Background Information On Cuban Society - Real Havana: Explore Cuba Like a Local and Save Money - page 15

House Exchanges
When situations necessitate a change of home, most houses are traded or ex-
changed rather than being bought or sold. This exchange of living quarters is
called permutar . Cubans post signs on their homes or on communal bulletin
boards, advertising that they would like to exchange their home for another one.
For example, a large home in the city can sometimes be exchanged for two smal-
ler apartments in the suburbs. Or a second floor apartment with a view can be ex-
changed for a similar first floor apartment with a parking space.
This process became necessary because up until a few years ago the buying and
selling of homes was not legal. This was due to a law enacted by the government,
shortly after the revolution, designed to make it impossible for one individual to
own more than one home. The goal was to foster equality and limit the develop-
ment of a wealthy landlord class. Under the permutar system, once an agreement
has been reached, a notary takes care of the title transfers and the new titles are
recorded with city officials. In all deals, there must always be an exchange of
homes, although sometimes money also changes hands in order to make the deal
fair.
Interesting Fact: Home-ownership was a tenet of the revolution. When the Castro
government came into power, all private homes were nationalized, and title was
given over to the dwelling occupants. Overnight, renters became homeowners.
Landlords ultimately lost dearly as almost all of their property was released to the
tenants.