LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) – The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) in Ilocos Region warns the public against illegal developers and illegitimate real estate sellers to protect home buyers.
Engr. Sherwin Patanao, chief of the Housing and Real Estate Development and Regulation Division of DHSUD Ilocos, warned that illegal real estate projects rarely get developed, especially its roads, drainage system, and water supply, making them a poor investment choice.
“The first thing the buyer should look for is if the real estate project has a license to sell numbers. There, you can see if that project is legit or not,” he said during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas episode on September 24.
“Our first requirement for legitimate developers or owners of subdivisions is that all advertisements, no matter what type, whether on social media or in brochures, must have their license to sell numbers on them. If the license to sell numbers is unavailable, we also require the advertisement approval number,” Patanao added.
The License to Sell (LS) is a document provided by DHSUD as proof that a developer’s plan for a real estate project has passed the minimum standards before it is sold to the public.
The LS contains the name and location of the project, the name of the developer or owner, the type of project, and when it is scheduled to be completed.
According to DHSUD, real estate projects can be subdivision lots, house and lot properties, farm lot subdivisions, commercial subdivisions, industrial subdivisions, condominiums, socialized housing, town houses, memorial parks, and columbariums.
Potential buyers can check the DHSUD website through this link: https://dhsud.gov.ph/services/list-of-license-to-sell/ to see the legitimate real estate agents and projects.
DHSUD also encourages home buyers to contact its hotline number: (072) 619-4114 for concerns and reports on illegal real estate projects.
“Those who will buy illegal subdivisions will only suffer. That’s why we at DHSUD encourage everyone not to invest in illegal projects, especially with their hard-earned money. Only buy from legitimate sellers with a license to sell,” Patanao reiterated.
Previously, the DHSUD had formed its National Task Force on Anti-Illegal Real Estate Practices through the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1 Series of 2021.
It aims to expand measures to stop illegal real estate operations, which are implemented through an inter-agency panel led by the agency and supported by partner agencies including the Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Land Registration Authority, Professional Regulation Commission, Philippine National Police, and National Bureau of Investigation. (AMB/EJFG, PIA Ilocos Norte)
