SANTO DOMINGO. - It all began as a great dream that would come true in the lives of Adonis Evangelista Reyes and his wife. Back in 2018, they decided to buy a property in the Cana Bay real estate development .
Something they were very clear about from the beginning was that this place would become their second home in the Dominican Republic. Not only for them, but also for their children and relatives, whom they would welcome with open arms.
“My wife and I dreamed of having a safe haven close to the beach for when our children arrived, an ideal place to visit with our family,” Adonis said in an interview with El Inmobiliario.
Despite a two-year delay in the delivery of this property – due to the pandemic – they saw this scenario as something that was part of God's plan, because, as they assured, this would allow them to continue saving to complete the money for their future home.
According to what she revealed, the proximity to the beach and the exclusive access for owners and tenants was the attraction that captivated the married couple when they saw the characteristics of this project.
“In addition, we were impressed by the possibility of being part of the rental program, which offered a guaranteed return of 6% to at least cover the maintenance costs of the apartment, giving us the flexibility to lend it to friends and family, which was a significant added value,” she said.
What they hadn't considered was that what they had envisioned as a family dream would, over the years, turn into a nightmare and a major headache for him and his family. Indeed, they face numerous problems today.
Initially, Adonis Reyes stated that the pressure to sign a protective regulation for Cana Bay is one of them.
He stated that this document – which has supposedly been presented as a draft since the purchase of the property – contains “harmful clauses that are abusive and unconstitutional.”.
According to his statement, this directly affects the owner's rights. For this reason, since receiving the apartment in February 2022, he has held several meetings with various owners to discuss the issues he is now denouncing.
Their calls were answered. She says that in November 2023, and in February and June 2024, several meetings were held, with the attendance of several neighbors.
“During those meetings, we were listened to and improvements were agreed upon. However, no action was ever taken on the points that were most detrimental to the owners, and despite commitments to send the minutes to ensure mutual understanding, these were never received,” he stated.
With these dialogues carried out – after the meetings convened – Adonis said that the administrator of Cana Bay Resort “began to request a signature as a requirement to acquire the beach membership” , making it a mandatory requirement to be able to obtain the owner's card.
“This situation worsened from November 2024 onwards, when they began to restrict access to the private properties of owners to tenants, friends and family of those owners who had not yet signed the protective regulations,” he stated.
This condition – whose access to the beach had been presented as something exclusive when buying a property within this development – forced several owners to sign without apparently agreeing, according to the complainant who spoke to this media outlet.
“According to what was stated in the owners' WhatsApp group, they were forced to sign, without agreeing to the terms, in order to be able to receive their vacation rentals and allow access to friends and family,” he explained.
But for Adonis, who is being advised by a lawyer, signing this document would not be a reality, considering that the content of the regulation affects his rights .
“Following my lawyer’s suggestion, I decided to file for an injunction, since my family, friends, and income were being denied access if I didn’t sign the regulations. The injunction was granted in my favor in mid-May 2025. However, Cana Bay filed an appeal,” he said.
Aspects they denounce
He asserted that Cana Bay's regulations grant him "unlimited" powers to intervene in private properties, including evictions, internal repairs, new regulations, economic penalties, and even charging commissions for sales in which he does not participate.
Furthermore, he emphasized that the administrator is "implementing" increases exceeding 200% in some cases – over a three-year period in the Cana Bay maintenance fee.
By way of explanation, he mentioned that the complex has two types of maintenance fees. The first is for the maintenance of the internal complexes, which are the condominiums, and the second corresponds to the maintenance fee for Cana Bay.
“As is common knowledge, condominiums have an internal fee that is governed by the condominium law and that, through a council of owners, allows monitoring and ensuring the suitability of these costs,” he described.
He then added that “the Cana Bay maintenance fee, which is a product of the protective regulation, is unilateral, abusive and is not subject to the monitoring and controls typically established by the condominium law.”.
Adonis Evangelista denounced that this fee is being charged per square meter as if it were a condominium complex, "which makes no sense, since Cana Bay describes itself as a service company.".
According to the owner, these increases have been "exponential" and "make little sense," arguing that the number of units delivered in 2022 was much lower than those available today, considering that they should be decreasing, not increasing.
As I mentioned earlier, the company changed the promise of free access to the beach for owners and tenants, directly affecting the owners, since, due to this attraction, they were interested in making the purchase.
“Part of the great appeal of acquiring a property in this beautiful complex lay in the promise that access to the beach would be free and without cost for both owners and tenants. Even during the promotion of the project, we were welcomed at the beach club, where we were informed of all the benefits and the added value,” he began.
However, he stated that, after the delivery of his apartment, he was informed that access to the beach would only be possible through the beach club , the amount to be paid would be $500 annually per person or with a daily consumable amount of $35 per person .
A response to the company's position
In response to the statement made by the company managing the Cana Bay Beach Club & Golf Resort complex, Cana Bay SRL , in national media outlets – where they stated that the allegations of abuse and restrictions were “completely false” and only applied to a single owner – Adonis Evangelista Reyes responded that these problems are not exclusive to him.
“The problems with the Cana Bay administration are not unique to me. I learned about the imposition of the protective regulations on the owners through the WhatsApp group, where several colleagues were forced to sign to secure their rentals and the access of their relatives to their units,” he stated.
As he stated during the interview, there is a considerable number of property owners affected by this regulation.
But the reality is that, in his opinion, "there is a great fear of reporting the complex, since the Cana Bay administration, relying on the powers granted to it by the protective regulations, usually retaliates.".
“Some owners have experienced retaliation such as having their water service cut off, even when the annual payment was made in advance. They have also faced restrictions on renting the property or on allowing people authorized by other owners to access it,” he added.
He stated that, to date, he has been the only owner who, within the judicial sphere, has had the courage to file an appeal for protection to safeguard his interests .
He argued that the resolution of the judicial process was favorable, which validates the legitimacy of the claim and guarantees the protection of his fundamental rights.
However, he reported that after winning the injunction – where it was declared that their actions violated the Constitution and they were ordered to cease the entry restrictions – the company sent him an alleged invoice demanding reimbursement of his lawyers' fees.
“Despite the ruling in my favor, Cana Bay continues to restrict the rights of my family members. They have been denied access, despite having my authorization, which constitutes a clear violation of a constitutional court order,” he stated.
Following this, he indicated that the company decided to appeal and initiate litigation against its property title to register a "use easement" .
He argued that Cana Bay seeks to register a right over private property without the consent of the owners, which not only contradicts a constitutional ruling, but could also open the door to "excessive control over property that does not legally belong to them.".
What they are requesting from Cana Bay
Adonis stated that he proposes to establish a fair protective regulation that reflects the interests of both Cana Bay and the owners, and that complies with Dominican laws.
He stated that maintenance fees should be handled transparently and audited by representatives of the owners.
“It’s not enough to publish a general budget online; specific details on how the funds will be used are required. One model to consider is that of Cap Cana, where those funds are managed through a homeowners association,” he said.
Furthermore, he said that access to the beach must be guaranteed as promised in the sale.
“As property owners, our deepest desire is that our voices be heard and that our inalienable rights be respected at all times. Rather than being forced to invest a considerable amount of time and valuable legal resources in avoidable battles, we should focus our efforts on actively seeking collaboration,” he concluded.
