Cuba’s new Housing Law (Law 187): what it changes

Law 187 "On Housing" was approved by the National Assembly on 30 July 2026, published in Official Gazette No. 86 (Ordinary) of 14 October 2026 and entered into force seven days later, on 21 October. It fully replaces Law 65 of 1988 and is the most consequential change to Cuban housing rules since Decree-Law 288 legalised the sale of homes between private individuals in 2011.

It touches exactly the questions the diaspora asks most — who can buy, how many homes you may own and what happens to your house if you leave the country — and it also changes how a sale is paid. This guide summarises what the published text says.

From approval to entry into force

The text went through a public consultation that closed on 28 February 2026 and gathered 10,928 opinions and questions, of which the drafting commission reported accepting 56%. The published version has 16 chapters and 190 articles, and it arrived with its three regulations in the same Gazette: Decree 176 (General Regulation of the Housing Law), Decree 177 (Regulation on Horizontal Property) and Decree 178 (Regulation on Housing Cooperatives).

The draft submitted to the Assembly provided for 90 days before entry into force; the final text cut that to seven days after publication. Matters already in progress before 21 October continue to be resolved under the rules they started under.

1. 01—Approved by the National Assembly — 30 July 2026.
2. 02—Published in Official Gazette No. 86 (Ordinary), together with Decrees 176, 177 and 178 — 14 October 2026.
3. 03—In force — 21 October 2026.

Who can buy

The law defines natural persons as Cuban citizens and foreigners with permanent residency, without requiring Cubans to live on the island. And it expressly opens sales to natural and legal persons, Cuban or foreign: a foreigner without residency can also buy, with the rights and obligations the law sets.

The deed is signed before a notary based in the province where the home is located, and the home must first be registered in the Central Registry of Real Property.

Up to two homes, plus a vacation home

The best-known change is the ownership limit. Law 65 allowed one permanent residence plus one rest or vacation home. 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. If someone exceeds the limit, the Municipal Housing Office can declare the loss of the most recently acquired home.

That resolves a very common real-life knot: families where an inheritance left someone with a second property they could not legally keep. And the law adds new ways of reaching two homes, such as dividing a house whose structure allows it, or receiving two homes in a swap.

Emigrating no longer means losing the house

Under Law 65 of 1988, leaving the country permanently triggered the loss of the home to the state. That law no longer exists. Law 187 does not require living in Cuba to hold title, and its article 85 provides that when the owner dies the home passes under ordinary inheritance law; separately, Decree-Law 130 of 2026 repealed the incapacity to inherit for leaving the country permanently.

It lines the housing rules up with article 31 of Law 171 "On Migration", in force from 1 November 2026, which recognises the right of Cubans resident abroad to the use, enjoyment and free disposal of their property. What the law does require of someone who is away is to appoint a representative to act for them in emergencies and in administrative or court proceedings.

Cash payments come to an end

The price of a sale must be paid through bank instruments or credit documents, or any other method that is not cash. Before the deed, the seller must show that no debt remains on the purchase price of the home, that their tax has been paid and that the home is registered.

The tax base changes too: the old minimum reference values give way to the cadastral value. In a sale, the seller is taxed on the agreed price, provided it is not below the cadastral value, and the buyer on the cadastral value; in a donation, the recipient is taxed on the cadastral value, including between relatives; and in a swap with compensation, whoever receives the money is taxed on the cadastral value plus the compensation.

Mortgage credit enters the law

For the first time the law expressly provides for mortgage financing: it can be secured on the home being invested in or another home owned by the borrower, but never on the family home, which is also protected from seizure. A vacation home can be mortgaged too.

A law that permits mortgage lending is not the same as banks that offer it, at rates and terms that make sense to a Cuban household. Do not plan a purchase around a loan your bank has not yet offered you.

What the law also expands: the state’s side

The text also strengthens owners’ obligations. Anyone with a home left permanently uninhabited, without security or upkeep and with structural deterioration, is obliged to restore it to use; if neglect leads to it being declared a ruin, the Municipal Housing Office can ask a court to declare the right lost.

And if the owner dies without heirs, or they all renounce, the home passes to the State; if it was occupied, people who lived there with the owner’s consent for at least five years can ask to be recognised as owners.

What to do now

The law expands rights, but all of them are exercised over a registered title and a home that is looked after. This is the checklist that pays off most from now on.

• Check that the home is registered in the name of its real owner, with a technical description that matches reality.
• Resolve pending inheritances: the new law does nothing for a property still standing in a deceased relative’s name.
• If you live abroad, appoint a representative in Cuba with a valid power of attorney.
• Keep the home occupied or visibly cared for, and keep utility payments up to date.
• If you once bought in a relative’s name, consider moving the home into your own name through a donation or sale before a notary.
• Set up bank payments: cash is no longer accepted for the price of a sale.