DFL 2 Housing Sale Deed Chile (Escritura de Compraventa DFL 2)

DFL 2 Housing Sale Deed Chile (Escritura de Compraventa de Vivienda DFL 2) is a public deed (escritura pública) governed by DFL No. 2 of 5 August 1959 (Decreto con Fuerza de Ley N° 2 sobre Plan Habitacional) and Código Civil Article 1793, executed before a Notario Público and inscribed at the Conservador de Bienes Raíces (CBR), by which a seller (vendedor) transfers ownership (dominio) of a qualifying DFL 2 dwelling (vivienda acogida al DFL 2) to a buyer (comprador) in exchange for an agreed price (precio).

DFL No. 2 of 1959 was enacted during the government of President Jorge Alessandri Rodríguez to encourage private investment in affordable housing (vivienda económica) by granting substantial tax incentives to owners of small residential properties that comply with defined construction and size standards. Article 1 of DFL No. 2 defines the beneficiary properties as those destined for housing (habitación) with a built surface area (superficie edificada) not exceeding 140 square metres, meeting the construction quality standards established by the Ministerio de Vivienda y Urbanismo (MINVU) through the Dirección de Obras Municipales (DOM).

The qualifying DFL 2 status (calidad DFL 2) is certified by the respective Dirección de Obras Municipales (DOM) of the municipality (municipalidad) where the property is located, which issues the Certificado de Recepción Final (final acceptance certificate) confirming that the construction complies with DFL No. 2 standards. The Servicio de Impuestos Internos (SII) administers the DFL 2 tax regime and maintains the property's DFL 2 classification in its property registry, reflected in the avalúo fiscal and the Certificado de Avalúo issued by the SII.

The Código Civil Article 1793 defines the purchase-sale contract (contrato de compraventa) as a contract by which one party (seller) binds itself to give (dar) a thing and the other (buyer) to pay for it in money. Article 1801 establishes that the sale of real property (bienes raíces) is not deemed perfected between the parties until the escritura pública is executed before a Notario Público — without the escritura pública, the agreement does not produce the transfer of ownership (tradición del dominio). Article 1817 provides that ownership transfers only upon inscription at the CBR under the Reglamento del Registro Conservatorio de Bienes Raíces of 1857.

The Conservador de Bienes Raíces inscribes the transfer in the Registro de Propiedad, cancelling the previous inscription (inscripción vigente) in the name of the seller and creating a new inscription (nueva inscripción) in the name of the buyer. The CBR also notes (anota) any mortgage (hipoteca), encumbrance (gravamen), or prohibition (prohibición) affecting the property in the respective registers — the Registro de Hipotecas y Gravámenes and the Registro de Interdicciones y Prohibiciones de Enajenar. Before executing the escritura, the buyer must conduct a complete title study (estudio de títulos) through a qualified Abogado to verify that the property has clear title (dominio libre de gravámenes y prohibiciones).

The SII plays a central role in DFL 2 property transactions: the seller must obtain a Formulario 2890 (certificate of no overdue property taxes) confirming that impuesto territorial is current, and a Certificado de Avalúo reflecting the property's DFL 2 classification. The SII also administers the impuesto de timbres y estampillas under DL 3.475 of 1980 applicable to the purchase price financed through mortgage credit (crédito hipotecario). Properties acogidas al DFL 2 enjoy exemption from impuesto territorial under Article 2 of DFL No. 2 for 20 years from the date of the Certificado de Recepción Final, subject to the property not being subdivided or exceeding the 140 m² limit.

Real estate brokers (corredores de propiedades) registered with the Ministerio de Economía and real estate companies (inmobiliarias) regulated under the Ley General de Urbanismo y Construcción (DFL 458 of 1976) commonly market DFL 2 properties, which represent the largest segment of the Chilean residential real estate market due to their tax advantages and accessibility under the MINVU housing subsidy system (Sistema de Subsidios Habitacionales).

A DFL 2 Housing Sale Deed Chile is required whenever a seller wishes to transfer ownership of a residential property qualifying under DFL No. 2 of 1959, preserving the buyer's right to the associated tax benefits — including the impuesto territorial exemption and capital gains tax relief — that attach to the property upon its DFL 2 classification.

The escritura pública is the mandatory legal instrument for transferring real property in Chile. Under Código Civil Article 1801, the purchase-sale of bienes raíces (real property) is not legally perfected — and does not bind the parties in the real property sense — until the escritura pública is executed before a Notario Público and inscribed at the Conservador de Bienes Raíces. A private contract (contrato privado de compraventa) does not transfer ownership; it creates only a personal obligation to execute the escritura.

First-time homebuyers (compradores de primera vivienda) accessing MINVU housing subsidies — including the Subsidio Habitacional DS 49 for social housing, the DS 1 for medium housing, and the Subsidio de Arriendo DS 52 — must execute a DFL 2 escritura to formalize the acquisition and activate the subsidy disbursement through the SERVIU (Servicio de Vivienda y Urbanización). The MINVU subsidy programs require the property to qualify as DFL 2 to be eligible.

Buyers financing the purchase through a crédito hipotecario (mortgage loan) from a bank or financial institution regulated by the CMF (Comisión para el Mercado Financiero) — such as Banco de Chile, BancoEstado, Banco Santander Chile, Scotiabank Chile, or Banco BCI — require the DFL 2 escritura to secure the mortgage (hipoteca) over the property. The bank's legal team (departamento jurídico) reviews the title study and approves the draft escritura before instructing the Notario Público to authorize the deed.

Sellers disposing of DFL 2 properties must obtain SII clearance through Formulario 2890 (confirming no overdue impuesto territorial), the Certificado de Avalúo reflecting DFL 2 status, and — where a mortgage exists — the alzamiento de hipoteca (mortgage release) from the creditor bank, executed as a separate escritura pública and inscribed at the CBR before or simultaneously with the compraventa deed.

Real estate developers (inmobiliarias) constructing DFL 2 housing developments must execute individual escrituras de compraventa DFL 2 for each unit sold, coordinating with the DOM for the Certificado de Recepción Final for each dwelling, and with the CBR for simultaneous inscription and mortgage constitution. The Cámara Chilena de la Construcción (CChC) is the principal trade association representing construction and real estate companies that build DFL 2 housing across Chile.

A valid DFL 2 Housing Sale Deed Chile must contain the following essential elements to effect a legally binding transfer of ownership and preserve the DFL 2 tax benefits for the incoming buyer:

Notarial Execution (Otorgamiento ante Notario Público): The escritura de compraventa must be executed (autorizada) before a Notario Público authorized by the Ministerio de Justicia and Derechos Humanos under the Ley Orgánica del Notariado (COT Articles 399–445). The Notario verifies the identity of the parties, reads the deed to them, ensures their capacity (capacidad legal) to contract, and certifies their signatures. Without proper notarial authorization, the escritura lacks legal validity as a public instrument under Código Civil Article 1699.

Party Identification: Full name, RUT (Rol Único Tributario), cédula de identidad, civil status (estado civil), occupation, and domicile of both vendedor and comprador. For married sellers, the spouse's authorization (autorización conyugal) under the Código Civil Article 1749 is required if the property is part of the marital partnership estate (sociedad conyugal). For legal entities, the company's razón social, RUT, and the legal representative's mandate (poder notarial o escritura de representación) must be documented.

Property Identification: Complete identification of the property including the property roll (Rol de Avalúo SII), full address (calle, número, piso, depto., comuna, región), inscription details at the CBR (fojas, número, año, Registro de Propiedad), and the DFL 2 certification reference including the DOM Certificado de Recepción Final number and date confirming the property qualifies under DFL No. 2 of 1959 with a built area not exceeding 140 square metres.

DFL 2 Certification Reference: Express declaration and documentary reference confirming that the property is acogida al DFL N° 2 de 1959 — including the municipality (municipalidad), DOM reception certificate (certificado de recepción definitiva), the built surface area (superficie construida in m²), and the SII classification. This certification is fundamental to preserve the impuesto territorial exemption and other tax benefits for the new owner.

Purchase Price (Precio de Compraventa): The agreed purchase price in Chilean Pesos (CLP) or Unidades de Fomento (UF) — stated in both figures and words (en letras y números). If the price includes a portion financed by crédito hipotecario, the deed must specify the mortgage amount, the lending institution (banco acreedor), and the simultaneous constitution of the hipoteca under Código Civil Articles 2407–2434 and Ley N° 18.010 on credit operations.

Payment Terms: How and when the purchase price will be paid — whether in cash (al contado) upon deed execution, through bank financing (con crédito hipotecario de [banco]), or through MINVU housing subsidies (subsidio habitacional DS 49/DS 1). For transactions financed by BancoEstado or another CMF-regulated institution, the deed records the simultaneous payment and mortgage constitution.

Title Warranties and Encumbrances: The seller's warranties (saneamiento de evicción and saneamiento de vicios redhibitorios) under Código Civil Articles 1837–1870 and 1857–1870. The deed must state whether the property transfers free of encumbrances (libre de hipotecas, gravámenes, prohibiciones e interdicciones) or subject to existing ones — confirmed by a CBR title search certificate (certificado de gravámenes y prohibiciones) issued within 30 days prior to execution.

Property Tax Clearance (Certificado de No Deuda): The Formulario 2890 issued by the SII confirming that all impuesto territorial contributions (contribuciones de bienes raíces) are current to the execution date. Unpaid contributions constitute a lien (gravamen) on the property enforceable by the Tesorería General de la República, which can affect the buyer's title.

CBR Inscription Clause: A clause authorizing the CBR to inscribe the transfer in the Registro de Propiedad and to cancel the seller's prior inscription, along with instructions for any simultaneous mortgage inscription and annotation in the Registro de Hipotecas y Gravámenes.

Forms-legal.com provides this DFL 2 Housing Sale Deed Chile template as a reference for buyers and sellers of DFL 2 properties. Given the complexity of Chilean real estate conveyancing — including the title study, CBR inscriptions, SII clearances, and MINVU subsidy coordination — every transaction must be managed by a licensed Abogado specializing in derecho inmobiliario. Los usuarios de forms-legal.com pueden descargar este documento de forma gratuita en formato PDF o DOCX, completar los campos del formulario guiado y obtener un documento listo para firma.