The Subdivision and Housing Developers Association, Inc. (SHDA) has urged government to harmonize land transfer rules to ensure the consistent nationwide implementation of a Department of Justice (DoJ) opinion that eliminates agrarian land transfer clearances.

In a statement, the industry group asked the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the Land Registration Authority (LRA), and the Registers of Deeds (RoDs) to establish clear operational guidelines that would allow landowners, developers, and financial institutions to move forward with certainty following the issuance of DoJ Legal Opinion No. 16, s. 2026.

“Predictability in land administration is important to keep housing projects moving. A clear and consistent process allows developers and other stakeholders to make informed decisions, manage project timelines, and pursue investments with confidence,” SHDA Chairman Francis Richmond Z. Villegas said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We see this as an opportunity to support a framework that is responsive to the needs of the housing industry while remaining aligned with existing laws and regulations,” Mr. Villegas added.

The legal opinion ruled out the need for private agricultural land transactions without an existing Notice of Coverage — the DAR-issued notice placing farmland under the coverage of the government's agrarian reform program — to be covered by a DAR Land Transfer Clearance (LTC).

The DoJ concluded that the legal basis for requiring an LTC — which had applied to the five-hectare retention limit under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) — ceased to be effective following the statutory cutoff on June 30, 2014, also known as the CARPER deadline under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms, the 2009 law that extended the program.

For unencumbered titles, the removal of the clearance requirement eliminates a redundant administrative step, enabling developers to proceed more efficiently toward land acquisition, title transfer, project financing, permitting, construction, and site preparation.

“The DoJ opinion gives the industry legal clarity. What we need now is the same clarity on the ground. Joint guidelines from DAR, LRA, and the RoDs will ensure that every office applies the ruling the same way, so landowners, developers, and financial institutions can move forward with certainty,” SHDA National President Kerwin V. Padua said.

The association said developers remain fully committed to complying with national and local laws, including DAR land use conversion requirements, local zoning ordinances, and environmental clearances from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“The SHDA recognizes the significance of this development to the housing sector. Our members are committed to supporting an efficient, transparent, and predictable land administration that facilitates responsible housing development and delivery. The implementation of DoJ Opinion No. 16, Series of 2026 may help reduce unnecessary transaction costs and administrative delays arising from the processing and securing of an LTC in transactions falling within the scope of the Opinion,” the group said.

SHDA members are responsible for building 80% of the homes constructed in the Philippines each year. The organization, which counts 350 members organized into eight regional chapters, has taken the position that reducing unnecessary transaction costs and administrative delays is critical to expanding the supply of affordable homes.

The next step is whether DAR, LRA, and the RoDs adopt the joint operational guidelines SHDA has proposed — the mechanism Mr. Padua said would ensure every office applies the ruling the same way across the country's registry network.

— Juliana Chloe A. Gonzales