in southern Gran Canaria — Maspalomas, Playa del Inglés, San Bartolomé de Tirajana. The government wants scarce public housing to go to long-term residents.
Criticism: "Illegal and Discriminatory"
The collective Derecho al Techo demanded annulment, calling the decree "illegal and legally challengeable". Critics argue it violates Article 47 of the Constitution and Article 22 of the Canary Islands Statute of Autonomy. The accusation: rather than solving the structural shortage, the problem is shifted onto the most vulnerable.
What Does This Mean for Expats?
For European residents on Gran Canaria — Germans, Britons, Scandinavians — the decree has limited direct impact, as most don't rely on social housing. However, it signals a clear trend: the government increasingly prioritises long-term residents for public resources. For those with only a few years on the islands, state housing assistance is now effectively closed off.
More on this at Canarias7.