SANTO DOMINGO. – The growth in real estate prices and the slowdown in the construction of new homes have revealed significant gaps in public housing policy in 2025, especially regarding the supply of affordable housing.
According to the ROE 2025-1 published by the National Statistics Office (ONE) , there is a significant drop in affordable housing units, confirming that the formal market for low-cost housing is shrinking almost to extinction, while the middle and high segments reached record prices in the year ending.
The consequences of this shortage generated a vicious cycle: the lack of low-cost housing stimulated the increase in rental prices (more than 35% of family income in many areas) and displaced families to peripheral areas with less access to services and employment.
Meanwhile, international reports on housing deficits estimate that the Dominican Republic has an unmet demand of approximately 2.1 million units, reflecting a structural challenge for urban development and access to decent housing.
The gap in public policies is seen, in part, in the absence of effective mechanisms for promoting social housing or stronger incentives for building affordable units, as well as in the lack of comprehensive rent regulation programs that mitigate the pressure on lower-income households.
Without a coordinated state response that increases the supply of affordable housing and regulates factors such as speculation or speculative renting, the housing deficit and injustice in access to housing will continue to deepen.
