Vietnam Ministry of Construction drops timed ownership proposal for apartments

The Ministry of Construction has removed the clause that would have set a time limit on condominium ownership from the latest draft of the Housing Law. The earlier draft proposed that ownership of an apartment would terminate when the building reached the end of its design life or required demolition, with compensation or rebuilding options for owners. The revised draft, released on 10 July, retains only the determination of a building’s usage period based on design documents and safety inspections, allowing extensions if the structure remains safe. The HoREA real‑estate association had urged the government to keep indefinite ownership, warning that a timed‑ownership regime could create insecurity for buyers and destabilise the housing market. The Ministry’s amendment aligns with HoREA’s position, dropping the timed‑ownership provision while preserving mechanisms for safety checks, compensation, and reconstruction of demolished complexes.