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49 get title to their homestead lots
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Posted on Jul 13 2005
The Marianas Public Lands Authority has approved the issuance of legal land documents to 49 homesteaders from Saipan.
The MPLA board of directors made the approval after the Saipan homesteaders fully complied with the terms and conditions of their respective village homestead permits.
Upon receipt of a village homestead permit, homesteaders are required to enter, use and improve the homestead lot within 120 days and complete a single-family residence within two years after the issuance of the said permit.
They must start living in the homestead as the principal place of residence no later than the end of the second year after the issuance of the homestead permit, and continually reside throughout the third year.
Homesteaders are prohibited from leasing, assigning, selling, or transferring the homestead lot during the permit period.
MPLA said the 49 Saipan homesteaders should be able to pick up their certificates of compliance and quitclaim deeds in two weeks. A list of names of the recipients will be printed in local newspapers, as well as MPLA’s website.
With MPLA approval, homesteaders may use their property as collateral when obtaining loans from financial institutions.
According to the CNMI Constitution, after receiving the deed, homesteaders may mortgage the land, but may not transfer the title to others in the first 10 years. Mortgage proceeds obtained from homestead property may only be used on improvements to the land.
For the past three years, MPLA has not been accepting homestead permit applications for Saipan and Rota.
The homestead moratorium was implemented on Oct. 1, 2002 due to the dwindling inventory of public land. Pursuant to the moratorium, MPLA stopped accepting village homestead applications for Saipan and village and agricultural homestead applications for Rota, due to the dwindling inventory of public land.
However, residents on Tinian may apply for either of two homestead programs.
