Legislative changes, court cases, technical provisions and tax digitization marked a key year for the sector.
SANTO DOMINGO – The Dominican real estate market underwent high-impact transformations in 2025, driven by legal reforms, institutional measures, and court cases. The enactment of the new Rental Law, the uncovering of the Guepardo Case, the provisions of the Real Estate Registry, the announcement of the creation of a supplier registry to strengthen trust, and the General Directorate of Internal Taxes' (DGII) digitization agenda dominated the news cycle during a period also marked by allegations of malpractice.
New Rental Law
After more than 70 years under regulations dating back to 1959, the Dominican real estate market underwent a nationwide legislative change in 2025. On August 14, the Executive Branch enacted Law 85-25 on Real Estate Rentals and Evictions, authored by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco, following its approval in both houses of Congress after several years of back-and-forth debate.
Among the most noteworthy aspects of this new legislation is Article 7, which stipulates that the brokerage commission will be borne by the party contracting the service and that the legal expenses of the contract must be divided equally. Article 8 regulates rent adjustments, setting a limit of up to 10% per year in residential contracts when there is no prior agreement.
Article 13 limits the security deposit to a maximum of two months' rent, while Article 20, paragraph II, obliges the landlord to carry out necessary repairs without passing the costs on to the tenant or increasing the rent. In the event of temporary vacancy due to renovations, the payment obligation is suspended.
In procedural matters, the law establishes that residential leases will be handled by the Justice of the Peace Courts, and commercial leases by the Courts of First Instance, also setting a maximum period of two months for eviction proceedings.
Experts have warned of legal loopholes in the law, such as lawyer Darnetty Lugo, who pointed out the lack of clarity on whether the first month's rent in advance is included within the limit of the deposit allowed, possible contradictions with the Civil Code regarding the division of legal expenses, and the absence of a clearly defined procedure for the execution of evictions, following the Constitutional Court's ruling TC/0743/2025.
Cheetah Case
In February, the Public Prosecutor's Office uncovered the so-called Cheetah Case, a file detailing alleged real estate malpractice involving the solicitation of buyers through digital platforms and social media, primarily from the United States, Puerto Rico, and Europe, for the sale of nonexistent projects. According to authorities, the network allegedly defrauded hundreds of victims of more than $18 million, prompting raids, seizures, arrests, and the declaration of the case as a complex matter.
The prosecution reported that 122 individuals and the Dominican State were initially listed as victims, although more than 478 complaints were subsequently received. The investigating judge in La Romana, Franchesca Silvestre, ordered the pretrial detention of three defendants, including French citizen Yves Alexandre Giroux, identified by the Public Prosecutor's Office as the main suspect in the network.
On February 15, Loany Lismeiry Ortiz Nova was arrested in Colombia, accused by the prosecution of involvement in the real estate fraud, while Keylis Samahi Belfon Arismendi was also captured in Colombia in November of this year. Both detainees are currently undergoing extradition proceedings to the Dominican Republic.
Real Estate Registry
The Real Estate Registry reported in October on the issuance of the technical provision DNRT-DT-2025-001, with the purpose of strengthening legal security in the country.
The measure on “preventive annotations, provisional registrations and informative annotations” seeks uniformity of title registration criteria and efficiency of registration processes at the national level.
The measure was issued by the National Directorate of Title Registration (DNRT) and establishes the conditions for the registration and cancellation of preventive and informative annotations, as well as the registration actions recorded as provisional registrations.
In December 2025, it reported on the incorporation of the qualified digital signature in legal status certifications, enabled with validation by QR code, which allows strengthening document security and recognizing the full validity of electronic procedures.
It also implemented a new provision that establishes that registration procedures may be carried out entirely by electronic means, with full legal validity of digital documents and without the need for physical appearance, except in cases provided for by the regulations.
National Registry of Suppliers
In July, during a meeting with the diaspora in New York, the executive director of Pro Consumidor, Eddy Alcántara, announced the creation of a National Registry of Real Estate and Construction Service Providers to try to eradicate fraud in real estate transactions in the Dominican Republic.
The official reiterated the initiative in October during the Real Estate Forum, assuring that the platform would be ready in December. However, in December, when consulted by El Inmobiliario, Alcántara reported that the process had proven more complex than anticipated and was still in the data collection phase, due to the fact that stakeholders in the construction sector had not yet provided the necessary information. He stated that the goal was for the registry to be available before May 2026.
DGII
In November, the Dominican Republic's Internal Revenue Service (DGII) announced updated limits for cash payments in real estate transactions. The regulation set the maximum amount allowed at RD$1,500,000.00 and specified that any transaction exceeding this limit must be conducted through formal banking channels.
The entity also announced that, starting in May 2026, all real estate transactions, such as transfers and mortgage management, will be conducted entirely digitally, in coordination with the Real Estate Jurisdiction. The same announcement included the mandatory use of electronic invoicing and the authorization of tax payments via credit card in collaboration with Banreservas.
