How many homes can one person legally own in Cuba?

Cuba is one of the few countries that caps how many homes a person may own. The rule is short and it shapes a surprising amount of what happens in the market: it is why, for years, second properties were bought in a relative’s name and why some inheritances had to be resolved against the clock.

Law 187 "On Housing", in force since 21 October 2026, raised that limit. This guide sets out the current cap, what counts towards it and what happens if you exceed it.

The limit today

Law 187 recognises the right of a natural person to own up to two homes, without prejudice to a rest or vacation home declared as such on the title. It replaces the rule of Law 65 of 1988 and Decree-Law 288 of 2011, which allowed only one permanent residence plus one vacation home.

The limit applies per person, not per household, and it applies to ownership, not to occupation: living in a house you do not own does not consume your quota. For the law, natural persons are Cuban citizens, whether or not they live on the island, and foreigners with permanent residency.

New ways to reach two homes

Besides buying or inheriting, Law 187 provides its own routes to owning two homes. An owner can divide their home, if its size and structure allow, and become the owner of both resulting homes; and in a permuta they can receive two homes in exchange for one.

The reverse also happens: owners of two adjoining homes can merge them into one, through a public deed registered at the Registry.

What happens if you go over the limit

With the cap at two homes, exceeding it is far less common than before, but it still happens, mostly through inheritance. The law is clear: if the Municipal Housing Office finds that someone exceeds the limit, it opens a file and can declare the loss of the most recently acquired home.

That is why it pays to regularise before the administration does. The usual routes are the same as ever:

• Sell one of the homes to a buyer who is within their own limit.
• Donate it to a relative.
• Swap it in a permuta, with or without compensation.
• Adjudicate the inheritance so the property goes to a co-heir who has room, compensating the others.

Why the limit shapes the market

For years, the one-home limit pushed purchases into a relative’s name: someone abroad who could not be an owner, or someone on the island who already had their quota, bought with another name on the deed. Law 187 greatly reduces both reasons, but purchases already made still belong to whoever appears in the Registry.

The second effect is the rental market. With only one home allowed, there could be no class of small landlords holding several houses. The two-home limit, the right to rent out whole homes, rooms or spaces, and mortgage credit entering the law make rentals the part of the market most likely to change.

What counts and what does not

The usual confusion is not about the number but about what gets counted. These are the cases that generate the most questions.