Apartments.ph guide desk

Marjo Villarosa

Marjo Villarosa is the Lead Publisher of Apartments.ph, responsible for the site's editorial standard, its primary-source checks and corrections. Marjo writes most of the site's guides on renting, landlord and tenant rules, evictions and disputes, lease contracts, condominium ownership, and buying and managing Philippine property as an OFW.

Aerial view of a suburban residential neighborhood with rows of houses, representative of the type of property sold as a Pag-IBIG acquired asset through foreclosure auction

Buying 13 min read

Pag-IBIG Acquired Assets: How to Buy Foreclosed Properties Safely

Pag-IBIG acquired assets are foreclosed properties sold as-is through online public auction. Here is how bidding, payment, and occupancy risk actually work.

A scale architectural model of a residential building on a white table, the kind of model and rendering pre-selling condo buyers evaluate before the actual unit is built, unlike a finished Ready-for-Occupancy unit they can walk through in person

Buying 14 min read

RFO Meaning in Real Estate: Ready-for-Occupancy vs Pre-Selling Property in the Philippines

RFO means a finished, move-in-ready unit; pre-selling means buying before construction ends. Here's how price, financing, and legal protections differ.

A newly completed residential condominium building with balconies, ready for move-in once its occupancy permit is issued

Buying 13 min read

Occupancy Permit in the Philippines: What Buyers and Condo Owners Need to Know

A Certificate of Occupancy is different from a Certificate of Completion and a developer's License to Sell -- here's who issues it, how long…

A key inserted in the lock of a closed apartment door, illustrating a landlord entering a tenant's unit without permission

Renting 15 min read

Can a Landlord Enter Your Apartment Without Permission? Tenant Privacy Rules Explained

Philippine law gives tenants, not landlords, legal possession of a leased unit once it is rented out. A landlord who enters without consent and…

Landlord and tenant shaking hands over a table to seal a verbal rental agreement in the Philippines, with no written lease contract signed

Renting 17 min read

Tenant Rights Without a Written Lease in the Philippines

An oral rental agreement is legally valid in the Philippines, but leases over one year face the Statute of Frauds. Here's what protects you…

House model, keys, and property documents on a desk representing the difference between a tax declaration and a registered land title in the Philippines

Buying 15 min read

Tax Declaration Is Not Proof of Ownership: What Property Buyers Must Understand

Philippine courts treat a tax declaration as a prima facie claim of possession only, never conclusive proof of ownership. Here is the case law,…

Severe diagonal crack in a concrete wall, the kind of structural warning sign buyers should check for in an older condominium building after an earthquake in the Philippines

Buying 17 min read

Is an Older Condo Structurally Safe? What Buyers Should Inspect After Earthquakes

What separates cosmetic cracks from real structural damage, who is legally responsible for a condo building's structural elements, and the questions buyers should ask…

Typhoon damage to homes in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines after Super Typhoon Odette, showing destroyed roofs and structures from strong wind

Buying 17 min read

Typhoon Risk When Buying Property in the Philippines: Roof, Flood, Insurance and Location Checks

Typhoon risk in the Philippines comes down to four checks: roof wind resistance, flood/storm surge exposure, insurance coverage, and location history — here is…

Large structural crack running through a painted wall, illustrating the kind of earthquake and ground-movement damage a fault-line risk check helps a property buyer avoid

Buying 15 min read

How to Check Earthquake Fault-Line Risk Before Buying Property in the Philippines

Use HazardHunterPH and PHIVOLCS's fault maps to check whether a property sits near an active fault before you buy, and what Metro Manila's Valley…

Flooded residential street in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines with submerged houses after a major typhoon, illustrating the flood risk buyers should check before purchasing property

Buying 13 min read

How to Check if a Property Is in a Flood-Prone Area Before Buying or Renting

Use HazardHunterPH, the free government hazard-mapping tool, to check a property's flood susceptibility before you buy or rent — plus how to verify flood-control…

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