The bill approved by the deputies was sent back to the same special committee that studied it, then approved on second reading and sent to the Senate for study and analysis.
SANTO DOMINGO– The Real Estate Rental and Eviction Bill, introduced last August by Alfredo Pacheco, was approved yesterday in its first reading in the Chamber of Deputies. The bill aims to regulate property rentals in the country.
The bill establishes a series of new provisions, obligations, and requirements for the owners and tenants mentioned in the project. In his explanation for introducing the bill, Pacheco, president of the Senate, said it would contribute to boosting real estate development in the country.
Its objectives state that the project seeks to determine and regulate the legal conditions arising from the rental of real estate intended for housing or other uses.
The piece also regulates rental contracts and defines them as acts by which two parties mutually agree to grant the use of the property and pay a certain price, and it provides that the owner cannot rent without the consent of other co-owners.
Article nine of the document establishes as "the owner's obligation" to deliver a receipt for the sums received and states that, in the case of paying with foreign currency, it must be stipulated beforehand in the contract.
According to the project, the aforementioned contract may be terminated if the rented property is lost, if there is a lack or breach of the obligations due, or when the dwelling is used for illicit purposes.
It also stipulates that when the tenant wishes to terminate the contract, they must do so one month in advance, and adds that this termination of the agreement does not alter the landlord's responsibilities
Article 22 of the regulations imposes obligations on owners such as guaranteeing the legitimacy of their right, delivering the property to the tenant with all its facilities and basic services in good condition, not disturbing the tenant, not hindering the use of the property, and carrying out the necessary repairs.
In this respect, it specifies that the tenant must tolerate the inconveniences caused by the necessary repairs at the owner's expense and adds that, if the tenant is forced to leave the property due to the changes, the owner must return it in the same condition as the contract.
Article 30 establishes a series of obligations for tenants, such as paying the rent on the agreed date, keeping the property in good condition, not making modifications that alter the distribution of the property, and complying with the legal or regulatory provisions applicable to the use of the property.
The bill approved by the deputies was sent back to the same special committee that studied it, then approved on second reading and sent to the Senate for study and analysis.
"The adjustment of the housing price will be subject to agreement between the parties. In the event that the parties do not stipulate the time or amount in which the adjustment of the housing price will be made, the current inflation rate reported by the Central Bank will be used as a reference," states Article Ten.
Exceptions
Excluded from the law are unimproved urban and suburban land, rural properties, boarding houses and lodgings that prove their registration with the competent authority, temporary occupations of spaces and stalls in markets and fairs or on the occasion of festivities, parks or companies in free zones that operate under Law No. 8-90, and leases of properties for short or long stay intended for visitors and users of real estate tourism projects.
Similarly, the rental of parking spaces, advertising spaces, state property given for rent or lease, and any commercial activity governed by special law.
