Arona Faces Housing Crisis as Illegal Settlements Surge in Tenerife

The housing crisis in southern Tenerife has reached a critical point in Arona, where the rise of illegal settlements has become a top political priority. The Vox municipal group, which governs alongside the People’s Party and the Canarian Coalition, is now calling for an urgent plan to address the area's growing urban and social decline.

A recent technical report highlights the severity of the situation, ranking Arona as the second location on the island for homelessness and residential exclusion. The study identified 22 clusters of substandard housing across the municipality, proving that the local market cannot keep up with the demand for affordable homes. This issue is driven by long-term population growth and the tourism boom, which have pushed local residents into unsuitable living conditions, such as ravines and protected rural land.

Vox representatives Naím Yánez and Melania Santos argue that a lack of government action has allowed the problem to worsen. They are not simply calling for police intervention or the clearing of settlements—such as those near Montaña de Guaza or Los Vivitos—but are instead advocating for a comprehensive strategy. This approach would require cooperation between local, island, and regional governments to restore the environment while providing social support for vulnerable residents.

The debate underscores the difficulty of managing land in tourist-heavy areas, where a lack of affordable rentals has turned temporary, precarious camps into permanent structures. Because legal and administrative hurdles make it difficult to stop new occupations quickly, the problem has become deeply entrenched. Local officials warn that a coordinated response is essential to prevent these illegal settlements from becoming a normalized, long-term housing solution in the south of the island.