By Francisco Tavárez
Construction is among the fastest-growing sectors of the Dominican economy, driving investment, employment, and urban expansion. However, the most recent results from the Building Supply Registry (ROE 2025-2) of the National Statistics Office (ONE) reveal a reality that deserves attention: while construction activity is increasing and property values are rising, access to homeownership appears to be facing growing difficulties.
ROE data shows that housing continues to be the primary use of buildings in the Metropolitan Region. 71% of the individual construction area corresponds to multifamily projects (apartments), and approximately 94% of registered housing units fall into this category. This demonstrates that the urban residential growth model is geared towards higher-density, vertical construction.
However, an examination of the situation reveals a worrying trend. The percentage of properties intended for owner-occupancy or rental increased from 78.9% to 87.6% between the last two ROE measurements. At the same time, housing units classified as non-marketable, associated with rental or owner-occupancy, rose from 10,193 to 13,112 units. This increase indicates that a growing proportion of the housing supply is not geared towards sale, but rather towards rental or investment strategies.
This transformation coincides with a trend in major Latin American cities: renting is gaining ground over homeownership. However, in the Dominican Republic, this is occurring within a context of progressively rising property prices. According to the report, the supply is concentrating in the middle and upper price segments. Homes priced between RD$3 million and RD$5 million represent 33.9% of the available supply, while those priced between RD$8 million and RD$15 million already account for 23.4%. Furthermore, properties priced above RD$15 million continue to increase their market share.
Although the report shows a slight increase in homes priced up to RD$3 million, these represent only 7% of the total supply, an insufficient proportion to meet the potential demand of low- and middle-income households. Furthermore, the ONE itself highlights that the supply of affordable housing has lost relative ground compared to higher-priced units.
Prices per square meter reinforce this trend. The metropolitan average is RD$109,381, reaching RD$132,730 in the National District and exceeding RD$170,000 in areas like Piantini. This behavior reflects an increasingly marked territorial segmentation, where access to certain urban areas is restricted to households with high income levels or credit capacity.
In this context, the relationship between income, financing, and access to housing becomes relevant. Even though the market offers a significant supply of immediate housing, many families face difficulties meeting the requirements for down payments, income level, and borrowing capacity. The result is an expansion of rental demand, especially among young professionals, emerging families, and middle-income workers.
Faced with this reality, public housing policies must evolve from a focus on quantity to one of affordability. It is not enough to build more homes; it is essential to ensure that they are accessible.
To achieve this, it is necessary to strengthen subsidies for first-time homebuyers, expand preferential interest rate programs for middle-income segments, facilitate programmed savings mechanisms for down payments, and promote public-private partnerships focused on the production of affordable housing.
It is also essential to encourage moderately priced residential developments near major employment and transport hubs, thereby reducing pressure on urban land prices.
