A Cuban woman living in the United States has taken to social media to share a cautionary tale about losing her family home in Santa Clara. Before emigrating, she transferred ownership of the property to a cousin, trusting he would look after it while she was away.
The story was shared on TikTok by a user known as @yenicofino, who recounted her decision to keep her house in the city center when she arrived in the U.S. four years ago.
According to her account, she left the home in the hands of a cousin she had grown up with and trusted implicitly. “We were raised together, like siblings,” she explained in the video.
As time passed, her entire family emigrated, leaving the house unoccupied. She then decided to sell the property to help pay off debts in the United States, including her car loan.
However, when she informed her cousin of her decision, she was met with an unexpected response: he refused to return the property, claiming that since the house was in his name, it was rightfully his.
“He told me that because of the family name, the house was his and that I couldn’t do anything about it,” she recounted.
The woman further claimed that her cousin works for the Technical Department of Investigations (DTI), part of Cuba's Ministry of the Interior, which made her feel powerless to legally reclaim the home.
She also mentioned that her relative warned her against returning to the island, suggesting she could face trouble if she attempted to reclaim the property.
“He took my house,” she lamented in the video, expressing her decision to share her story publicly as a warning to other Cuban migrants leaving properties in the care of relatives back home.
“Be very careful whom you trust and what you do with homes in Cuba,” she advised.
The video has sparked a strong response on social media, with many users sharing similar experiences of housing disputes after emigrating from the island.
Legal Challenges for Cuban Homeowners Abroad
What can Cuban emigrants do to protect their property in Cuba?
Cuban emigrants should consider legal measures, such as retaining a trusted legal representative or setting up legal agreements that protect their property before leaving the country.
Why do property disputes arise for Cuban emigrants?
Disputes often occur due to the transfer of property titles to relatives or friends for safekeeping, leading to conflicts when the original owner seeks to reclaim or sell the property.