Coalición Canaria estimates that around 900,000 people are affected by housing access issues on the islands, representing almost 40 per cent of the archipelago’s population.
This estimate was put forward by Cristina Valido, the CC candidate for the Congress of Deputies for Santa Cruz de Tenerife, who has called for measures to protect tenant families and encourage small landlords to offer affordable rents.
Valido explained that this estimate includes the approximately 680,000 people who live in rented accommodation, young people who have been unable to leave home and continue to live with their parents, those who have had to return to the family home because they cannot afford the rent or mortgage, and people who, following a separation or divorce, have lost the right to live in the family home.
Canary Islands: CC plans to restrict property purchases by non-residents
In light of this situation, the candidate has argued for the need to introduce measures that protect both tenant households and small landlords.
The proposals put forward by Coalición Canaria also include restricting the purchase of property in the Canary Islands by non-residents, preventing investment funds and large property owners from competing on the same terms as small property owners, providing funding to Canarian companies to build social housing, and establishing guarantees to help young people secure a mortgage.
One of the main proposals put forward by Valido is to establish legal mechanisms to restrict the purchase of property in the Canary Islands by people who do not live on the islands and do not intend to do so.
«The commitment that homes sold in the Canary Islands will be for those who live here, for residents of the Canary Islands,» she said, explaining that this will be one of the issues that Coalición Canaria will raise with whoever is seeking the mandate to form a government.
Valido has warned that the limited supply of housing and the disparity in financial means between local buyers and investors from other countries may make it even more difficult for the people of the Canary Islands to access housing.
She has also argued against investment funds and large property owners being treated in the same way as small property owners.
Canary Islands: CC calls for funding and faster planning procedures
The candidate has also called on the State to provide funding to Canarian construction firms that wish to develop social housing but are finding it difficult to access sufficient resources.
She pointed out that successive economic crises have reduced both the number and the financial capacity of companies in the sector on the islands, which limits their involvement in large-scale housing projects.
She has also advocated making it easier for young people to access mortgages through guarantee schemes, financial support and the simplification of banking requirements.
In this context, she has particularly drawn attention to the amendment to the Canary Islands Investment Reserve (RIC), which allows business funds to be channelled into the construction of affordable rental housing, provided that such properties are not used for tourist rentals.
She has also called for a review of the Land Use Act to streamline town planning procedures and reduce administrative processing times.
She has criticised the fact that some small businesses have to wait years to obtain building permits, a situation which, as she explained, can jeopardise the viability of projects.
With regard to spatial planning, she has argued that the Canary Islands must address the limits to population growth, taking into account the specific circumstances of each island and respecting the powers and views of the island councils.
Small-scale landlords are to receive guarantees and tax incentives
Another key aspect of her proposal is to restore confidence amongst small property owners in order to increase the supply of residential rental accommodation.
Valido has stated that, according to the data she has, 80 per cent of landlords with properties to let in the Canary Islands are small-scale landlords, which is why she considers it necessary to offer them legal certainty, safeguards and tax incentives.
In this regard, she has called for the State to bear the costs of guaranteeing rent payments when local authorities are required to protect vulnerable families with no alternative accommodation, as well as providing tax incentives for those who make their vacant properties available for long-term let.
Garachico: CC criticises Sareb's unused building land
She has also criticised the Spanish Government’s announcements regarding the construction of thousands of homes and the use of public and military land for residential development projects.
As an example of public land awaiting development, she cited a plot owned by Sareb in Garachico, in the Isla Baja region, where she believes hundreds of homes could be built and which, she claims, has been at a standstill for 25 years.
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