Housing in Paraguay

Common housing terms in Paraguay include vivienda for a home, casa or rancho for a house, departamento or piso for an apartment, alquiler or locación for renting, lote or terreno for land, and vivienda social for subsidized housing. The 2022 census recorded about 1,621,209 houses or ranchos and 44,145 apartments, with an average of 3.5 people per dwelling. National access figures were 98.6% for electricity, 79.3% for running water, 85.7% for sanitary drainage and 55.2% for waste collection, but conditions differ considerably between urban and rural areas, departments and districts. A property should therefore be checked locally rather than judged from national averages. Before renting, record the address, the owner or authorized landlord, the property’s condition, furniture and inventory, meter readings, available services, intended use, rental period, rent, guarantee, repair duties, additional charges and the return process. Keep photographs, signed records and payment evidence. Do not make an undocumented advance payment. Paraguay’s Civil Code defines locación as temporary use of property in exchange for payment. A rental contract generally cannot exceed five years, except for construction on urban property or plantations on rural land, where the maximum can reach twenty years. If no period is agreed, the applicable period can depend on the type of property and the payment arrangement; an unfurnished house commonly follows a one-year period, while a furnished room or apartment can follow the agreed unit of time. The landlord generally provides the property, preserves it, carries out necessary repairs, protects peaceful use and answers for relevant defects. The tenant generally uses the property as agreed, pays rent on time, maintains it, handles minor repairs, reports defects or third-party claims, pays use-related taxes where applicable and returns the property in the required condition. Subletting is possible when the contract does not prohibit it, but the written agreement should be checked first. A rental relationship can end through expiry, an agreed termination or other legal grounds, including two unpaid monthly rents. For an open-ended rental of a house, regular payment and a formal notice process can lead to a forty-day period in the circumstances described by the Civil Code. The contract and current legal advice should be checked for the exact case. Selling a property does not automatically end a registered rental for its agreed duration when the lease is recorded in the property register. For a purchase, examine the escritura pública or title, the Certificado Catastral, Registro or finca and matrícula data, ownership, mortgages, attachments, restrictions on disposition, municipal tax debts, boundaries, plans, georeferencing, utilities and the approval status of any subdivision or loteamiento. A private boleto or purchase contract does not by itself create the same security as a properly registered ownership position. A escribano público prepares or formalizes the public deed, which should then be registered in the Registro Inmobiliario or the current integrated RUN system. The RUN, the integrated cadastral and property-registration system, began a transition on 14 January 2026; older SNC and DGRP terms and procedures may still appear during implementation, so the responsible office should be confirmed for each transaction. Foreign nationals have no general housing prohibition identified in the reviewed sources. Property procedures can accept a passport where a foreign buyer does not have a Paraguayan identity card. A separate restriction applies to rural property within the 50-kilometer border security zone under Ley 2532. Nationals of neighboring countries and legal entities mainly formed by them generally cannot acquire ownership, co-ownership or usufruct there without the required exception. The exact location and citizenship structure should be checked before signing a rural purchase. Public housing assistance is not the same as a general national rent allowance. The Ministerio de Urbanismo, Vivienda y Hábitat, known as MUVH, coordinates housing and habitat policy and supports purchase, construction, improvement and subsidies. FONAVIS provides social housing subsidies. Che Róga Porã is an AFD-financed housing-credit program distributed through participating financial institutions. Its reviewed conditions include creditworthy Paraguayan applicants, a principal borrower and spouse or partner without a built property, household income up to nine minimum salaries, a first home and uses such as buying a home under construction, buying a completed home, buying land with construction, building on an owned lot, renovating, expanding or completing a home. The family payment is capped at 40% of household income and the term can reach thirty years, in guaraníes only. AFD figures dated 1 July 2026 set different maximums for Asunción, Central and selected areas of Presidente Hayes compared with other areas; interest rates and amounts should be revalidated before applying. A special program for non-resident Paraguayans can require net monthly income up to USD 7,000, at least one year of employment and a legalized or apostilled special power of attorney. These conditions do not automatically extend to non-Paraguayan foreigners. FONAVIS and the Subsidio de Vivienda Social can cover a new or used home, construction, extension or improvement. Access generally requires Paraguayan nationality or permanent residence, adulthood or emancipation and usually no owned property, with an exception for building on an owned lot. Depending on income level, the subsidy can cover up to 15%, 40%, 70% or 95% of the project. Social, technical and environmental documents are required, and approval is not automatic. A subsidized home can carry restrictions on sale, pledging, renting or allowing another person to use it until ten years have passed and the relevant credit has been fully repaid. Applications normally involve MUVH’s Mesa de Entrada and social qualification, a technical file, income and family records, ownership or title documents, plans, utility information and municipal or tax records. Credit approval, project approval and utility or municipal authorization are separate checks. Utility access should be verified before renting or buying. ANDE handles electricity, and a connection or change of account can require a title or equivalent possession document, an identity card, a form and, in some cases, a registered electrician. After a sale or assignment, update the electricity account promptly. ESSAP’s new water connections can require a title or authenticated property-tax document, an identity card, a sketch and the owner’s presence or written authorization. ESSAP lists connection charges that vary by connection size, including figures of Gs. 1,155,522 for a customary 3/4-inch household connection and Gs. 3,054,181 for a 1-inch connection, with payment possible in up to ten monthly installments; these amounts should be checked before use. Water may instead come from SENASA, a Junta de Saneamiento, a community or private network, or a well. Sanitation and water availability therefore need an on-site check rather than an assumption based only on the provider’s name. Cedida housing, ocupación de hecho, asentamientos, incomplete land titles, self-built homes and community utility arrangements can provide real access to housing but may carry higher legal, credit, sale and connection risks. INDERT handles certain agricultural possession and title-regularization matters. A municipal, MUVH or project process does not automatically prove secure ownership. Before leaving a rental, document the condition and meter readings, settle the guarantee and agreed charges, and separately cancel or transfer utility accounts. After an ownership change, update the public deed, registration, cadastral records, municipal records and utility accounts. Costs include rent or a guarantee, purchase price, deed and registration, cadastral and notarial work, municipal taxes or debts, loan interest, insurance, fees, connections and consumption. Processing times vary between the registry, cadastre, municipality, financial institution, MUVH and INDERT.