Quintana Roo, Mexico — State authorities have intensified their crackdown on illegal real estate developments, filing criminal complaints, issuing fines, and expanding inspections in an effort to halt the rapid spread of unregulated housing projects across the state.
The Secretary of Territorial, Urban, and Sustainable Development (Sedetus) confirmed that two criminal complaints have already been filed against developers operating without permits, with seven more complaints currently being prepared. Over the past three months alone, Sedetus has issued more than 15 fines totaling over 1.1 million pesos, a dramatic increase compared to the 116,000 pesos collected during all of 2024.
Illegal construction concentrated in northern municipalities
Sedetus Secretary José Alberto Alonso Ovando reported that eight closures were carried out in Isla Mujeres, one of the municipalities facing the most aggressive unauthorized land sales and informal subdivisions. Statewide, the agency has publicly listed 116 developments that lack the required permits to build or sell housing.
To identify more irregular projects, Sedetus has conducted 137 on-site inspections across Quintana Roo. The expansion of field operations was made possible by increasing the number of inspectors from two to twelve, after years of criticism that limited staffing made enforcement nearly impossible.
Developers pushed despite warnings
“We have two criminal complaints and we are preparing others because there are people who, despite being asked to stop, insist on continuing,” Alonso Ovando said. “We do not want confrontation — we want them to get in order and regularize — but sometimes they simply do not want to.”
According to Sedetus, the sale of land or homes without proper permits constitutes a criminal offense, yet many developers continue to advertise and sell parcels knowing the properties cannot be legally titled, serviced, or inhabited.
Enforcement actions increasing statewide
Of the enforcement operations conducted in recent months:
- 28 developments received preventative closures
- 29 developments were fined
- 15 developments were able to reopen after achieving compliance
- 72 cases remain under active investigation
The municipalities with the highest number of proceedings are:
- Tulum: 42 cases
- Playa del Carmen (Solidaridad): 25
- Benito Juárez (Cancún): 17
- Isla Mujeres: 14
- Othón P. Blanco (Chetumal): 11
A growing statewide problem
Quintana Roo’s boom in real estate investment — particularly in Tulum, Playa del Carmen, and Isla Mujeres — has led to a surge of unauthorized developments marketed to both locals and foreigners. Many promise future infrastructure, utilities, and title regularization, but are built on protected land, ejido property, or areas lacking environmental authorization.
State authorities have stated repeatedly that these projects pose environmental risks, consumer protection concerns, and public safety challenges, especially when buyers later discover they cannot obtain legal title or connect to water and electricity services.
Sedetus officials emphasized that the current strategy is aimed at regulating—not halting—development, making clear that the state supports growth but only when projects comply with environmental, land-use, and urban planning laws.
As criminal complaints move forward and additional inspections are launched, the agency says it hopes developers will “regularize voluntarily” before stronger sanctions are required.
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