Canary Islands open public information period to declare Las Palmas a stressed zone

The Canarian Housing Institute has opened the public information process for the file to declare the entire municipality of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as a Stressed Residential Market Zone (ZMRT). This is done through the announcement of October 9, 2026, by its Director, published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands no. 211, of October 22, 2026, in section V (Other announcements), under number 3641. The procedure stems from a request by the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and is the preliminary step toward the effective declaration of the zone.

A file initiated by the City Council in 2024

The origin of the procedure dates back to May 10, 2024, when the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria communicated to the Canarian Housing Institute its intention to urge the Government of the Canary Islands to initiate the preparatory procedure to obtain information on the residential market situation within its municipal scope, under the framework of Law 12/2023, of May 24, on the right to housing.

With an entry date of January 20, 2025, the City Council formally submitted the request for the ZMRT declaration for the entire municipal area. After several requests for correction, the required documentation was completed on March 12, 2026.

The Canarian Housing Institute issued a report on September 24, 2026, concluding that the provided documentation allows for the continued processing of the file and its submission for public information.

The legal framework: Decree-law 1/2024 and Law 7/2026

The procedure 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.

According to paragraph 1 of article 37, the procedure is initiated by the interested City Council, which must submit a request accompanied by the mandatory documentation. Paragraph 3 of the same article establishes that, once these steps are completed, the competent regional body shall submit the file for public information for a minimum period of twenty days.

During this process, all documentation that served as the basis for the justifying report and the declaration request, as well as the proposed specific measures plan, must be made available to the public.

The authority to issue the act corresponds to the Direction of the Canarian Housing Institute, an autonomous body attached to the Department competent in housing matters, pursuant to article 10.2 of its Statutes, approved by Decree 152/2008, of July 7.

Thirty business days and two ways to appeal

The Director’s agreement establishes a period longer than the legal minimum:

• The period begins with the first of the publications, in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands or 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.
• The file may be examined on the Citizen Participation portal, within the section of the Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Mobility, and on the website of the Canarian Housing Institute.
• Allegations should preferably be submitted by electronic means, using the form on the Citizen Participation portal.
• Natural persons may also submit them in person 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.

The announcement further orders the notification of the act to the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The document appears signed in the Canary Islands, on October 9, 2026, by the Director, María del Pino de León Hernández.

What this means for owners and tenants

The opening of the public information process moves the debate to the neighborhood level: over the coming weeks, owners, tenants, associations, and professional colleges may file allegations regarding the justifying report and the plan of measures accompanying the municipal request. The declaration would affect the entire municipal district of the Gran Canaria capital, not specific neighborhoods, and would mean applying the stressed zone regime to a housing stock of insular scope.

Source: Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, no. 211, of October 22, 2026, section V (Other announcements), pp. 38119-38120 (official reference: announcement no. 3641).