Housing in Haiti

People obtain housing in Haiti through owners, social networks, private intermediaries, host families, construction projects and informal agreements. A rental arrangement may concern a house, apartment or room. Before paying, confirm the identity of the owner or person granting use, the right to rent the property, the contract terms, payment records, deposit or advance, repair responsibilities, utility arrangements, cancellation terms and the condition of the property. Check water, sanitation, electricity, access paths and security as well as the building itself. Buying or building a home requires additional checks. An arpenteur, meaning a land surveyor, can examine boundaries and measurements. A notaire prepares the notarial deed. Formal ownership generally depends on a surveyed property and a registered notarial deed through the Direction de la Conservation Foncière and the Direction Générale des Impôts, known as DGI. Haiti also has informal and fragmented land records, overlapping boundaries, competing claims, manual registers and long processing times. A historical World Bank estimate found that more than 60% of parcels lacked an official registered title in 2001 and that less than 5% of the country had cadastral coverage; these figures are historical and are not a current census. A buyer should therefore obtain local title checks from a notaire, arpenteur and DGI before committing money. Housing projects can involve the Unité de construction de logements et de bâtiments publics, or UCLBP, which coordinates public and private housing and reconstruction projects. Its Sites-and-Services model has included property titles, rent-to-own arrangements, land leases and emphyteusis together with basic infrastructure, but access depends on the specific project and beneficiary rules. There is no automatic entitlement to these arrangements. The Comité interministériel d’aménagement du territoire, or CIAT, contributes to land and cadastral policy, while communes and mairies handle local planning and implementation with varying capacity. Rent levels depend on the property, location and agreement. Additional costs can include a deposit or advance, electricity, water, repairs, agency fees, surveying, notarial work, registration and taxes. The research does not establish a current nationwide rental price list, uniform deposit, minimum housing standard, notice period, eviction process or dispute procedure for private homes. The 1947 rent law is historically documented, but its current application should be verified for the specific case. The 2020 decree on leases for professional use concerns business premises and does not automatically govern a private home. Banks, cooperatives and microfinance institutions offer fragmented housing-finance pathways. The Banque de la République d’Haïti, or BRH, supervises the financial system, and SOGEBEL appears on the banking list. Historical programmes such as Kay Pam and 10-10-20 should not be treated as currently available without checking their present conditions directly. Missing or disputed titles, irregular income, required own funds and repayment or enforcement risks can prevent financing. For purchase, self-building or repairs, assess the site, structure, earthquake and cyclone exposure, fire risk, drainage, water and sanitation. Haiti’s official Code National du Bâtiment Haïtien, or CNBH, 2025 provides the current national construction framework, alongside technical guidance for earthquake- and cyclone-resistant strengthening. Permit and inspection requirements depend on the commune and project, so the applicable procedure should be confirmed with the mairie and the Ministère des Travaux Publics, Transports et Communications, or MTPTC. During occupancy, safe construction, secure access, water and sanitation, electricity, crowding, violence and displacement risk affect whether an arrangement remains usable. Host-family accommodation is widespread but can impose financial and social pressure on the host household. Private rental may provide more privacy and service access than site accommodation, while offering less secure tenure. Displaced households may use host families, private rentals, spontaneous sites, rental assistance or transport and host-family support. IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix Round 13, based on data collected from March to May 2026, recorded 1,466,862 internally displaced people: 84% lived outside sites, mainly with host families or in rentals, and 16% lived in sites, including 262 spontaneous sites. It recorded 21% of displaced people in the capital and 79% in the provinces; 69% of displaced people in the capital were in sites, while 98% in the provinces were outside sites. Shelter was identified as a priority need for 38%. Access to assistance depends on the programme, funding, displacement situation and vulnerability, not on a general housing entitlement. The same round recorded 165,937 returnees who had previously been internally displaced. A move, return, relocation, rental termination, repair or reconstruction should be assessed against current security, title or occupancy rights, rent affordability, building condition and access to services. Return is not automatically safe or permanent. Haiti has no single nationwide exit or relocation procedure; disputes may require local legal advice, a notaire or the competent court.