Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — Mayor Estefanía Mercado says Alberto Farfán Bravo will head the newly created Housing and Regularization Department. The new department is an agency established to provide land ownership information and guidance to Playa del Carmen residents.
In 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 meant to help avoid land ownership fraud and guide locals interested in buying legal property. The sale of illegal land leads to financial issues and a lack of property titles for those who buy.
It also results in a lack of services, uncontrolled urban growth and creates opportunities for fraud and abuse.
“The Housing and Regularization Department will allow us to guide and support families with official information, prevent scams, and improve coordination with state and federal agencies,” she stated.
The new department will function as an information center, develop registries and assessments, coordinate efforts with agencies at the federal, state and municipal levels of government, and conduct fraud prevention campaigns, Mayor Mercado explained.
She clarified that the department:
- Does not deliver 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 personnel and resources and sub-departments will only be opened as budget availability allows.
Alberto Farfán Bravo reported that the Housing Directorate will work on four main programs:
Regularization of pre-feasible settlements, only for those within the Urban Development Master Plan (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 their housing ownership, lack of contact with sellers, or legal conflicts.
The advisory services will be guidance-based, without litigation and will include the completion of pending municipal land allocation processes, such as those in Puerto Aventuras and Cristo Rey, to provide legal certainty to current residents.
He emphasized that the Directorate will collaborate with state and federal agencies on actions to regulate settlements and ensure that all processes proceed in accordance with the law.
