The failed purchase of housing increases in the Canary Islands: 13% of those who try to buy do not succeed

Accessing housing in Canary Islands continues to be a growing challenge. In the last twelve months, the percentage of citizens who have tried to buy without success has increased again, going from 12% to 13%.

This increase in ineffective buyers reflects the structural difficulty of the market to absorb demand that continues to rise, according to the report “Radiography of the housing market in 2026” by Fotocasa Research.

In this way, the combination of the increases of both groups (effective and ineffective buyers) results in the notable increase in participation in both the buying and selling and the Canary real estate market as a whole. Still within demand, it is observed that those who have rented a home to live in as tenants in the archipelago also increase, going from 5% to 7%. That is, two percentage points higher and one point more than the national average.

Regarding tenants who have tried to rent a property to live in, but have not yet succeeded, the figure drops to 5%, after twelve months earlier it was established at 7%.

From the offer, those who have sold an apartment they owned constitute 2% (one point more than the previous year), the same percentage as non-effective sellers (who also double the 2025 figure).

"The real estate market in the Canary Islands has recovered an extraordinary vitality in 2026, placing itself three points above the Spanish average. The most relevant aspect of this period is the strong return of buying and selling: while in the rest of Spain the intention to buy stands at 17%, in the archipelago it rises to 20%.

This 'awakening' of interest in property is a clear sign that Canarians continue to see housing as a safe haven value and a vital priority, despite the price difficulties the islands are experiencing. However, this dynamism in purchasing contrasts with the exhaustion that the rental market is beginning to show. This trend indicates that the rental supply is so strained that many citizens are trying to make the leap to buying due to the lack of attractive or affordable options for renting,” explains María Matos, director of Studies at Fotocasa.

Sales recover strength, while rentals decline

Another of the highlighted data points from the present radiography of the Canary real estate market by Fotocasa Research is that, in 2026 sales will regain momentum and largely surpass the rental market.

In this way, unlike last year, the participation of individuals in the purchase and sale market rises to 20% (five percentage points more than in 2025), while that of rentals falls to 15% (compared to 17% twelve months earlier).

In this way, the 2024 scenario is recovered, when sales accounted for 20% and rentals for 17%. That is, while the market share of sales recovers its figures, that of rentals loses steam.

Compared to the Spanish average, the increase in the participation of individuals in buying and selling in the Canary Islands means largely exceeding the percentage for Spain as a whole (17%), while it barely exceeds it by one point in the case of rentals, which nationally stands at 14%. Therefore, the higher level of real estate activity in the Canary Islands compared to Spain as a whole is mainly due to buying and selling.

Upon closer examination, it is observed that a significant impulse is produced in Canary Island buyers, going from 2% last year to 4% in 2026, thus matching the percentage that follows the national average.