The odyssey to be able to find a home in Lanzarote does not end. The reference real estate portal Idealista only offers 57 listings on the island. The cheapest, a 30 square meter apartment in Arrecife and aimed at "officials, teachers or health personnel" who are going to move to the island temporarily. The most expensive, a chalet of 80 square meters and 3,000 euros per month.
The latest data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) show 19,986 empty homes on the island. Meanwhile, vacation homes have not stopped growing, reaching their peak in May of this year, with more than 7,200 houses for this purpose and more than 33,000 places offered.
After three decades on the island, a citizen assures that she had never encountered these housing problems before on the island. This woman of Swiss nationality has been living in Lanzarote for 35 years and after 15 in the same accommodation, she has been trying to locate a new home since May of this year. "We are not people who change their residence like they change their shirt, I have been living here for 35 years," she told La Voz. She now lives on two retirement salaries, but the high price of rents and the scarcity of supply prevent her from accessing a home.
"It is impressive how tourism is exploding after COVID, with homes being rented to tourists without being identified as vacation homes," denounces the citizen, who prefers to remain anonymous.
"They are also exploiting rentals for tourists in residential areas. It is something I cannot understand," denounces the resident of Lanzarote.
"This situation makes me angry. This cannot be. I am on a rental page contacting several people who are in the same situation as me, also pensioners," she explains. In this line, she emphasizes that she does not understand why politicians do not control that tourists do not rent homes in residential neighborhoods.
Given the situation, this resident does not rule out sharing a home with other people in the same situation. However, she criticizes that paying 800 or 1,000 euros to face a rent is "impossible." In addition, she denounces that a house is nothing more than "a stone, a little bit of cement, windows and doors, which do not have a value to ask for so much money."
In addition, she offers the option that owners of empty homes be "penalized" by paying more taxes to promote that they rent them out during the period of time in which they are not using them. "As of August 30, there are people on the street who do not know where to go," she adds.
Faced with this situation, this citizen urges the population to take to the streets and protest.
