Cuba’s new housing Law expands property rights
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Cuba’s government published Housing Law 187, expanding property rights and creating new options for building, financing, and accessing homes.
The law, which went into effect seven days after its publication in the Official Gazette, builds on the 1961 Urban Reform Law that transferred home ownership to residents and prohibited evictions. Marvelis Velázquez Reyes of the Ministry of Construction explained that people can now own up to two homes, a right extended to foreigners as well.
Property owners can now freely lend, donate, or transfer parts of their homes or land to others without needing administrative permission. The new law also eliminates housing confiscation based on emigration and ensures inheritance rights. Municipal administrations may provide financial assistance for housing construction for vulnerable people who cannot afford it, reinforcing protections for those with the greatest need.
Law 187 also introduces real estate agencies and housing cooperatives as officially recognised ways to manage housing, aiming to diversify how Cuba builds and maintains its housing stock. The State will continue to develop construction programs to address housing shortages, overseeing all aspects of housing from production to transfer. Cuba published accompanying regulations detailing horizontal property ownership and cooperative housing alongside the law.
