The file exists, the calendar does too, and now comes a step that rarely gets noticed: public consultation. From 15 October until Thursday 12 November, the Canary Housing Institute (ICAVI) is making the file available to everyone, to declare the whole municipality of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria a “Tensioned Residential Market Zone”. The request came from the city council.
How do you take part? The documents are on the Canarian government’s Citizen Participation portal, by selecting the Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Mobility. Comments (alegaciones) are filed electronically through the portal form. Individuals can also submit them in person at the Canarian government’s registry offices, or through any other route under Law 39/2015 on common administrative procedure. ICAVI will review each one and reply to them individually before deciding.
The timeline shows how long the road has been. On 10 May 2024 the council asked the government to start the preparatory procedure to gather residential market data. On 20 January 2025 it filed the formal request for the whole municipal area. After several requests for more information, it completed the documents on 12 March 2026. ICAVI then concluded the information allowed the process to continue and the file to go public. The procedure is governed by Decree-Law 1/2024 of 19 February on urgent housing measures.
What changes in practice if the zone is declared? The RTVC report this piece is based on doesn’t say, and gives no rent data or political statements. So we won’t speculate on the effects. RTVC headlines from the last two years show a heated debate, with the council and the regional government taking different positions on requirements and timing; it’s better to read the original file than to infer from the arguments.
If you live in Las Palmas, have a lease about to expire, or own property, you have four weeks to read and respond. The same goes for foreign residents: as described, the portal doesn’t appear to require any nationality, but check the official page before filing anything.
It closes on 12 November. After that it’s up to ICAVI.
