This has been bubbling away for a while, and now it’s landing properly.
The Spanish Ministry of Housing has instructed online platforms to remove 86,275 illegal short term and temporary rental listings across Spain.
Out of that total, 13,726 are in the Canary Islands.
That puts Canarias firmly among the regions with the highest number of rejected registrations. Not ideal, but hardly unexpected.
Why are these listings being taken down?
These are properties that applied for the new national short term rental registration number but were refused.
In simple terms, they didn’t meet the requirements.
Without that registration number, a property cannot legally be advertised. Once the Ministry notifies the platforms, those listings must be removed. Even if the same property appears on several different websites.
No number. No advert.
How does the Canary Islands compare to the rest of Spain?
Andalucía tops the list by a long way, with 21,872 revoked registrations.
Next comes Valencia with 14,387.
Then the Canary Islands with 13,726.
So yes, we’re right up there.
Given the importance of tourism to the islands, that shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone.
Spain has moved first in Europe
Spain is the first country in the EU to fully implement the European regulation that requires a single national register for short term rentals.
Since July, every short stay rental must have a registration code issued by the Property Registrars, which is shared with the platforms through the Ministry’s Digital Single Window.
If that code isn’t granted, the listing doesn’t stay live. End of.
Tourist lets versus seasonal rentals
Across Spain there have been 412,253 applications for registration:
- 78% relate to tourist rentals
- 22% relate to seasonal or temporary rentals
Madrid stands out as an anomaly.
In the capital, 83% of applications are for seasonal rentals, not tourist accommodation. That’s very much a Madrid-specific situation and doesn’t reflect what we’re seeing in Tenerife or the wider Canary Islands.
Where are the Canary Islands most affected?
Three Canary Island municipalities appear in the national top ten for refused tourist rental registrations:
- San Bartolomé de Tirajana – 1,056
- Adeje – 1,019
- Arona – 942
These aren’t fringe areas. They’re major tourist centres.
Which tells you everything you need to know about how seriously this is being taken.
What does this mean for property owners in Tenerife?
A few straight observations.
Enforcement is no longer theoretical. It’s happening.
The platforms are complying because they have to.
And owning a property that “used to be fine” doesn’t mean much anymore.
Holiday rentals aren’t disappearing. Far from it.
But buying or owning property without understanding zoning, licensing and registration is now a real risk.
If short term rental income is part of your plan, you need:
- The right property
- In the right location
- With the correct licence
- And advice that’s actually up to date
Anything else is guesswork. And that’s madness when property money is involved.
