Decreto 1423 de 2026 Arrendamientos: Rent Freeze Explained

Decreto 1423 de 2026 arrendamientos — the national decree on rentals and condo rules, issued September 17, 2026 — postpones annual rent increases and suspends eviction enforcement for six months. The catch, and it is a big one for anyone reading from Medellín: it is not a blanket rent freeze. It covers only tenants, landlords and properties whose direct damage from the August 10 earthquake has been officially recorded.

What Decreto 1423 de 2026 does for rentals

The text of Decreto 1423 (PDF, Ministerio de Vivienda) sets out these rental measures, all in force for six months from the decree’s effective date:

• Rent increases postponed (Art. 4). Any annual adjustment that would fall due in the window is deferred, whether it comes from the contract or from Article 20 of Law 820 of 2003.
• Evictions suspended (Art. 3). Physical execution of eviction and restitution orders is suspended for residential and commercial tenants in affected municipalities, including cases already in progress. Unpaid rent is not forgiven.
• Lease extension (Art. 5). Leases ending between August 10 and December 31, 2026 are extended six months if the tenant asks and can prove direct damage.
• Anti-gouging cap (Art. 8). For homes with a prior lease, a new lease cannot exceed the last pre-quake rent plus the prior year’s CPI. Valora Analitik puts that at 5.10%, matching DANE’s December 2025 CPI release for 2025 inflation, so a COP 1,000,000 rent could rise to at most COP 1,051,000.

The decree takes effect the day after publication in the Diario Oficial (Art. 13), so the six months run from that day, not from September 17. I could not confirm the Diario Oficial date; if it was published within days of September 17, the window would end around late March 2027, but verify the exact date before relying on it.

Who qualifies in the Aburrá Valley?

This is the part to read carefully. Article 2 applies the decree only in municipalities covered by the emergency declared in Decreto 1261 of August 19, 2026, and only to people or companies whose direct damage was certified by the national disaster-risk system (UNGRD and its local bodies). Antioquia is one of the declared departments, but the scope was defined by UNGRD situation reports (Situation Report No. 36, per the decree text) rather than a list of towns, and I could not find a published list confirming which Aburrá Valley municipalities are in. Treat Medellín’s inclusion as unconfirmed.

To benefit, you need all three:

• A home or business in a municipality covered by the emergency.
• Direct damage certified by the national disaster-risk system (UNGRD or a local body), or proven by other verifiable means.
• Documents showing that damage, presented to your landlord or tenant.

Context matters here. The magnitude 7.4 quake was centered in José del Palmar, Chocó, at about 103 km depth, and the heaviest structural damage was reported in Quibdó, Manizales, Cali, Pereira and Armenia, per Infobae.

In Medellín the reported disruption included a temporary Metro shutdown; in Antioquia, damage was reported in Venecia, Sonsón and Jardín. Most Medellín tenants will therefore not qualify, and Article 2 says outright that being in an emergency municipality is not enough on its own. If your building did suffer documented damage, ask your local gestión del riesgo (municipal disaster-risk) office how to get on the official record. The decree says a missing initial registration does not bar proof by other verifiable means.

When the deferred increase comes due

The freeze is a delay, not a discount. Under Article 4, once the six months end, the increase you skipped is split into equal parts across the remaining rent payments of your contract, with no late interest or penalties. Two more rules:

• If the lease ends before the balance can be spread, the unpaid amount is settled at handover and the parties may agree a payment plan.
• No two increases can land within the same 12 months, so the next annual adjustment must wait at least a year after the deferred one takes effect.

Eviction exceptions and condo rules

The eviction pause does not apply where a technical report finds imminent collapse or uninhabitability, or where the landlord needs the home for their own residence or that of close family. Because the pause suspends enforcement, not the debt, rent still accrues. Ámbito Jurídico covers the same measures.

For propiedad horizontal (condos and apartment complexes), the rules run 24 months rather than six (Arts. 10–12). Buildings in affected municipalities can use their contingency fund for repair and reconstruction costs, set special payment plans for extraordinary assessments, and accept ordinary cuota de administración payments any time in the month without late charges. Assemblies may meet virtually or in hybrid form. Quorum and majority rules do not change. La Lonja, the Medellín and Antioquia real estate guild, summarizes the decree.

Practical takeaways

• Tenants: Keep any damage report, inspection record or UNGRD registration. Without official recognition of direct damage, the decree gives you nothing extra.
• Landlords: Check whether the tenant has documented affectation before pressing an increase or eviction. Otherwise your normal lease terms and the ordinary rules apply.
• Everyone: Medellín posted Colombia’s highest July inflation at 6.95%, as covered in our inflation breakdown (that post has no city-level rent figure). For how the emergency framework works, Colombia’s disaster declaration explained. For quake-related money relief, see the banks’ 12-month grace periods.

FAQ

Does Decreto 1423 freeze rents in Medellín? No. It defers increases only for people whose direct quake damage is officially recorded, and Medellín’s inclusion in the emergency scope is unconfirmed.

Who qualifies? Tenants, landlords or properties in emergency municipalities with certified direct damage (see the checklist above).

When is the skipped increase due? After the six months end, it is split into equal parts over the remaining rent payments, with no late interest.

Can my landlord still evict me? Enforcement of eviction orders is suspended for qualifying cases, but not where a technical report finds imminent collapse or where the landlord needs the home for their own residence. Rent still accrues.

This is a news summary, not legal advice. Figures and eligibility are as of September 29, 2026; measures may be changed by later decrees. For a specific lease, consult a Colombian lawyer.