In December 2025 the new Law 6/2025 of Sustainable Management of the Tourist Use of Dwellings was approved, which will affect both the vacation homes that are already operating, as well as the new ones that want to be established from now on. The procedure to open a new holiday home will be by making a responsible declaration of start of activity HERE,
📑Content of the Responsible Declaration.
- Identify the dwelling: cadastral reference, registered property and maximum housing capacity.
- Identify the person or entity operating the property: including telephone number and email, ownership of the management or enjoyment of the property and communication to the owner.
- Identification of the owner or holder of the property: if different from the person operating the property and a statement that there are no circumstances that could limit the opening of the vacation home.
- Declaration that the dwelling is not subject to a public protection regime or intended for family or personal use.
- Representation that the vacation home would comply with urban planning.
- Authorization for the Administrations to obtain the necessary data on the property.
- Statement that there is no prohibition of tourist use for the dwelling by the statutes of the community of owners.
- Planned start date for the activity.
- Tourist activity report: plans, geolocation and photographs of the facade and interior.
Failure to comply with or misrepresentation in this declaration will result in the obligation not to use the dwelling for tourist use, the impossibility of using it for this purpose for up to 3 years and possible fines.
🏡I want to open a new vacation home, how does it affect me?
–Newly built dwellings may not be used for tourist or vacation use and must be at least 10 years old or 5 years old for the islands of El Hierro, La Gomera and La Palma. This term begins to count from the first license or certification of administrative character.
– Areas may be declared as stressed, which will prevent the issuance of more tourist housing licenses.
-Homeowners’ associations may prohibit them in their bylaws,
It will be allowed in single-family detached houses, provided that they do not exceed the concentration percentage of 10% or 20% on the islands of El Hierro, La Gomera and La Palma.
🚨I have a vacation home, what has changed?
-The declaration enables the activity to be carried out for 5 years, or 10 years in the islands of El Hierro, La Gomera and La Palma, after which it will be verified that the requirements are still met and that the conditions of the property in the municipality have not changed.
-A new responsible declaration must be issued 1 month before the deadline expires. Otherwise the property will be definitively deregistered.
-If 150% of the housing capacity of the dwelling is exceeded, it will be closed.
-If guests are accommodated in substandard housing, rooftops, garages, commercial premises or construction sites or in warehouses of materials, the right to operate the vacation home will also be lost, among other consequences and penalties.
– New inspections will be created for tourist accommodations suspected of irregularities.
-If the dwelling is used residentially or habitationally while the responsible declaration is in effect, the respective municipality may leave the dwelling unlicensed to operate as a vacation home.
It will be possible to renovate and carry out maintenance work on tourist accommodations, but no major work, extensions, or any other work aimed at extending the useful life of the property or creating more vacation spots in the building.
-The suspension of the use of the vacation home for more than 1 year and any other circumstance that ends the use as a vacation home will require submitting a new sworn statement.
-Since the law came into effect, vacation homes that are in operation must renew the declaration within 5 years or when the exploitation contract ends. This may be extended for another 5 years, requesting it at the latest within the first 4 years from the date the law came into effect.
-The vacation use of the homes may be extended to 20 years by renting another home with similar characteristics for residential use. For more information, refer to the Third Transitional Provision of the new law.
– New requirements for converting residential homes into tourist accommodations: Minimum 35m2 of space and 2 bathrooms if there are more than 4 lodging spaces, and 3 bathrooms if there are more than 8, or they must meet the usual habitability requirements if they have additional facilities covered by law.
🗨Applicable regulations
- Decree 113/2015, Regulation of holiday homes of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands.
- Law 6/2025, of December 10, on the Sustainable Regulation of the Tourist Use of Housing in the Canary Islands.
- Law 7/1995, of April 6, on the Regulation of Tourism in the Canary Islands.
- Law 14/2019, of April 25, on tourism regulation in the islands of El Hierro, La Gomera, and La Palma.
In Registro Parte Viajeros we facilitate the management of your tourist accommodation and the registration of your accommodations.
