Short answer. Thirty days, and they run only from written notice given by the seller. Article 1623 names the notice in writing by the vendor as the trigger, so hearing about the sale from a neighbour, or from the buyer, is not what the count begins from. Without that notice, the period has not started.
What the law says
The right of legal pre-emption or redemption shall not be exercised except within thirty days from the notice in writing by the prospective vendor, or by the vendor, as the case may be.
Civil Code, Article 1623 — Thirty-Day Period; Written Notice. Read the full provision →
What the law says
The right of redemption of co-owners excludes that of adjoining owners.
Civil Code, Article 1623 — Thirty-Day Period; Written Notice. Read the full provision →
Thirty days is short, but the trigger is the real issue
The period is unforgiving: the right of legal pre-emption or redemption shall not be exercised except within thirty days from the notice in writing by the prospective vendor, or by the vendor, as the case may be. What saves most redeemers is not the length of the period but where it starts. The article ties the count to a notice in writing, and to a notice coming from the seller. That is a deliberately narrow trigger, and it means the question to answer first is not how long you have waited but whether the clock was ever started at all.
Notice from the wrong source is not the notice
Readers usually arrive assuming that once they found out, the thirty days began. The provision does not say that. It names the prospective vendor or the vendor as the source of the notice that counts. A message from the buyer announcing the purchase, a relative mentioning it, or a copy of the deed obtained by someone else is not what the article describes. So a redeemer who learned of the sale a year ago is not automatically out of time, and a redeemer who received a written notice from the seller three weeks ago is very nearly out of it.
The registry safeguard, and who ranks first
The article backs the notice requirement with a registration control: a deed of sale is not to be recorded unless it is accompanied by an affidavit of the vendor that written notice was given to all possible redemptioners. That affidavit, if it exists, is usually the cleanest evidence of when the period began, and its absence is worth checking for. The article also settles competition between claimants in a single line: the right of redemption of co-owners excludes that of adjoining owners. A co-owner who wants in leaves nothing for the neighbour to redeem.
What to do the day you hear about it
Do not spend the period gathering opinions. Get a certified true copy of the deed and of the title from the registry, and look for the vendor's affidavit of notice and any written notice actually served on you, keeping the envelope or transmittal that shows the date. Work out the redemption price from the deed. Then act inside thirty days from any written notice you did receive, and if none was ever given, be ready to prove that too, because the seller's failure to notify is what preserves a right the buyer will argue expired long ago.
Cases citing this provision
These Supreme Court decisions cite the provision above. We list them so you can read them yourself; the summaries of what each decided are not ours to give.
- Perpetua Vda. De Ape vs. The Honorable Court of Appeals, et al, G.R. No. 133638, April 15, 2005 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Adalia B. Francisco vs. Zenaida F. Boiser, G.R. No. 137677, May 31, 2000 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Primary Structures Corp, et al. vs. Sps. Anthony S. Valencia, et al, G.R. No. 150060, August 19, 2003 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Hermelina Rama And Baby Rama Lauron vs. Spouses Medardo Nogra And Purita Nogra And Spouses Ricardo Rama And Mariles Rama, G.R. No. 219556, September 14, 2021 — read the decision on LawPhil →