DHSUD chief orders clamp down on 'real estate scammers'

The government body in charge of human settlements and urban development is set to clamp down on "real state scammers" that include illegal developers, as well as bogus brokers and salespersons.

In a meeting on Monday, Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) ordered all regional offices to craft their respective campaign to run after the scammers.

The campaign will particularly target unscrupulous developers and real estate brokers and agents engaged in the illegal selling of real estate properties.

At the same time, Del Rosario tasked top officials of the department in the Central Office to strengthen collaboration with other government agencies like the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and partner-developers to fortify the efforts.

“We need to put a stop to these illegal activities through pro-active efforts in collaboration with our stakeholders, including legitimate developers, who are also falling victims to these scammers, and other government agencies,” Del Rosario said.

The move came amidst reports of illegal activities by unregistered developers and brokers in various parts of the country through various platforms, including social media, in illegally selling lots and housing units and preying on unsuspecting buyers.

“The DHSUD should take the lead in going after these unscrupulous groups or individuals,” Del Rosario said.

As the government’s primary entity for the management of housing, human settlement and urban development, DHSUD has regulatory power over real estate developers and brokers and salespersons are obliged to register with the DHSUD before engaging in property selling.

Del Rosario also issued reminders to real property buyers to avoid falling prey to illegal developers, including determination of a bogus broker or salesperson. —KBK, GMA News