Land Expropriated Decades Ago: Your Right Is Still Alive
If your father, mother, grandfather, or great-grandfather owned land that was taken by the government—through formal expropriation or without any legal process—you may still be eligible for compensation.
In the Dominican Republic, thousands of families had land belonging to their parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents that the government expropriated, occupied, or used for roads, schools, hospitals, barracks, parks, aqueducts, sports fields, dams, community projects, or to divide properties with roads and rights of way, but never paid the corresponding compensation.
Much of this land remained in the hands of the state without the family receiving fair compensation.
What many people don't know is that:
- The Constitution protects the right to property.
- That right is not subject to a statute of limitations.
- It does not fade with the years.
Although decades have passed since the government took the land, the family's right to it remains alive. The important thing is to investigate it with a team that knows how to claim it.
How do you know if your family can file a claim?
If someone in your family has said any of these phrases, there are clear signs of expropriation or unpaid occupation:
- "They built a school on that plot of land."
- "The road went through Dad's or Mom's land."
- "They built a park or a sports field there."
- "The government took that piece and never paid for it."
- "That land belonged to my grandfather or great-grandfather."
- "The property was split in two by a new street."
- "There they built a military outpost, a hospital, or a public project."
- "That has been in the hands of the state since the time of your parents or grandparents."
If you recognize any of these situations, it is worth investigating whether you are owed compensation.
What happens if there is an unpaid expropriation?
If it is confirmed that:
- The land belonged to your father, mother, grandfather, or great-grandfather, and
- The State expropriated or occupied it without full compensation,
Then there may be financial compensation pending collection.
Amounts vary depending on:
- Land size
- Location
- Type of public works
- Current value of the area
- Affected area: total or partial
In many cases, compensation amounts to tens of millions of pesos.
Cost Model
Contingency fee: We only charge fees if the family receives compensation. In the case of vulnerable families, we can discuss special arrangements (advance payment of expenses, etc.).
Our Experience
We have worked on:
- Past and recent expropriations, fair compensation
- Unpaid work
- Claims against the State
- Reconstruction of files from previous decades
- Complex land conflicts
- Cases where public works divided or occupied family properties
We have numerous success stories where families who thought they had lost everything were duly compensated.
How to get started?
We just need:
- The name of the father, mother, grandfather, or great-grandfather,
- The approximate area of the land,
- Any family stories or details/documents at hand.
With that, we begin the investigation. If there is a case, we pursue it; if there isn't, we say so clearly.
Free consultation
Your family did not lose its rights. It just needs someone to enforce them. If your father, mother, grandfather, or great-grandfather owned land that the government expropriated or occupied without paying, compensation may have been waiting for decades.
"The right to property is inviolable. No one may be deprived of their property except for justified reasons of public utility or social interest, upon payment of its fair value." - Dominican Constitution