The Tenerife Island Council has called the Island Housing Council in response to the real estate crisis that has been affecting the island in recent months. The lack of affordable public housing developments, the exponential rise in rental costs, the market distortion caused by the influx of vacation rentals, and a new flawed national law are the main factors contributing to an ongoing crisis that has forced over 2,000 residents of Tenerife to live in precarious housing. This situation particularly affects the South and the Metropolitan Area.
Unanimity
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All the political groups of the island’s government supported the proposal of the socialist councillor Priscila de León, which aims to “engage social, economic, and political actors in finding solutions to the housing access problem.” This advisory body, created in 2005 but with very little activity up to now, should enhance actions in the field such as providing assistance for home acquisition or renovation. It also involves promptly requesting designated representatives from groups and organizations to join the Council, so it can be convened as soon as possible.
Activa Vivienda 2024
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The island’s councillor for housing, Sonia Hernández, recalls that “recently (on the 7th) we approved the Active Housing 2024 Programme, a document to be presented to the Council.” This programme aims to promote active policies on housing in Tenerife, as well as the dissemination of programs, projects, and actions. It will also be responsible for periodically monitoring the national and regional housing plans on the island. The decision to convene it was taken unanimously in response to the housing crisis.
The PSOE considers that “the Decree Law of the Government of the Canary Islands this week has made the Cabildo’s Active Housing 2024 programme ‘obsolete’.” Councillor Priscila de León emphasizes that it also “renders the allocations outlined in the island’s budget for housing inadequate.” De León believes that “given the government’s decree, the initiative can be significantly improved both in terms of measures and funding.”
Absurdities indoors
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The recent housing crisis absurdities in Tenerife speak for themselves. Just look at the headlines. For example, a storage room – less than six square meters – is being rented in the center of Santa Cruz for 430 euros per month. Or the tent camps on a rooftop at La Salle, also in the capital, for 12 euros per night, which have made national news. Not to mention the rentals of a sofa in the South for 250 euros, another tent in a protected area, a cave in Güímar, or offers of 1,200 to 1,800 euros per room in a coliving property – where the tenant has an independent room, usually with a bathroom and kitchen – in La Orotava.
of unstoppable phenomena like that of vacation rentals. This is due to the legal vacuum that still exists regarding the regulation of this activity, and because the increase in this type of accommodation’s availability drives up residential rental prices. The offerings from property owners add to the rental properties made available to visitors in any residential community.
