The guides
Written by Luca, in the first person, with official sources and the date I read them.
Updated on
In brief
Here I gather what I explain every week to people who want to buy or sell property in the Canaries: the documents, the taxes, the steps with the notary, the islands' areas as I see them after years here. Each guide answers a single question, states where the numbers come from and when I checked them. If you can't find your question, message me: the next guide could be yours.
The latest guides
Building a house in the Canary Islands or buying one ready-built: what changesLand, licence, taxes and guarantees: what changes between building a house in the Canary Islands and buying one ready-built, rule by rule.
Advice ·
1-euro houses in the Canary Islands: the truthThere's no 1-euro house scheme in the Canary Islands: those schemes belong to depopulating Italian towns. Where the myth comes from, and what's real.
Useful information ·
Cost of living in the Canary Islands: what you really spendWhat people really spend in the Canary Islands: household budgets, inflation, IGIC vs IVA, fuel and incomes, with official tables and their year.
Useful information ·
How many Italians live in the Canary Islands: the official numbers55,553 Italians were resident in the Canary Islands at 1 January 2025, the largest foreign community: numbers per island and town, official tables.
Useful information ·
How much does a small house really cost in the Canary IslandsThe real maths behind a small 40-60 m² property in the Canary Islands: floor area times the official value per square metre, plus the purchase tax.
Useful information ·
Squatters in the Canary Islands: what the law saysAllanamiento de morada and usurpación aren't the same offence. What changed on 3 April 2025, the civil route, and what to do straight away.
Laws and regulations ·
Where houses cost less in the Canary Islands: the official figuresThe average value per square metre in the Canary Islands, province by province and town by town, from the official first-quarter 2026 tables.
Useful information ·
Buying a finca in the Canary Islands: rustic land, water, licencesWhat you can build on rustic land in the Canary Islands, how water rights work, and the extra checks I make before buying a finca.
Advice ·
Buying a new-build home in the Canary Islands: IGIC, AJD and guaranteesOn a new build you pay IGIC, not ITP, plus AJD on the deed. Then come the builder's guarantees: ten years, three, one, and the aval on deposits.
Laws and regulations ·
The Canary Islands property market in numbers: where to find the real dataINE, Registradores, Notariado and ISTAC: the four public sources on the Spanish and Canarian property market, what they publish and how to read them.
Useful information ·
Advice
The practical steps for anyone buying or selling property in the Canaries, just as I get my clients to do them.
Useful information
NIE, nota simple, notary, comunidad de propietarios: the terms of Spanish property transactions, explained by someone who uses them every week.
Laws and regulations
Holiday letting, energy certificates, taxes: the rules, with a link to the official source and the date I read it.
Renting and selling
The islands and their areas from the inside: where people buy, for whom, and with what expectations.
Property marketing
Photos, the listing, the right price: what sells a home and what holds it back.
Frequently asked questions
Who writes the guides?
I'm Luca. I've lived in the Canaries since 2014, have run a business here since 2017, and look after the property side of Toda Canarias: I write what I explain to clients, in the first person, and every guide carries my byline and links to the page that says who I am.
How often do new guides come out?
Two a week: a longer guide on Tuesday, a shorter piece or a verified news item on Friday. The schedule covers the questions I'm asked most often; if one's missing, you can ask me for it and I'll write it.
Can I trust the figures?
Every figure, rule and deadline comes from an official source linked at the bottom of the guide, with the date I read it. If a figure has no source, I don't write it. The guides are general guidance, not advice: for your own situation, you need a professional.
See also
- Property for sale in the Canaries
- Businesses for sale
- Buying property in the Canaries: the guide
- The property finder: we find your home
- Selling property in the Canaries: the guide
- Taxes and costs of a property in the Canaries
- Investing in the Canaries
- Moving to the Canaries
- Taking over a business: the guide to traspaso
- The islands, one by one
- About us and contact
Images marked AI are generated with artificial intelligence.