Understanding the risks of ‘buying’ property on an ejido

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That gorgeous casona or lot of land in the countryside you found for an amazing price, may not be as easy to purchase as you at first thought. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

When shopping around for land in the countryside or on the coast, many newcomers to Yucatán come across opportunities to purchase real estate labeled as edijal or de ejido.

At first, everything always looks wonderful, the price might seem low and the person doing the “selling” seems extremely motivated and ready to move things along. But what is an ejido? And how does buying land on one, differ from other types of real estate transactions?

When looking into buying a property in Mexico always ask if the “escrituras” are in order. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

Simply put and ejido or propiedad comunal is an area of communal land collectively used and maintained by a group of people. This means that such lots are not private property and can not be owned by a single individual. This is not to say that purchasing land on an ejido is impossible. If you plan on going down this route, you will have to ensure that all stakeholders are completely on board and then go through a lengthy privatization process with a local assembly. Furthermore, Mexican law prohibits the sale of ejidos to non-Mexicans which means buying by proxy, usually with a trusted local lawyer.

Ejidos are run out of comisarias ejidales. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

A seasoned Texas businessman who had been living in Mexico for over 20 years said his attempt to buy ejido land near Telchac was one of the most stressful and aggravating events of his life.

Because of the cost, buying ejido land along the coastline is particularly prone to get complicated, as ejido members often decide to change the price at the last minute. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

It is not uncommon for entire deals to fall through because a single member of the landowners’ group changes his mind — even if it’s after everyone else has already been paid. In these situations, you essentially have no recourse. So as they say, buyer beware.

Carlos Rosado van der Gracht
Carlos Rosado van der Gracht
Born in Mérida, Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican/Canadian blogger, photographer and adventure expedition leader. He holds degrees in multimedia, philosophy, and translation from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.
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