In line with the economic and social transformations approved in the country, Law 187 on Housing, published today in Ordinary Official Gazette number 86, includes new property rights and diversifies the mechanisms for building and accessing housing from the perspective of protecting vulnerable people.

At a press conference, Marvelis Velázquez Reyes, director of Housing Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Construction (Micons), noted that among the elements the new norm presents is the possibility for natural persons to own up to two homes, an aspect that also extends to foreigners, who will have the same rights and responsibilities as Cubans in this regard.

Regarding owners’ management, she explained that they may freely transfer the use of the home to another person through a loan contract, grant rooms or part of their built space to another owner who has a home adjoining theirs, and may also transmit their residence to legal and natural persons by donation, among other flexibilities.

Velázquez Reyes added that administrative authorisation is eliminated both for onerously or gratuitously transferring partial or total ownership of the roof surface to extend or build habitable spaces, and for the transmission of barren plots of personal property.

She specified that this legal provision removes the confiscation of housing for leaving the country and guarantees the right to inheritance.

The specialist stressed, in relation to the sale contract, that the parties may agree as many pacts, clauses and conditions as they wish, provided they do not violate what is established and social order, nor affect the nature of the agreed contractual type.

She added that with this regulation the Municipal Administration Council may finance the price of the housing it builds and assigns, or a part of it, to people in vulnerable situations who cannot afford it.

She stressed that real estate agencies and housing cooperatives are established as new management forms with full guarantees.

At the meeting, it was stated that this Law 187 ratifies the State’s responsibility in developing construction programmes to solve the country’s housing deficit.

This norm, which will come into force seven days after publication, is accompanied by a General Regulation, as well as others relating to Horizontal Property and Housing Cooperatives.

Also present at the meeting were René Mesa Villafaña, head of Micons, and other authorities from the sector and the legal field.

The publication of Law 187 on Housing coincides in date with the 66th anniversary of the Urban Reform Law, a pioneer within the sector, whose fundamental purposes were to hand over the ownership of homes to the families who lived in them, prohibit eviction and guarantee a house for every citizen.