Raul Castro promotes housing reform in first decree

Thousands of Cubans will be able to get rights to state-owned homes under regulations published today – a step that might lay the groundwork for broader housing reform.

The measure was the first legal decree formally published since Raul Castro succeeded his brother Fidel as president in February.

It comes a day after state television said the government also will do away with wage limits, allowing state employees to earn as much as they can as an incentive to productivity.

Together, housing and wage restrictions have been among the things that bother Cubans the most about their socialist system.

The housing decree spells out rules to let Cubans renting from their state employers keep their apartment or house after leaving their posts. They could gain title and even pass it on to their children or relatives.

Thousands of Cubans could take advantage of this move, including military families, sugar workers, construction workers, teachers and doctors.

Holding onto state housing originally designated for specific workers has been a widespread but usually informal fact of Cuban life.

A 1987 law had foreseen transferring such housing to occupants, but this new measure should clarify their legal status.

“This is like no-man’s land that they are legalising,” said Oscar Espinosa Chepe, a state-trained economist who became a critic of the government. “It gets rid of that insecurity many people had and alleviates bureaucratic pressure.”