Jessica de León: 53,000 Illegal Tourist Rentals Will Remain on the Market

“The Spanish Government has no competence to remove housing from the tourist market,” she told the plenary session of the Canary Islands Parliament. “These are not illegal dwellings and the Government cannot decide otherwise,” emphasized the Canary Islands’ Minister of Tourism and Employment, Jéssica de León, referring to a letter sent by the Minister of Housing to the autonomous communities.

Parliamentary Statement

The minister declared that the Spanish Government lacks authority to withdraw properties from the tourist market, as matters of territorial planning, urbanism and tourism fall under the jurisdiction of the autonomous communities. She responded to a parliamentary question concerning the Ministry of Housing’s announcement about the removal of 53,000 illegal tourist apartments, of which 8,698 are located in the Canary Islands.

“The announcement made by the Spanish Government is unfounded,” she asserted, adding that not a single property has been removed from the tourist market.

She explained that the issue stems from the failure to obtain registration numbers through the Digital Single Window, which prevents these units from being advertised on platforms such as Airbnb or Booking. However, she stressed that this does not mean the properties have ceased tourist activity or that they are illegal.

“What has happened is that, without a registration number in the digital portal, these dwellings cannot be listed on certain platforms,” she said, “but that does not stop them from operating as tourist accommodations, nor does it render them illegal.”

Impact on the Market

In her intervention, de León warned that claiming these homes automatically become residential housing or are outside the law is simply misleading the public. She noted that owners can still market their units through personal websites, social media, real‑estate portals, or even word‑of‑mouth, meaning tourist activity can continue, albeit with reduced digital visibility.

She criticized the Spanish Government for acting unilaterally without consensus from the autonomous communities and announced that the Ministry has formally requested a complete list of the 8,698 Canary Islands units identified through the revocation of the national registry. This request aims to verify whether the properties are truly illegal, have been voluntarily deregistered, or simply lack completed registration procedures.

Letter from the Minister of Housing

The minister of Tourism made public a letter received from the Minister of Housing, which read:

“From the Government of Spain we provide you with all the data so that, within your competencies, you can inspect and close these dwellings.”

De León highlighted that the State acknowledges in this communication that it has not closed any property nor transferred any to the residential market. She referred to an attached Excel document listing the alleged illegal tourist apartments and condemned the clear breach of the Royal Decree, which mandates that registrations, suspensions, and cancellations be notified electronically via the Digital Single Window to autonomous communities and municipalities for inspection and control.

She added that in July the Canary Islands Government formally requested access to the Digital Single Window for electronic management of registrations, suspensions, and cancellations of tourist housing, complying with the decree’s first additional provision. Despite this request, the Ministry’s September response was insufficient, and technical errors have hampered effective integration.

Political Context

De León quoted another passage of the letter addressed to the Socialist parliamentary group, urging “courage to regulate an activity that collides with the social function of housing. I urge you to act to confront this phenomenon.” She reminded that the Socialist Party in the Canary Islands asked for two extensions to delay the approval and entry into force of the Sustainable Regulation of Tourist Housing Use Law, questioning the party’s commitment to regulation.

In a subsequent press release, the Ministry of Tourism concluded by criticizing the national Housing Law as a “real call‑in effect for the proliferation of tourist apartments.”

The article reflects the position of the Canary Islands’ Ministry of Tourism and Employment regarding the legal status and market presence of tourist apartments declared illegal by the national government.