Owners of holiday rental properties in the Canary Islands have no intention of switching to long-term lets, estate agents have warned. Last month, in a bid to stem the country’s housing crisis, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced plans to ask platforms such as Airbnb to remove 53,000 holiday homes across Spain – including 8,700 in the Canary Islands and 6,000 in the Malaga province – after detecting irregularities.

However, a spokesperson for a Canary Islands real estate association has slammed the prime minister’s actions and has claimed that many property owners have no intention of changing how they use their properties. According to Cristina García Chagrín, spokesperson for the Canarian Association of Real Estate Management Companies (ACEGI), Mr Sánchez is “ignoring the rights of property owners”, while the main reason landlords are resisting moving to long-term rentals, especially in tourist areas, is legal uncertainty.

Ms García Chagrín explained that this legal uncertainty has been made worse by Spain’s 2023 Housing Law, which many deem unfair and biased against owners.

“The rise in holiday rentals isn’t just about profit,” she said. “It’s because many owners feel unprotected. The experts have been saying it for years, they’ve been left out of the equation.”

She also questioned why Mr Sánchez has insisted on dictating how private properties should be used, according to Canarian Weekly.

“These homes belong to their owners, and they will decide what to do with them,” she added.

In a bombshell statement, Ms García Chagrín claimed that many owners would rather sell or leave their properties empty than rent them to residents or families. Instead, many are opting for medium-term rentals, such as to professionals or students, instead of committing to long-term contracts.

“Maybe some will return to the residential market, but only because they want to, not because the government orders it,” she added. “They’re playing with people’s assets.”

This news comes as it was revealed last month that small businesses in the archipelago are scrambling to hire staff as exorbitant rental prices push them away. Many job seekers are turning down opportunities if it means working in an area where most of their salary would go towards paying rent, it has been reported.

“An employee from Mogán in the south of Gran Canaria, travelling to the capital, faces a 120-kilometre [75-mile] round trip every day,” claimed Enrique Hernández, president of the Canary Islands Business Platform. “Finding affordable housing near their workplace is almost impossible.”