Living in the shadow of informality: one in five homes in Medellín has no legal titles

NewsA Draft Ordinance in the City Council prioritizes 50,000 properties to grant deeds, allow access to credit, and ease tax burdens. Risk zones in Medellín Photo: Medellín Mayor's OfficeJOURNALIST11.11.2026 16:33 Updated: 11.11.2026 16:33 The Medellín City Council began discussing Draft Ordinance 103 of 2026, an initiative that seeks to accelerate the legalization of irregular settlements and property titling in the Antioquian capital. Of the approximately 1,020,000 housing units that exist in the city, around 205,000 lack formalization. Risk zones in Medellín Photo: Medellín Mayor's OfficeThe priority objective of this project is to regularize the legal status of a quarter of those properties (around 50,000 homes), relying on the legal framework of laws 2044 of 2020 and 1561 of 2012. From an economic perspective, the project projects a substantial impact on local development. Real estate expert Jorge Castaño emphasized that formalization will allow each family to establish a formal patrimony estimated at a minimum of 70 million pesos, which would add about 5 trillion pesos to the district's economy. In addition, obtaining deeds opens access to the banking system for mortgage credits between 10 million and 20 million pesos intended for home improvements or education, reducing dependence on informal credit schemes such as 'pagadiario' and potentially contributing an increase of up to 1.5% to the city's GDP. Risk zones in Medellín Photo: Medellín Mayor's OfficeThe proposal includes a negotiation mechanism that contemplates 10% compensation for the original owners of the invaded lands, clarifying that this item will not be passed on as a new tax to the occupying families. However, during the debate opposing positions emerged. While residents of the area requested suspending utility charges on demolished properties and halting new demolitions, the landowners expressed that the 10% is insufficient given the harm suffered and criticized having to continue paying property tax on land they cannot use or manage. READ MORE In response to these concerns, the sponsoring council members —led by Andrés Rodríguez— and the District Administration stated that they will adjust the text in its legal, technical, and financial aspects. For his part, Óscar Cardona, director of Isvimed, confirmed that the relevant departments are advancing a comprehensive review of the articles to ensure it is fiscally viable, aligns responsibly with the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework, and strictly complies with the Land Use Plan (POT) regulations. Follow all the news from Colombia on Facebook and Twitter, or in our weekly newsletter. EL TIEMPO NEWSLETTERSSign up for our newsletters and receive news in your email according to your interests. Stay informed about what really matters to you. EL TIEMPO GOOGLE NEWSFollow us on GOOGLE NEWS. Always stay up to date with the latest news, coverage, stories, and analysis directly on Google News. EL TIEMPO WHATSAPPJoin El Tiempo's WhatsApp channel to stay up to date with the most relevant news as it happens. EL TIEMPO APPStay informed with the EL TIEMPO app. Receive the latest news, coverage, stories, and analysis directly on your device. SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITALReliable information for you. Subscribe to EL TIEMPO and access our journalistic content without limits.