The Minister of Tourism and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands, Jéssica de León, stated this Tuesday in the regional Parliament her concern about “the scenario of authentic uncertainty” that is being generated by the application of the royal decree of digital single window for the registration and control of short-term tourist accommodation, promoted by the Government of Spain, and which will come into force on July 1.
According to the minister, just seven days before the regulation becomes effective, “those who manage tourist use homes on the islands still do not know what specific requirements are demanded of them or the consequences they could face if they do not comply with the text.” In addition, she pointed out that the Ministry of Housing still has not clarified which establishments must register, which has caused unease among rural homeowners, “who do not know whether they have to register or not.”
Regarding public administrations, she explained that it is still unknown “how the Digital Single Window will be coordinated with the systems of the Autonomous Communities.” In fact, she pointed out that so far only the signature given by property registrars has been activated, but the single window, which is a different application, has not yet been enabled. At the same time, she recalled, “the Island Councils have denounced the collapse they are suffering due to the duplication of registration and have warned that they will not arrive on time.”
During her speech, she also emphasized the legal uncertainty created by the royal decree by requiring owners to register their homes, an imposition that contradicts the mortgage law, which in no case requires this procedure. This requirement, “is not legal in Spain and would especially affect the green islands, where thousands of owners will be left out of the marketing platforms for not having registered before July 1, being left without a large part of their accommodation offer in the middle of summer.”
De León stressed that the Autonomous Community is aware that ordering and regulating the activity of vacation rentals is a priority, which is why the Ministry of Tourism and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands brought the Law on Sustainable Planning of Tourist Use of Homes to the regional Parliament and has been present at all technical meetings convened by the Ministry of Housing, where it has always appealed for dialogue and consensus.
“However, the regulation as it is proposed does not fit with the tourist reality of the Canary Islands, invades our powers and leaves out thousands of owners due to a procedure that they are not obliged to do,” she reiterated, adding that “the sanctioning regime for the platforms has not been announced either.”
Faced with this situation, the regional Executive has filed an appeal against the royal decree and has requested an extension to its entry into force, until there is consensus and it can be applied. In this sense, the minister has once again offered her hand to the Ministry of Housing, to which she has offered collaboration to convene a new meeting with all the Autonomous Communities, “since we have all been affected,” to establish a common criterion that respects the European regulation, the Services Directive and the autonomous regulations. “We want things to be done, but done well,” she concluded.
