New Playa del Carmen Dept Fights Illegal Land Sales

Playa del Carmen, QR — Mayor Estefanía Mercado has announced that Alberto Farfán Bravo will lead the newly created Department of Housing and Regularization. The new department is an agency established to provide information and guidance on land ownership to residents of Playa del Carmen.

The municipality of Playa del Carmen hopes to curb illegal land sales that defraud residents and create illegal settlements.

At a press conference, the mayor explained that the department was created in response to a complex social reality in which thousands of families live on properties without legal documentation. The new department is intended to help prevent fraud in land ownership and guide locals interested in buying legal properties. The sale of illegal land generates financial problems and a lack of property titles for those who purchase it. It also results in a lack of services, uncontrolled urban growth, and creates opportunities for fraud and abuse.

"The Department of Housing and Regularization will allow us to guide and support families with official information, prevent scams, and improve coordination with state and federal agencies," the mayor stated.

The new department will function as an information center, develop records and assessments, coordinate efforts with agencies at the federal, state, and municipal government levels, and conduct fraud prevention campaigns, Mayor Mercado explained.

She clarified that the department:

• Does not hand out houses
• Does not expropriate land
• Does not legalize settlements that are not eligible for regularization
• Does not generate new procedures, costs, or fines

The Mayor indicated that the creation of this body does not represent additional costs, as it will operate with existing staff and resources, and sub-departments will only be opened as budget availability permits.

Alberto Farfán Bravo reported that the Department of Housing will work on four main programs:

• Regularization of pre-feasible settlements, only for those within the Master Plan for Urban Development (PDDU) with peaceful occupation and where the owner is willing to reach an agreement.
• Social recognition of settlements outside the PDDU, not to regularize them, but to identify stable occupations and provide access to basic services such as health and education.
• Individual support and legal advice for people with problems proving ownership of their home, lack of contact with sellers, or legal conflicts.
• Advisory services will be orientative, non-litigious, and will include the completion of pending processes for the adjudication of municipal lands, such as those in Puerto Aventuras and Cristo Rey, to provide legal security to current residents.

He emphasized that the Department will collaborate with state and federal agencies in actions to regulate settlements and ensure that all processes are developed in accordance with the law.