Buying a house or lot? Housing czar warns public against scams

In this era of scams and scammers, homebuyers must also be careful when buying property.

There are unscrupulous individuals or groups selling property without the necessary license, says our housing czar, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar.

Sec. Acuzar said the public must be vigilant against buying housing projects without Licenses to Sell (LS) and Certificates of Registration (CR), citing the risk of acquiring sub-standard real estate properties.

Real estate advertisements especially on social media are on the rise and as such, it has become the most convenient platform for non-compliant developers to pull off their illegal activities and victimize unsuspecting buyers.

But Sec. Acuzar said real estate developers must first secure LS and CR from DHSUD prior to the selling of real estate projects to ensure that the projects they are offering to the public have passed the minimum standards required by existing building standards and housing laws.

“Real estate projects without LS-CR are prone to risks which include undersized lots, low quality units, issues in land titling, and limited access to basic utilities and services,” Sec. Acuzar said.

***DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar***

He urged homebuyers to be vigilant and to ask for the proper documents from sellers before letting go of their hard-earned money.

Dream

The DHSUD, through its Public Assistance Service (PAS), has been pro-actively reminding the public against scammers in the real estate industry through social media posts and media releases. In fact, it has crafted its DREAM Tips – an easy to remember acronym on what to do when buying real estate property.

DREAM stands for Demand, Read, Engage, Ask and Move.

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The article was originally published in The Philippine Star – Property Report PH and written by Iris Gonzales.