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.

Unfinished high-rise condominium building still under construction with a crane, illustrating a delayed turnover past the developer's completion deadline

Buying 14 min read

Property Turnover Delays: What Can a Condo Buyer Do When the Developer Is Late?

When a developer misses its DHSUD-approved completion date, PD 957 lets a buyer suspend payments or desist and demand a full refund with legal…

Buyer signing a notarized Deed of Assignment of Rights to transfer a pre-selling condo Contract to Sell in a pasalo transaction

Buying 14 min read

Assignment of Rights in a Pre-Selling Condo: How Pasalo Property Sales Work

Pasalo is the Maceda Law-protected right to assign an unpaid Contract to Sell to a new buyer. Here is how the legal process, developer…

Hand signing a notarized cancellation notice document with a pen, illustrating the formal cancellation process for a Philippine contract to sell after a buyer defaults on installment payments

Buying 14 min read

Contract to Sell Cancellation in the Philippines: What Happens When the Buyer Stops Paying?

A contract to sell cannot be cancelled the moment a buyer misses a payment. Here is the grace period, notarized notice, and cash surrender…

Buyer signing a condo reservation agreement, the document whose non-refundable clause determines whether a reservation fee can be recovered

Buying 13 min read

Can You Get a Condo Reservation Fee Back? Cancellation and Refund Rules Explained

A condo reservation fee is almost always non-refundable if you simply change your mind, but PD 957 and your own reservation form can still…

A couple signs a reservation agreement and down payment paperwork at a Philippine condo developer's sales desk

Buying 14 min read

Reservation Fee vs Earnest Money vs Down Payment: What Is Refundable?

A reservation fee is usually non-refundable, earnest money legally binds the buyer to complete the sale, and a down payment is refundable only under…

Charred, burned paper documents, illustrating how a fire that destroys a Registry of Deeds' original certificates of title triggers judicial or administrative reconstitution under RA 26 and RA 6732

Buying 16 min read

Lost Land Title in the Philippines: Reconstitution and Replacement Process

Losing your own copy of a land title calls for a Section 109 "replacement" petition — full reconstitution under RA 26 or RA 6732…

A judge's gavel resting beside an open law book, representing an active pending court case that a notice of lis pendens annotates on a Philippine property title

Buying 19 min read

Notice of Lis Pendens in the Philippines: Why This Title Annotation Should Never Be Ignored

A notice of lis pendens means an actual court case affecting a property's title or possession is already pending — and a buyer who…

Close-up of a hand signing a sworn written document with a pen, illustrating how a Philippine adverse claim is registered by filing a signed, notarized sworn statement with the Registry of Deeds

Buying 13 min read

Adverse Claim on a Land Title in the Philippines: What Buyers Should Do Before Purchasing

An adverse claim on a Philippine title doesn't expire after 30 days like many sellers claim — the Supreme Court says it stays effective…

Official document stamped "checked" during processing, representing the Registry of Deeds fee assessment and registration stamp on a Philippine property title transfer

Buying 14 min read

Registry of Deeds Fees and Registration Process After Buying Property in the Philippines

Registering a deed at the Registry of Deeds means a separate LRA fee on top of BIR and local taxes. Here's how that fee…

Two property buyers signing the deed of sale at a desk, the paperwork step that starts the Philippine title transfer process at the BIR and Registry of Deeds

Buying 14 min read

How to Transfer a Property Title in the Philippines: Complete Buyer Checklist

Transferring a Philippine property title means clearing BIR taxes, paying local transfer tax, and registering with the Registry of Deeds, in that exact order.…

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