TULUM, Quintana Roo — SEDETUS (Secretaría de Desarrollo Territorial Urbano Sustentable) and the Tulum municipal government have issued a public alert regarding 26 real estate developments that are operating without full legal authorization, including lacking permits or approvals required by state and municipal law.
The list highlights several projects whose commercial/pre-sale names differ from their legal corporate names, causing confusion among investors. Some projects have completed the process and are now regularized; others are still in process; and some have not submitted any documentation.
Of the 26 flagged developments, the following were among those cited by SEDETUS as either lacking permits, in irregular status, or being reviewed:
- Luna Sanctuary
- Santuario Uh May
- Uxcan Tulum Bamboo Villas
- Haciendas Cobá
- Viventum
- Nova Tulum
- Maia Holistic Community
- Selvadentro
- Akun
- Arunte
- Emana
- Tulum Cenote Gardens
- Oken
- Ilik Ha
- Selvarum
- Ulumi
- Rosela Tulum
- Trebola
- Bosque Tulum
- Cosmos
- Zool
- Xeelenja
- Nero
- Iktan
- Cibelia
- 528 Tulum
According to Lorenzo Miranda, Director General of Urban Development for Tulum, 12 of those developments have now completed their legal procedures, 8 are still in process, and 6 have not submitted the required documentation at all. Some discrepancies derive from names used in marketing (“project names” in presales) that do not match the registered name of the development entity under corporate registries — which complicates verifying legitimacy.
One of the critical issues raised is that many developers initiate advance sales or begin construction before obtaining the necessary municipal and state authorizations. This practice is commonly used to raise liquidity, with the hope of regularizing after the fact — a process local authorities are increasingly working to curtail.
To protect buyers, authorities recommend that real estate contracts be notarized and include feasibility letters from key service providers: the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), and the potable water and sewer agency (CAPA), as well as written commitments for infrastructure such as paving, sidewalks, and street lighting. Prospective buyers are also advised to physically inspect the land, verify plot boundaries, and confirm that legal documentation is in place with municipal and state registries before signing anything.
Authorities have called for the public to avoid entering into transactions — purchase, sale, rent, or promises to buy — involving these irregular developments until their status is confirmed. They also emphasized their willingness (both municipal and state levels) to assist developers who are working to regularize their situation.
What Buyers Should Do – Advice from Officials
- Verify the project’s legal status directly with SEDETUS and the municipal government.
- Ensure contracts are notarized and include documentation such as feasibility letters from the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and the Water and Sewerage Commission (CAPA).
- Check that infrastructure commitments like paving, sidewalks, street lighting are explicitly included in the contract.
- Physically inspect the land, matching what is offered in advertisements with what is on the ground; also check that the corporate name being used in sales matches the registered legal entity.
- Be especially cautious of projects promoted on social media with “too good to be true” offers, or those that invite advance sales before all authorizations are in place.
Discover more from Riviera Maya News & Events
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.