Esther González, a member of the Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista (NC-BC) party, has warned that the decree-law temporarily suspending fines for homeowners in tourist areas could pave the way for the eviction of thousands of families living in southern Gran Canaria. González denounced that this legislation, promoted by the Canarian Coalition (CC) government and the Popular Party (PP), leaves those who own "legal" homes in a situation of complete lack of protection, forcing them to declare themselves "illegal" if they want to avoid financial penalties.
The Canary Islands group has already announced that it will vote against the ratification of this decree-law in the Parliamentary plenary session scheduled for next Wednesday. The law is part of the urgent measures amending the Canary Islands Tourism Renewal and Modernization Law, arguing that it addresses the tourist use of properties.
According to the NC-BC spokesperson, in southern Gran Canaria—one of the hardest-hit areas—tens of thousands of families live in homes located on mixed-use land, that is, designated for both residential and tourist purposes. These are flats, apartments, and bungalows, mostly purchased before the tourist boom, and whose title is listed as residential in their deeds.
González insisted that these are perfectly legal properties, but the regional government wants to force them to be considered "illegal" to avoid the fines imposed for residing in areas designated as tourist destinations.
The parliamentarian also criticized Fernando Clavijo's government for using the housing pressure generated by vacation rentals as a justification, when, in her opinion, this decree does not resolve this problem in residential areas, where the tension really occurs.
On the contrary, he denounced, both residential and holiday home use are being restricted in tourist areas in the south of Gran Canaria, benefiting large tourism companies and harming small property owners and residents, thereby paving the way for the expulsion of thousands of families from the south of the island.
