Canary Islands opens public comment period for the stressed market zone of Las Palmas

The Canarian Housing Institute (ICAVI) has opened for public consultation the file to declare the entire municipality of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as a stressed residential market zone (ZMRT). The announcement, signed by the head of the agency, María del Pino de León Hernández, is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Las Palmas number 123, dated October 14, 2026, under reference 366.069, and opens a period of thirty business days for the submission of allegations.

The figure of the stressed residential market zone is regulated in Title V (articles 36 to 38) of Decree-law 1/2024, of February 19, on urgent housing measures, as amended by the second final provision of Law 7/2026, of July 31, for the streamlining of urban planning license processing and the promotion of housing construction. Article 37.1 establishes that the procedure is initiated at the request of the interested city council, which must submit the application accompanied by the required documentation; article 37.3 obliges the competent regional body to submit the file for public consultation for a minimum period of twenty days.

The Canarian Housing Institute, an autonomous body attached to the Department competent in housing matters, assumes the processing in accordance with its Statutes, approved by Decree 152/2008, of July 7. A report from the agency itself, dated September 24, 2026, concluded that the documentation provided allows the processing to continue and the public participation process to open.

Chronology of a file initiated in 2024

• May 10, 2024: the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria urges the Government of the Canary Islands to initiate the preparatory information procedure on the situation of the municipal residential market, under Law 12/2023, of May 24, on the right to housing.
• January 20, 2025: receipt by the Government of the Canary Islands of the request for the ZMRT declaration for the entire municipality.
• March 12, 2026: the City Council completes the required documentation after several requests.
• September 24, 2026: ICAVI report favorable to continuing the processing.
• October 9, 2026: signing of the agreement to submit to public consultation.

Deadline, consultation, and submission of allegations

The period begins with the first of the publications —in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands and in the Official Gazette of the Province of Las Palmas— and remains open until thirty business days have elapsed from the day following the second publication. During this period, interested parties may submit any allegations they deem appropriate.

• Case file consultation: Citizen Participation portal of the Government of the Canary Islands, selecting the Ministry of Public Works, Housing, and Mobility.
• Documentation: website of the Canarian Housing Institute, in the section dedicated to the stressed zone of Las Palmas.
• Electronic allegations: form available on the citizen participation portal.
• In-person: natural persons may submit them at the registration offices of the Government of the Canary Islands or at the locations provided for in article 16.4 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations.

Municipal scope and next steps

The City Council’s request covers the entire municipal area, not a partial scope, as stated in the case file. The declaration of a Stressed Market Rental Zone (ZMRT) is the figure that state housing legislation associates with areas with stressed rental prices, such that its processing affects both owners and tenants in the municipality.

The agreement also includes the notification of the act to the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the promoter of the case file. Once the public information period has passed and the allegations have been assessed, it will be the responsibility of the competent regional body to resolve the declaration.

The final decision will determine whether Las Palmas de Gran Canaria becomes the first large Canarian municipality with this qualification in force, with the consequences that housing regulations link to it for the rental market. Until then, the case file and the proposed specific plan of measures remain available to any citizen during the consultation period.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Las Palmas, number 123, October 14, 2026, section II (Administration of the Autonomous Community), pág. 17665-17667 (official reference: 366.069).