The Canarian Government is currently examining new measures designed to regulate both the quantity and quality of holiday rentals within tourist resort areas on Lanzarote and the rest of the islands.

A recent ruling by the Supreme Court of Justice in the archipelago has established the basic right of citizens to rent their properties under anti-competition law, with local politicians now accepting this fast growing sector as part of the overall tourist landscape.

It is estimated that there are currently 28,000 properties available for holiday rental across the seven islands and that this sector accounted for 1.25 million tourist visits during 2016, close to 10% of all arrivals.

As a result of this ruling the Canarian Governement is now turning its attention to how best to regulate and control the sector within tourist areas, as the hotel lobby urges them to create a level playing field that also ensures compliance with local labour and tax laws.

Current proposals under discussion include devolving responsibility for licensing to local districts and town halls so that they can manage the level of supply, alongside the creation of a central register to satisfy police and security concerns. Plus an as yet unspecified crackdown on unregistered properties appearing on holiday rental portals such as AirBnB and HomeAway. Last year for example both of these websites were fined 60,000 euros each for advertising holiday accommodation that was not officially listed on the Catalan Tourist Register.