Renting in the Dominican Republic: the new 2025 tenancy law, rule by rule

Since August 2025, renting in the Dominican Republic falls under one law: Ley 85-25 on the rental of real estate and eviction. That law repealed the deposit law of 1955 (Ley 4314) and Ley 17-88, and replaced the rent decree from 1959. Older guides describe those old rules; they no longer apply.

The law applies to renting homes, business premises and space for non-profit organisations. It does not apply to everything. Exempt are, among others:

• tourist or recreational rentals of at most 90 days;
• boarding houses and lodgings;
• rural farms;
• property of the State.

So a holiday home for your first month or two does not fall under the tenancy law.

Subject	What Ley 85-25 says	Article
Deposit for a home	at most two months' rent	13
Rent increase without agreement	at most 10%	8
Verbal contract for a home	counts as at least one year	9
Landlord gives notice for the end date	at least 90 days in advance, through a bailiff	31
Deduction from the deposit	in writing within five days of handover, with evidence	16
Agent's commission	for whoever hired the agent	7

What must the contract contain?

Article 5 lists what it must contain at a minimum:

• the details of both parties;
• the exact address and a description of the home, with its condition;
• a list of the furniture, if you rent furnished;
• what you use the home for;
• the rent, and how, where and when you pay;
• the end date;
• the address for correspondence, and the date of the contract.

The landlord may ask for a fiador solidario: a guarantor who answers for everything you do not pay. Ask in advance whether the landlord requires a fiador. The deposit itself is capped at two months' rent for a home.

You pay rent per month, unless you agree otherwise. The landlord gives you a receipt. You share the legal costs of the contract, half each.

Who pays the agent?

Whoever hires the agent pays him. Under the law an advertisement counts as instructed by the owner. If you find a home through an advertisement, the commission therefore belongs to the landlord.

How does the deposit work?

For a home the landlord may ask for at most two months' rent as a deposit. If you agree to it, the landlord can deposit it, with a copy of the contract, at Banco Agrícola or Banreservas, in the place where the home is located. The bank pays interest on it, as on a savings account.

At the end the landlord lets you collect the deposit or returns it. If he wants to deduct anything, he must notify you in writing within five calendar days of the handover, with photos, quotes or estimates. If you disagree, you go to the juzgado de paz, the justice of the peace.

Take photos of every room at the start and have the condition of the home described in the contract. If part of your deposit is withheld, that is your only evidence.

May the rent go up?

You agree on a rent increase together. If the contract for a home says nothing about it, the increase may not exceed 10%. The landlord may not raise the rent during the contract because of necessary maintenance. That maintenance is his duty; you report what is broken.