Malaga province's housing construction sector records best quarter in last decade

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The association of architects has approved 3,195 new homes in the province so far this year, 37 per cent more than during the first quarter of 2025

Jesús Hinojosa

Malaga

Thursday, 16 April 2026, 16:26

If the solution to the housing access crisis in Malaga lies in greater supply, as developers and the local government state, the province has started 2026 with good records.

According to data the association of architects released on Thursday, this body approved a total of 3,195 new homes in the province in the first three months of this year. This is the highest figure recorded in a single quarter in the last ten years. It represents almost 37 per cent more than the 2,337 homes approved in the first quarter of 2025.

In Malaga city, the comparison of data from the last two quarters shows that the number of approved homes has doubled. During the last quarter of 2025, the association of architects approved 483 units, compared to 1,139 in the first three months of 2026. Of these, 999 are open-market units. The other 140 are subsidised housing units in the new Distrito Zeta development, next to the Intelhorce industrial area.

"These are the best figures since 2017, when the sector was beginning to leave behind the impact of the 2008 financial crisis and starting its recovery, after several years with significantly lower levels of activity," the professional association states.

However, as in previous reports, municipalities along the Costa del Sol significantly contribute to this growth. Estepona leads with 540 building permits so far this year, followed by Mijas with 444 and Fuengirola with 140. The association approved only 35 new homes in Marbella from January to March, which is significantly lower than the 131 projects from the last quarter of 2025 and the 158 from the first quarter of 2025.

At the provincial level, the growth the Axarquía district has experienced is also noteworthy, as more and more developers show interest in it due to the saturation of the western coast. Vélez-Málaga registered 235 building permits in the first three months of 2026, 66 of which in the Mezquitilla area. Similarly, during the final quarter of 2025, the association approved 118 new homes in Mezquitilla, significantly higher than the 39 homes in Vélez-Málaga in the first quarter of 2025.

However, head of the association of architects Susana Gómez de Lara maintains caution. "The current figures are still insufficient to address the housing crisis, as the levels of multi-family housing production are not targeted at the most disadvantaged sections of the population, nor do they go far enough to ease the pressure on prices," she says.

Gómez de Lara also states that a "decisive push for affordable housing" remains essential. In Malaga city, the association has approved a private project for 140 homes, as those that public institutions directly promote do not require approval from the architects.

In terms of renovations, activity during the first quarter was more limited. The single-family home sector registered two comprehensive renovation projects, without the creation of any new units. Meanwhile, multi-family housing registered only one comprehensive renovation project, in Fuengirola, which involved work on two existing homes and the creation of two new units.

Given these figures, Gómez de Lara says that "a firm commitment to the rehabilitation and improvement of existing urban areas is part of the solution to the housing problem". According to her, "it's not just about building more, but about building better and intervening in what already exists adhering to criteria of quality, sustainability and social cohesion".

The head of the professional association states that "meeting this challenge requires a long-term vision, with agreements between ruling bodies, greater institutional coordination and the involvement of the private sector and professionals to achieve real and lasting solutions".