Holiday rental licence in the Canary Islands: Law 6/2025 and what changes in 2026

The Canary Islands have just brought in completely new rules for holiday rentals, and it is important to know them because they substantially change the rules compared with the previous law (including the practical situation of thousands of municipalities that, as of today, still cannot process new licences).

Law 6/2025: what changes

Ley 6/2025, de 10 de diciembre, de Ordenación Sostenible del Uso Turístico de Viviendas (Law 6/2025 of 10 December on the Sustainable Regulation of the Tourist Use of Homes) came into force the day after its publication in the BOC (the Canary Islands Official Gazette) and replaces the old Decree 113/2015. It sets a much more demanding framework for new holiday homes across the whole archipelago.

Requirements for new homes

• A certificado de compatibilidad urbanística (planning compatibility certificate), issued by the relevant town hall.
• A minimum age of 10 years for the property.
• Authorisation subject to the municipal quotas in place.
• Stricter technical standards than in other autonomous communities.

The practical problem in 2026: many town halls can't issue the certificate

Most Canary Islands municipalities have not yet adapted their PGO (Planes Generales de Ordenación, general urban plans) to the new law, so in 2026 they are not in a position to issue the planning compatibility certificate that the law itself requires. In practice, this blocks the processing of new licences in much of the territory until each town hall updates its planning.

Transitional regime for existing licences

If you already held a licence with at least one year of continuous activity before 13 December 2025, and without a veto from the comunidad de propietarios (owners' association), you can apply for consolidated tourist use and keep the activity going indefinitely under that regime.

If you don't meet those conditions, you have a period of 5 years (extendable to 10 in exceptional cases) to adapt to the new rules.

Would you rather someone handled it for you?

At beBalmy we closely follow how each Canary Islands municipality is adapting to the new law, to help you know exactly where your home stands. Tell us about your situation and we'll tell you how we can help.