Title verification, due diligence, transfers, and resolution of property disputes for buyers and owners.
- Buying or selling property
- Land titles
- Property disputes
What this area covers
Real estate law concerns the ownership, transfer, and use of land and the structures on it. Our work covers the verification of title, the due diligence that precedes a purchase, the documentation of a sale or transfer, and the resolution of disputes over property.
Because land transactions in the Philippines turn on the integrity of the title and the records that support it, much of the work is preventive — confirming that a property is what it is represented to be before any money changes hands.
Matters we handle
Title verification and due diligence
Sale and transfer of property
Registration with the Registry of Deeds
Land disputes and the quieting of title
Landlord–tenant and lease matters
How these matters typically proceed
Most land in the country is held under the Torrens system, under which ownership is evidenced by a certificate of title issued by the Registry of Deeds. Due diligence begins with verifying that certificate against the Registry's records and confirming there are no liens or adverse claims.
A sale typically proceeds from a deed of sale, through the payment of the applicable taxes, to the transfer and the issuance of a new certificate of title in the buyer's name. A purchaser who buys for value and without notice of any defect in the seller's title is treated as a buyer in good faith, a status that can be decisive if the title is later contested.
Related areas
Property matters often overlap with Civil Law disputes and, where inheritance is involved, with Family Law.