I will be asking my attorney about this, but I was wondering if others have some insight -
Do real estate developments have any basic laws that are similar to the Dominican Condominium Law? For instance, Perla Marina, Playa Laguna, etc. Are there similar laws governing the administration of this type of community?
thanks - D
Obviously this depends upon the project. There are no specific Dominican laws governing development of homes within a project vs those outside of a project. The development laws which exist are relevant to both, in large part.
However, some projects have by laws to help contain any 'weirdness' and protect the inherent values of the properties subject to these laws. These project laws are sometimes called By Laws and may be only enforceable through peer pressure.
Where I live in Cabrera there are two projects; Orchid Bay and Seatree Estates. To the best of my knowledge, both of these projects have By Laws governing the architecture, development and living arrangements in the community. They are enforceable because they are added as permanent easements to the back of every title.
So even if a current or future buyer neglects to execute the Homeowners Association By Laws, the permanent easement agreement, as part of the title, holds a good deal of weight in court. Of course that also begs the question of whether you want to fuss around in the Dominican court system (civil) since a violation of the above would not be criminal but would be civil.
So, in short, under the criminal code there is little the Dominican law says save for the safety issues of buildings. Not the architecture, development and common living arrangements at all.
Hope this helps!