You found the property. You liked the render, the price makes sense, the sales rep spoke well of the developer. Everything seems in order.
Before you put down a deposit, there's one question worth more than any site tour: is this project operating within the legal framework?
In 2025 and the first months of 2026, SEDETUS — Quintana Roo's Secretariat of Sustainable Territorial Development — shut down 116 irregular real estate developments in the state. Projects that were selling units, collecting deposits, and signing contracts without the required permits.
Verifying a project is not distrust. It's the step that separates a solid investment from a legal problem that can last years.
Where to start: the public registry
The first step is verifying that the land where the project will be built has a clean title, registered with the Quintana Roo Public Property Registry.
Ask the developer for the land deed or title. A serious developer has it available and has no problem showing it. If there's evasiveness, that's already information.
You can verify the registration directly at the state's Public Property Registry. The process is public and doesn't require you to be party to any contract.
The documents you need to request
Before signing any presale contract in Quintana Roo, these are the documents you should request from the developer:
The municipal construction permit confirms the project has authorization from the municipality to build what it's selling. Without it, the project is operating irregularly from the start.
The environmental impact authorization, issued by Semarnat or Profepa, is mandatory for developments in areas with vegetation, bodies of water, or ecological transition zones. In the Riviera Maya, that applies to most projects.
Compatible land use confirms the municipality allows that type of development in that location. Land with agricultural or conservation zoning cannot be developed as a residential condominium, even if it's being sold as one.
The registered condominium regime is the legal structure that allows selling individual units within a building or complex. Without this registration, each apartment or house has no independent legal existence.
The adhesion contract registered with PROFECO, Mexico's consumer protection agency, is mandatory for presales. Without it, the contract you sign lacks the legal protection the law grants you as a consumer.
How to verify the developer
Beyond the project documents, it's worth verifying the developer as a company.
Check if the company has a history in the Commercial Registry. See if it appears on the SAT's 69-B list, which registers companies with irregular tax operations. Check for complaints filed with PROFECO by previous buyers.
At Reference Real Estate, we use the business due diligence tool from Reference Check MX to verify developers before incorporating their projects into our portfolio. It's not bureaucratic box-checking — it's the difference between presenting a client with a trustworthy project or one that could become a serious problem.
The SEDETUS registry and irregular projects
SEDETUS publishes and updates a list of developments operating without the State Urban Coherence Certificate. This certificate confirms the project is aligned with the state's urban development plans.
You can consult that list directly on the SEDETUS portal, or use the search tool we built at referencerealestate.mx/en/verifica. If the development you're evaluating appears on that list, it has an active alert from the state government.
A project not appearing on the list doesn't guarantee it's compliant in every aspect. It's one layer of verification, not the only one.
What we do at Reference before working with a project
Before presenting a development to our clients, we review the construction permit, land title, land use, environmental authorization, and the developer's history. If any of those documents isn't in order or the developer can't present them, we don't incorporate the project.
This isn't a marketing position. It's the minimum standard we consider reasonable before recommending that someone invest their money.
To close
Verifying a real estate project in Quintana Roo takes time and requires knowing which documents to request and where to check them. It's worth every minute.
If you're evaluating a presale in Playa del Carmen or anywhere in the Riviera Maya and want to review these documents with us before deciding, we'd be glad to do that. It's part of what we offer.
Nat Vázquez Real Estate Advisor · Reference Real Estate 📍 Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo 📱 +52 (984) 195-0103