Philippine Property Guides: Renting, Buying & Ownership

Keys, cash, and a signed real estate deed representing the taxes and fees split between a Philippine property buyer and seller at closing

Buying 15 min read

Who Pays Which Closing Costs When Property Is Sold in the Philippines?

By law, only capital gains tax is fixed to the seller. Everything else -- DST, transfer tax, registration fees, broker commission, and notarial fees…

Official document stamped "checked," representing verification of a Philippine property title's memorandum of encumbrances for an existing mortgage before buying

Buying 15 min read

How to Check if a Philippine Property Has an Existing Mortgage or Encumbrance

A property still has a mortgage until the bank's cancellation is actually registered with the Registry of Deeds — full payment alone doesn't clear…

Manila skyline of high-rise condominium towers, representing the developer-sold condo units whose contract prices often exclude taxes and miscellaneous fees

Buying 16 min read

Hidden Charges When Buying a Condo in the Philippines: Beyond the Advertised Price

A condo's advertised price rarely covers taxes, developer processing fees, VAT, and turnover costs. Here's the full list of what buyers actually pay beyond…

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…

Metro Manila skyline for the Apartments.ph foreclosed property weekly report, September 14 to 20, 2026

Buying 9 min read

Metro Manila Foreclosed Properties Weekly Watch: Sep 14-20, 2026

A dated Apartments.ph comparison of 12 currently verifiable Metro Manila bank-acquired, ROPA, repossessed, auction and Buena Mano properties checked on September 14, 2026.

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…