Karapatan sa refund ng installment payments

ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta - @Magtanong Kay Attorney | October 15, 2021

Dear Chief Acosta,

Ako ay nakabili ng bahay mula sa developer sa pamamagitan ng Pag-IBIG loan. Mahigit limang taon na akong nagbabayad ng buwanang hulog sa Pag-IBIG, ngunit dahil sa pandemya ay nagipit ako kaya halos anim na buwan akong hindi nakabayad. Nakatanggap ako ng sulat na ang aking bahay ay isasailalim sa foreclosure proceedings. Subalit, napag-alaman ko na may batas tungkol sa refund ng installment payments sa pagbili ng bahay kung ang nakabili ay nakapaghulog na ng hindi bababa sa dalawang taon. Maaari ba ako makapag-refund? – Lucas

Dear Lucas,

Ang batas na sumasaklaw sa inyong suliranin ay Republic Act (R.A.) No. 6552, o ang Retail Installment Buyer Act. Nakasaad sa Sections 3 at 4 ng R.A. No. 6552 na:

“Section 3. In all transactions or contracts involving the sale or financing of real estate on installment payments, including residential condominium apartments but excluding industrial lots, commercial buildings and sales to tenants under Republic Act Numbered Thirty-eight hundred forty-four (3844), as amended by Republic Act Numbered Sixty-three hundred eighty-nine (6389), where the buyer has paid at least two years of installments, the buyer is entitled to the following rights in case he defaults in the payment of succeeding installments:

“(a) To pay, without additional interest, the unpaid installments due within the total grace period earned by him which is hereby fixed at the rate of one month grace period for every one year of installment payments made: Provided, That this right shall be exercised by the buyer only once in every five years of the life of the contract and its extensions, if any.

“(b) If the contract is canceled, the seller shall refund to the buyer the cash surrender value of the payments on the property equivalent to fifty per cent of the total payments made, and, after five years of installments, an additional five per cent every year but not to exceed ninety per cent of the total payments made: Provided, That the actual cancellation of the contract shall take place after thirty days from receipt by the buyer of the notice of cancellation or the demand for rescission of the contract by a notarial act and upon full payment of the cash surrender value to the buyer.

“Down payments, deposits or options on the contract shall be included in the computation of the total number of installment payments made.

“Section 4. In case where less than two years of installments were paid, the seller shall give the buyer a grace period of not less than sixty days from the date the installment became due.

“If the buyer fails to pay the installments due at the expiration of the grace period, the seller may cancel the contract after thirty days from receipt by the buyer of the notice of cancellation or the demand for rescission of the contract by a notarial act.” (Binigyang-diin)

Alinsunod sa mga nabanggit na probisyon ng batas, ang karapatan sa refund kaugnay sa pagbili ng real estate ay tumutukoy sa mga transaksiyon, kung saan ang nasabing ari-arian ay binili at binabayaran ng installment o hulugan, at ang nakabili ay nakapaghulog nang hindi bababa sa dalawang taon. Sa inyong sitwasyon, kayo ay nag-loan sa Pag-IBIG Fund na siyang nagbayad ng buo sa developer ng inyong biniling ari-arian. Ang inyong buwanang bayad ay hindi maituturing na kabayaran sa halaga ng inyong ari-arian na binili, dahil ito ay kabayaran sa utang ninyo sa Pag-IBIG Fund. Kalakip ng inyong loan agreement sa Pag-IBIG Fund ang pagsanla ng inyong bahay na siyang garantiya ng inyong pagbabayad. Samakatwid, kung hindi ninyo mababayaran ang inyong utang sa Pag-IBIG Fund, alinsunod sa inyong kasunduan, ang inyong biniling ari-arian ay maaaring isailalim sa foreclosure proceedings.

Nawa ay nasagot namin ang inyong mga katanungan. Nais naming ipaalala sa inyo na ang opinyong ito ay nakabase sa inyong mga naisalaysay sa inyong liham at sa pagkakaintindi namin dito. Maaaring maiba ang opinyon kung mayroong karagdagang impormasyon na ibibigay. Mas mainam kung personal kayong sasangguni sa abogado.

Maraming salamat sa inyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.