Various laws have been passed to protect homebuyers and small property owners.  The Subdivision and Condominium Buyers Protective Decree or PD 957 regulates the real estate trade and business and imposes penalties on fraudulent practices.  The law ensures that the subdivision lot/housing unit meets the minimum design standards, has valid titles, and that the subdivision/ condominium developer has the financial capacity to complete the project. For this purpose the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board issues a License to Sell to a developer who is able to satisfy the requirements of PD 957.  Written complaints against developers are handled by the HLURB as a quasi-judicial body. Arbiters in all HLURB Regional Offices have been assigned to hear complaints and to determine cause for action.

PD 957 likewise requires that the subdivision developer should initiate the organization of a Homeowners Association (HOA) among the buyers and residents of the housing project to promote and protect their mutual interest and assist in their community development.   The HLURB registers Homeowners Associations and adjudicates conflicts within the HOA.

The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) has been at the forefront of the campaign against professional squatters and squatting syndicates since 2002 by virtue of Executive Order 153, Instituting the National Drive to Suppress and Eradicate Professional Squatting and Squatting Syndicates.  With the assistance of agencies such as the Philippine National Police, the Land Registration Authority, the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor, and the Department of Justice, significant gains have been made in curtailing the activities of professional squatters and squatting syndicates.

The HUDCC has conducted seminars to educate local government officials, police investigators and prosecutors about E.O. 153 and related laws, the modus operandi of professional squatters and squatting syndicates and the mechanics on how to detect fake and spurious land titles.

Together with the Department of Justice (DOJ), the HUDCC is also active in building cases for the prosecution of identified professional squatters and squatting syndicates, particularly those preying on small property owners and urban poor residents.