Bungalows vs Apartments in Gran Canaria: Which Suits You?

Bungalow or apartment? It is one of the first questions buyers ask about the south of Gran Canaria. Both make a lovely winter base or second home, but they live differently, cost differently and sell to different people.

What "bungalow" means in the south of Gran Canaria

In Maspalomas, Playa del Inglés, San Agustín and the resorts around them, a bungalow is not a rural cottage or a detached house. It is usually a home on one floor inside a complex, often joined to its neighbours, with its own terrace or small garden. A home on two floors in a complex is usually called a duplex. Most complexes share a pool and gardens, and are run by a community of owners.

An apartment sits in a building with other homes above, below or beside it, with shared stairs and often a lift.

How each one feels to live in

Outdoor space and sun

A bungalow usually has a terrace or garden you step straight onto. Apartments offer a balcony or terrace, and a penthouse may have a roof terrace. Check which way the terrace faces and when it gets sun. Winter afternoons are when it matters most.

Your own front door or a home with a view

A bungalow gives you your own front door at ground level, with the terrace or garden right outside. An apartment often gives you height, light and a view, and many buildings have a lift, so it is just as easy to come and go.

Getting in and out

Bungalows are on one level, which many buyers love. In complexes on a slope there may be a few steps, so it is worth walking the route from the car to the door. For an apartment, check whether the building has a lift.

Views and parking

Higher apartments are more likely to have sea views. Bungalows often look over gardens or the pool. Confirm whether any parking space is in the title deeds or simply used by custom.

The community of owners applies to both

Whether you buy a bungalow in a complex or an apartment in a block, the Horizontal Property Act (Ley 49/1960 de Propiedad Horizontal) will normally apply. Each owner pays towards shared costs according to the participation share (cuota) set in the title. Those costs typically cover the pool, gardens, cleaning, lighting, insurance of the shared areas and repairs. The community must keep a reserve fund of at least 10% of its last ordinary budget.

Before you commit, ask to see:

• The minutes (actas) of recent meetings, which show disputes and decisions on letting or works.
• A certificate of debts from the community. The seller must state in the deed whether they are up to date.
• Any planned works or extra levies (derramas). A new roof or pool repair can mean a large bill soon after you buy.

This matters because the property itself answers for unpaid community charges for the part of the current year already due and the three previous calendar years.

Holiday letting: check before you buy

If you hope to let to holidaymakers, this matters most. The rules have changed recently and depend on the exact property.

• The Canarian law. Ley 6/2025, de Ordenación Sostenible del Uso Turístico de Viviendas, came into force on 13 December 2025. Holiday use of a home now needs to be allowed by the town hall's urban planning. It is started through a formal declaration (declaración responsable) registered with the island authority, the Cabildo, and that declaration lasts for a limited period.
• The community. Since 3 April 2025, an owner who wants to start holiday letting in a building or complex under the Horizontal Property Act needs the express approval of three fifths of the owners. The same majority can limit or prohibit it.
• Tourist complexes. Some complexes in the south are registered tourist establishments. Under Canarian tourism law (Ley 7/1995), these must be run by a single operator, the "unidad de explotación" principle. An owner there generally cannot let a unit to tourists independently. Using a tourist establishment for other purposes is a very serious offence, and owners who lived in their own units instead of placing them with the operator have been fined. The Supreme Court has agreed to review the principle, so this may change.
• Existing registrations. Do not assume a property already let to holidaymakers will keep that status in your name. The new law has transitional rules for homes already operating, and how they apply after a sale must be checked property by property.

Before you sign, ask the town hall (San Bartolomé de Tirajana for Maspalomas, Playa del Inglés, San Agustín and Meloneras; Mogán for Puerto Rico and Mogán; Arguineguín sits on the boundary between the two, so check which one applies) what the planning allows. We check the complex's status, statutes and minutes for you.

Long lets and winter lets

Renting to someone who makes the property their main home falls under the Urban Leases Act (Ley 29/1994). The tenant can stay for up to five years, or seven if the landlord is a company, even if the contract says less.

Lets of more than 31 days for a temporary need are tightly defined: the contract must state a real, provable reason why the tenant is away from their usual home, or it can be treated as a lease for a main home. These rules have changed several times recently and may change again, so if winter lets are part of your plan, take advice when you sign.

Running costs to expect

• IBI, the annual municipal property tax, based on the cadastral value at a rate set by each town hall. It falls on whoever owns the property on 1 January.
• Community fees, which vary from complex to complex. Ask for the current budget and last year's accounts.
• Income tax for owners who live abroad. If you live outside Spain and do not let the property, you still pay a yearly tax on a notional income from it: 19% for residents of the EU, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, and 24% for others, including the UK.
• Insurance and utilities. Check what the community's policy covers and what you need to insure yourself.

Figures differ widely between complexes, so ask us for current figures for the one you are considering.

Resale: who buys each type

Bungalows tend to appeal to couples and retirees who want to live on one floor with a garden. Apartments attract buyers who want a view or a base they can simply lock and leave. For both, what helps most at resale is a well run community, clear paperwork and a clear legal position on letting.

A quick decision checklist

• One floor and a garden, or a view from higher up?
• How many months a year will you be there, and will you let it?
• Do the planning, the community and the complex's status allow that letting?
• Have you seen the minutes, the debt certificate and any planned works?
• Does the terrace get the sun when you will use it?
• Is parking in the deeds?

Frequently asked questions

Is a bungalow in Gran Canaria a detached house?

No. In the south of the island, a bungalow is usually a home on one floor within a complex, often joined to its neighbours, with its own terrace or garden and shared areas run by a community of owners.

Can I let my bungalow or apartment to holidaymakers?

Only if the town hall's planning, the community and the property's legal status allow it. Since 13 December 2025, Canarian law requires planning to allow holiday use and a declaration registered with the Cabildo. Since 3 April 2025, new holiday letting in a community needs approval from three fifths of owners. In registered tourist complexes, letting is run by a single operator. Ask us to check this with the town hall before you buy.

Am I liable for the previous owner's community debts?

Your new home can be. By law, the property itself answers for unpaid community charges for the part of the current year already due and the three previous calendar years. Ask for the community's debt certificate before completion.

What yearly taxes does an owner who lives abroad pay?

The municipal property tax (IBI) and, if the property is not let, income tax for non residents on a notional income from it. When the property is let, the rental income is taxed instead for those periods.

Talk to us

Weighing up a bungalow against an apartment? See our bungalows for sale and apartments for sale, and we are happy to talk it through and share current figures for the complexes you like. Email us at [email protected].