New Rules for Holiday Rentals in the Canary Islands

New Rules for Holiday Rentals in the Canary Islands: What You Need to Know

If you rent out a property in the Canary Islands, there are some big changes coming your way. The new vacation rental (Vivienda Vacacional, or VV) regulations are designed to tighten up the rules, increase transparency, and—let’s be honest—make life a little more complicated for property owners.

At the heart of these changes is SES.HOSPEDAJES, a new system that tracks both rental owners and their guests. So, if you’re running a holiday let, here’s what you need to know to stay on the right side of the law (and avoid some pretty hefty fines).

What Is SES.HOSPEDAJES?

It’s basically a national guest registration system where every short-term rental owner must log their property, and every guest must be reported within 24 hours of check-in. Think of it as a digital guest book, except instead of a cute notebook on the coffee table, it’s a government-monitored system that comes with consequences if you don’t comply.

Key Changes You Need to Know

1. Your Property Must Be Registered

• Every VV must be officially registered with SES.HOSPEDAJES.
• You’ll be assigned a unique registration number, which you must display on rental listings (Airbnb, Booking.com, etc.).
• If your property isn’t registered, you can’t legally rent it out—and platforms could remove your listing.

2. Guest Check-In and Reporting

• Every guest (yes, even for a one-night stay) must be registered within 24 hours of check-in.
• You’ll need to collect:
  • Their full name, nationality, and ID details
  • Contact information
  • Check-in and check-out dates
  • Payment method details (yes, they’re tracking this too)
• This info has to be submitted through SES.HOSPEDAJES. Forget to do it? Expect a fine.

3. Stricter Rules on Who Can Rent and When

• No new VV licenses unless local urban plans allow them – If your area isn't zoned for tourism, you’re out of luck.
• No vacation rentals in social housing or entire residential buildings – If your property falls into these categories, you’ll have to say goodbye to short-term rentals.
• Newly built properties must be rented long-term for at least 10 years before switching to holiday lets – So if you were planning to buy and immediately list it on Airbnb, think again.
• If your property sits empty for a year, you could lose your license – Basically, use it or lose it.

Why Are They Doing This?

The government says the goal is to stop vacation rentals from driving up local rents and creating housing shortages. It’s also about making sure that short-term rentals are properly regulated and taxed—because let’s face it, they weren’t going to ignore that part.

What Happens If You Ignore the Rules?

If you don’t comply, you could be looking at:

• Fines from €100 (minor issues) to €30,000 (serious violations).
• Losing your VV license.
• Being kicked off major booking platforms for not having a registration number.

The Bottom Line

Like it or not, SES.HOSPEDAJES is here to stay. If you want to keep running your holiday rental, it’s time to get everything in order. Sure, it’s an extra layer of admin work, but at least now you can proudly tell your guests, “Welcome to my fully legal, totally compliant holiday home.”

Need help figuring it all out? Feel free to reach out—we know Spanish bureaucracy isn’t exactly a walk in the park!