The Association Dominican of Builders and Promoters of the Dwelling (Acoprovi) warned that more than 10,000 housing qualified as low cost They could leave the category due to the impact of the sustained increase in two of the most important construction materials.
The union pointed out that, according to the Index of Cost Direct from the Construction of Dwelling (ICDV) issued by the Office National of Statistics (ONE), throughout 2024 cement has increased by 2.87%, accumulating 53.42% since the pandemic, an item that represents up to 18% in the costs of construction.
While the steel has presented an increase of 8.86%, accumulating 35.92% since the pandemic. This input represents up to 26% in the costs of construction.
“Like the steel and cement together represent approximately 44% of the cost costs growing in the construction of housing which, together with the upcoming 8% increase in construction labor scheduled for the beginning of next year, in total translate into an increase of almost 3% in the cost of the dwelling“, highlighted the entity.
According to the union, this scenario poses a significant challenge for the housing to low costand according to their estimates, approximately 10,000 housing that qualify and approved in this line in 2024, scheduled for delivery in 2025, could lose this classification due to the increase in the price of cement, the steel and labor.
As a result, numerous Dominican families will be unable to access the bonus. dwellingdirectly affecting their ability to acquire their own home, he highlighted Acoproviwhile performing a wake up call on the historical behavior of costs of the construction materials They tend to be reviewed and adjustments announced at the end of the year or during the first months of each year.
The topic was addressed within the framework of the Conversation National of the Construction of Housingan event that brought together prominent representatives and experts from the sector, in which they expressed their concerns about the constant increase in the prices of key inputs, directly affecting the accessibility of the dwelling and the dynamism of construction sector.
During the conversation, possible solutions to mitigate the effects of these increases and ensure the sustainability of the industry.
“It is essential to create spaces for dialogue such as Conversation National of the Construction of Housingwhere we can analyze these problems in depth and seek comprehensive answers. Thus we make an urgent call to cement producers and steel to be extremely cautious with any adjustment in their prices because they impact all the actors involved, especially the final consumers, since these increases occur at times where high interest rates have already greatly affected sales in the sector”, said Annerys Meléndez, president of Acoprovi.
This event stood out not only for the shared findings, but also for the participation of allied construction guilds. housingsuch as the Association of Promoters and Builders Housing of Cibao (Aprocovici), the Association of Builders and Developers of La Altagracia (Adecla), the Association of Builders of Santo Domingo Este (Acosde) and representatives of the various provinces of the East, North and South of the country.
The collaboration of these unions and regional representatives reinforces the joint commitment to improve and professionalize the construction sector and promotion of housing in the country, the document says.
