4. Soon after coming to power, President Fidel Castro sought to release the grip that landlords held on Cuban properties. He passed the Urban Land Reform Act, which converted half of Cuba's urban tenants into legal homeowners with long-term, rent-free leases. All units built or distributed by government after 1961 were assigned leases at no more than 10 per cent of household income. After five to twenty years of payment this converted to ownership of the unit. Former owners were compensated for their losses, but landlords of slum tenement buildings received nothing from government. In addition to this property redistribution, other facets of the legislation prohibited private renting and sub-letting. Moreover, it was illegal for households to own more than one primary residence and one vacation home.