If I had the power to change one law, it would be around housing here in the Canary Islands.

We live in a place deeply shaped by tourism, and I understand how important that income is. But the balance has tipped too far. There simply aren’t enough homes left for the people who actually live and work here. Too many houses and apartments are rented out short-term only—sometimes for just a few months at a time—and long-term housing has become painfully scarce.

When homes do appear on the market, the prices are often unrealistically high, far beyond what ordinary salaries can carry. It’s reached a point where teachers, nurses, and even some doctors are living in camping vans just to have a roof over their heads. That should stop us all in our tracks.

Yes, the issue has been discussed, and there have been steps taken to limit short-term rentals—but it isn’t enough. Not yet. Housing should be a basic right, not a luxury reserved only for visitors.

A community can’t survive if the people who care for it, teach it, and heal it have nowhere stable to live. That’s the law I would change—not against tourism, but in favor of dignity, fairness, and a future where locals can truly call this place home.

— Maggie
The Afterlove Voice 💫