Philippine Property Guides: Renting, Buying & Ownership

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,…

A house model examined under a magnifying glass, representing how a property's appraised value, market value, and actual selling price are each scrutinized differently

Buying 16 min read

Property Appraisal vs Market Value vs Selling Price: What Is the Difference?

An appraisal is a licensed professional's opinion of value, market value is a theoretical estimate, and the selling price is what the parties actually…

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…

Apartments.ph guide Buying

Buying 7 min read

Metro Manila Foreclosed Properties Weekly Watch: Oct 19-25, 2026

Twelve verified Metro Manila repossessed, ROPA, property-for-sale and sealed-bid listings for Oct 19-25, 2026, with prices, areas and risk flags.

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…

Empty apartment room with packed moving boxes, representing a tenant moving out before a Philippine lease term ends

Renting 15 min read

Breaking a Lease Early in the Philippines: When Can a Tenant Leave Without Paying the Remaining Rent?

Philippine law lets a tenant exit a fixed-term lease early only in specific cases — danger to life or health, a landlord's repair failure,…

Open passport with visa entry stamps, the primary identification document foreign renters must present when leasing an apartment in the Philippines

Renting 16 min read

Apartment Requirements for Foreign Renters in the Philippines: IDs, Visa, Deposits and Lease Documents

Foreigners can rent in the Philippines without any special permit, but visa status, Bureau of Immigration registration, and deposit rules each follow their own…