The deputy and general secretary of the PSOE of Lanzarote, María Dolores Corujo, brought the housing emergency that Lanzarote and the Canary Islands are going through to the Congress of Deputies this Wednesday. In the Committee on Housing and Urban Agenda, Corujo defended a non-legislative proposal to regulate tourist apartments in the island territories, with the aim of protecting the right to a home, preserving coexistence in neighborhoods and towns, and guaranteeing legal certainty for both tenants and owners.
“In Lanzarote, working no longer guarantees a roof over your head. Young people who cannot become independent, couples with two salaries who are struggling to make ends meet, professionals who are giving up on coming here, families sharing apartments or living in garages. This is not an anecdote: it is an unprecedented emergency,” Corujo stressed.
The socialist leader warned that "today we face an alarming reality that demands a clear, progressive, and unhesitating political response." "The housing situation in our islands is a humanitarian, social, and economic crisis that threatens equality, social cohesion, and the future of our communities," she stated
"Unbearable" prices for families
Thus, Corujo recalled that the geographical and economic singularity of island territories necessitates precise analysis and a coordinated response among different administrations. The data support the urgency: in June 2025, home sales in Spain grew by 5.9% year-on-year, reaching 68,128 transactions and an average price of 1,908 euros per square meter, 8% more than in 2024. In the Canary Islands, the price rose by 13.2%, well above the average, while sales fell by 8.1%, highlighting the disconnect between supply and real demand
“The rise in housing prices, both for purchase and rent, has become unaffordable for many families,” explained Corujo. “Since 2014, housing prices have increased by 80% in our islands, compared to a 18% salary increase. This difference has direct consequences: people are being pushed out of their neighborhoods, their towns, their islands.”
In his speech, he also pointed out the direct impact of the expansion of tourist apartments"One of the factors that most pressures prices upward is, without a doubt, the proliferation, legal and illegal, of vacation homes. That is why it is essential to strengthen regulation and guarantee compliance with more inspection, more control, and an effective single registry.""While the Canary Islands Government continues to avoid applying the Housing Law and protecting the social majority, the Spanish Government is taking action," he pointed out. In this regard, Corujo highlighted that 372,589 applications have been submitted to the single registry of vacation homes, and 21% have been revoked, which demonstrates that the regulations are working, allowing for the identification of legal supply, the sanctioning of fraud, and the protection of those who comply with the rules.Finally, Corujo underscored the need to act with **institutional responsibility and political urgency**: "The pressure on housing access in Lanzarote requires a clear public response, based on compliance with the law, land management, and effective regulation of tourist uses. Applying the Housing Law, guaranteeing the social function of the residential stock, and strengthening control mechanisms is not an option: it is an obligation. People come first, and then everything else."