Tertulia: Raising rents to earn more… and society ends up paying the price

This Friday, during the regular Friday round‑table on the programme La Voz de Fuerteventura on Radio Insular, the housing debate on the island moved beyond the usual topics—lack of public housing, holiday rentals, strengthening technical offices, speeding up procedures, squatting, or the price of renting a property. Today we go further to analyse the consequences of the price surge and its real impact on the whole island.

The shortage of affordable housing not only affects those looking for a home; it also conditions the arrival of professionals, drives up the cost of services, and disrupts the everyday functioning of sectors such as health and education.

The round‑table brought together tenants, owners and mediators to put a face on this reality and reflect on how individual decisions affect collective development.

100% Increases in Just Two Years

Cristina described the anguish of a year spent searching for a home after her apartment was sold.

“We were out on the street with two children and pets… there is simply no rental available.”

She finally signed a lease for €790 per month.

“Can a person earning €1,000‑€1,200 afford a rent like that?”

Antonio recounted a similar story from a different angle. He received a job offer on the island and, after months of frantic searching, “the very day I started work I still didn’t have a place.” In his case, rent jumped from about €450 to €900 in two years—an increase of almost 100 %.

Joana Garrofé, promoter at the real‑estate agency Yo Alquilo, gave a blunt diagnosis.

“I have never seen such a brutal rise in such a short time.”

Two‑bedroom apartments in tourist zones now hover around €1,200 because supply is limited while demand soars.

“When there is no housing, prices can reach those levels.”

The new Vacation‑Housing Law was expected to convert many short‑term rentals into long‑term leases, expanding supply and easing high prices. Instead, demand is so massive that prices keep climbing, driven by owners’ desire to maximise profit and by tenants who feel forced to pay whatever is asked.

The Debate Is Not Only Economic, It Is Social

Each owner makes an individual decision—raising rent, converting a property to tourist use, or leaving it empty—but the cumulative effect of those choices has a strong impact on society as a whole.

The ripple effect is clear: fewer available workers, strained services, and higher prices in other sectors. If plumbers, teachers or health professionals are scarce, waiting times lengthen and costs rise.

“Earning more from a property can mean paying more for repairs, services, or not having a particular health professional available when you need them.”

Occasionally, “a little angel” appears and says, “I’ll set the rent at €500.” Those cases are now rare, admits Joana.

“There are owners who prioritise finding a good tenant or facilitating access to housing rather than maximising profit.”

Innovative Solutions

• Mini‑studios – compact units with kitchen, bathroom and living space for one or two people, built in modular housing. They rent for about €350, and demand is very high.

  “We get calls almost every day,” says Máximo Mariani, owner and builder of these solutions. He urges public authorities to streamline procedures so that urban‑land projects with easy approvals can be completed quickly, preventing investors from looking elsewhere.

Housing, which for years acted as an economic complement, has become a central business in a strained market.

But it cannot be only about profit, concludes Garrofé, urging reflection on how private gain increasingly imposes a growing public cost.