The Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development a special bidy to craft pro-active steps to go after real-estate scammers.
Secretary Eduardo del Rosario has tasked the body to craft pro-active steps to end the illicit activity in the housing industry.
On Jan. 11, he signed Special Order No. 2021-002, creating a technical working group, headed by Undersecretary Meynardo Sabili, to institutionalize the department’s intensified drive against real-estate scammers through a joint memorandum agreement on anti-illegal real-estate practices.
The TWH primarily aims to formulate a joint memorandum circular among stakeholder-agencies for a whole-government approach to address the illegal activities in the real-estate sector; revisit all laws, rules and regulations relevant to the prevention and elimination of illegal real estate activities nationwide; assess ongoing public campaigns and actions taken against individuals or groups engaged in unlawful practices; undertake consultations with concerned government departments and agencies and other stakeholders, and find alternative solutions to address the problem.
Last October, the housing czar ordered a nationwide crackdown against real-estate scammers based on reports about such illegal activities
“We need to put a stop to these illegal activities through institutionalized pro-active efforts in collaboration with our stakeholders, national and local government units, law enforcement agencies, including legitimate developers, who are also victims of these scammers,” he said.
He batted for synchronized efforts with other government agencies, particularly law enforcement units, in pursuing the campaign.
“We should be relentless in our campaign to protect home buyers and legitimate workers in the real-estate industry,” he said.
Under Presidential Decree 957, no real-estate dealer, broker and salesperson shall engage in the business of selling subdivision lots or condominium units without DHSUD registration.
