Markets
Buying and renting a home in the Philippines
- Coverage
- Tier 3: guide and links to local portals
- Prices in
- PHP
- Floor area in
- square metres
Each fact below links to the official page it comes from. We have not finished testing this market yet, so confirm anything important with the source or a local lawyer.
Homes in the Philippines are listed on
Homejourney does not list homes in the Philippines yet. Prices on these sites are in PHP.
Who may buy
Except by inheritance, private land can pass only to people and companies allowed to hold public land, so a foreigner cannot buy land or a house with its land (1987 Constitution, Article XII Section 7).
Source: 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, via LawPhil (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026
A foreigner may buy a condominium unit only if the sale does not push foreign ownership of the condominium corporation above the legal limit (Condominium Act, Section 5).
Source: Republic Act No. 4726 (Condominium Act), via LawPhil (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026
Purchase taxes
Documentary stamp tax on a property sale is PHP 15 for each PHP 1,000 of the price or value, which is 1.5%.
Source: Republic Act No. 10963 (TRAIN Law), via LawPhil (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026
Selling a home held as a capital asset carries a final 6% capital gains tax on the selling price or the current fair market value, whichever is higher.
Source: Republic Act No. 8424 (National Internal Revenue Code), via LawPhil (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026
A province may charge a transfer tax of up to 0.5% of the price or the fair market value, whichever is higher (Local Government Code, Section 135).
Source: Republic Act No. 7160 (Local Government Code), via LawPhil (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026
A house and lot is VAT-exempt only up to a set selling price. The law started it at PHP 2 million and adjusts it every three years for inflation.
Source: Republic Act No. 10963 (TRAIN Law), via LawPhil (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026
Renting
For a home covered by the Rent Control Act, the landlord cannot ask for more than 1 month of advance rent or more than 2 months of deposit, and must keep the deposit in a bank.
Source: Republic Act No. 9653 (Rent Control Act of 2009), via LawPhil (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026