Housing Ministry Reveals Eligibility Criteria and Standards
Applications will open in over a month, and the names of eligible applicants will be published next Shawwal... according to the criteria

• Obtaining a home or land is contingent on their availability at the location of application
• Emphasis on not disposing of the unit for 10 years and repaying its value
• Affordable monthly installments for housing beneficiaries
Riyadh—Amlak
The Ministry of Housing revealed details of the housing eligibility mechanism during a recent press conference held in Riyadh, Housing Minister Dr. Shuish bin Saud Al-Duwaihi explained that those who previously applied for a mortgage from the Real Estate Development Fund—under the land requirement—have two options: maintain their current application status until the loan becomes eligible, or withdraw their application and apply to the housing support program, while applicants without the land requirement must apply to the new program (Iskan), with the applicant retaining their application priority points in both cases..
Applications open in 58 days
Housing Minister Dr. Shuish bin Saud Al-Duwaihi explained that the ministry will consult multiple sources to verify applicants“ home ownership through the new platform, while also utilizing the Home Ownership Registration Program and real estate registration once completed. Regarding the calculated value of developed land, the minister noted that it will be added to the land’s value if the citizen chooses to
Applications will open in 58 days on the Iskan portal (www.eskan.gov.sa), in accordance with the announced terms and conditions, as part of the housing support program comprising 25 articles. In the month of Jumada al-Awwal, data verification will begin in the month of Rajab, and text messages will be sent to applicants during the coming month of Shawwal; thereafter, applications will continue to be accepted at any time in accordance with the announced conditions.
25% of the loan amount (or the value of the housing unit) will be deducted monthly from the applicant’s salary. The Ministry has set the value of housing units —for projects it is constructing—at 500,000 riyals, while the value of land—for ”land and loan“ projects—ranges from 50,000 to 150,000 riyals across three tiers: the first at 75,000 and 100,000, and 150,000 riyals for residential land with areas of 350, 375, and 400,000 square meters, respectively, or more. Second tier: 100,000 or 125,000 riyals for residential land with an area of 400 and 500 square meters, respectively, or more. Third tier: 50,000 riyals for land with an area of 500 square meters or more.
Developed Land
The Ministry of Housing noted that the value of developed land, paid by citizens, will be reinvested to provide loans to others, and the Board of Directors of the Real Estate Development Fund will determine the cities, governorates, and centers included in each of the aforementioned categories.
The Ministry has defined its subsidized products as follows: (a housing unit, a loan, land, or a loan and land). Anyone who obtains a real estate unit (land or housing) may not dispose of it until 10 years have passed and all installments due on the unit have been paid in full.
The Minister of Housing stated: ”The housing subsidy regulation “Iskan,” recently issued by the Council of Ministers, aims to facilitate Saudi families“ ownership of state-subsidized housing products. This mechanism helps select suitable housing that meets the needs of Saudi families, and fulfills the state’s policy of ensuring that housing subsidies reach those who are eligible.
Set of Conditions
The Ministry noted that the approval of this mechanism underscores the commitment of the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, may God preserve him, to meeting citizens” aspirations for providing suitable housing to all eligible individuals. The mechanism diversifies housing support to suit the varying needs of Saudi families, with options ranging from a housing unit, land, a loan, or a combination of a loan and land.
The Ministry revealed a set of eligibility criteria included in the mechanism for accepting applications, stipulating that support is directed toward families falling into one of the following categories: a family consisting of a husband and wife; a husband, wife, and one or more children; a father and one or more children; a mother and one or more children; two or more siblings in the event of the parents“ death; one or more siblings applying in the event that the mother is non-Saudi and the father is deceased; or if the applicant is their sole breadwinner.
The regulations require that the applicant representing the family be a Saudi national. The Ministry has clarified that applicants who meet the conditions for receiving housing support are ranked according to priority criteria for eligible applicants—criteria that determine the family’s priority points under the housing support regulations andthe financial status of the applicant and their family, the applicant’s age, the number of family members, the marital and health status of the applicant and their family, as well as the date the application was submitted.
Eligibility Mechanism Portal
The Ministry will launch a dedicated online portal for the eligibility mechanism to verify all data entered by applicants for housing support in accordance with the criteria and conditions outlined in the eligibility mechanism. This portal is linked to all relevant authorities that hold information useful for determining a family’s status and its need for housing support, ensuring that eligibility is not based solely on the order in which applications were submitted.
The Ministry noted that this approved portal for applying for housing support and completing the application will be launched in sixty days, in accordance with the regulation.
Affordable Installments
To ensure the continuity of housing support for future generations, the approved regulation stipulates that all forms of housing support will be provided through affordable installments, and the installment amount to be paid by the beneficiary has been determined, It was also stipulated that the provisions of the regulation shall apply to all housing loan applications submitted to the Real Estate Development Fund, with the exception of applications submitted to the Fund by applicants who held registration numbers prior to July 23, 1432 AH, which will be processed in accordance with the procedures in effect prior to the implementation of this regulation, and that the Fund shall disburse the necessary amounts from its current capital.
The family must be a resident of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; the applicant must be 25 years of age or older; no family member may own a suitable residence or have owned one within the five years prior to the application date, and no family member may have previously owned a residence under a government or private housing support program or been enrolled in such a program.
The application must be submitted by the man (husband or father), by the woman (wife or mother supporting her children, such as a widow or a divorced woman whose divorce occurred at least two years ago), by siblings whose parents are deceased, or by a legal representative acting on their behalf.
It is also required that all the conditions mentioned above continue to be met from the time the application is submitted until the housing support is allocated, Therefore, even if a family meets all the conditions at the time of application, this does not necessarily mean it will receive housing support; the conditions must continue to be met until the housing support is allocated to the family.
An applicant who has an active application and an official waiting number with the Real Estate Development Fund under the ”land ownership requirement” has several options, including choosing to remain in the Real Estate Development Fund program or to withdraw their application and join the housing support program; and in the event of withdrawal, the date of their previous application will be taken into account.
As for applicants with an existing online application with the Real Estate Development Fund under the “without land ownership requirement” category, their application will be directly included in the Housing Support Program, and the date of their previous application will be taken into account. As for applicants who have not previously applied to the Real Estate Development Fund, their application will be included in the Housing Support Program upon submission through the “Iskan” portal (www.eskan.gov.sa), provided they meet all eligibility requirements.
Applicants who have received a land grant from the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs are eligible for the loan product only if they meet all eligibility requirements.
As for the steps that must be followed by eligible applicants, the applicant must register general personal information and information about the properties they own, as well as their current housing information. They must also specify their preferred type of housing support (whether a housing unit, a loan, land, or a combination of a loan and land), and the required information must include details about their family, spouse, children, and dependents.
It should be noted that the “Iskan” portal is designed to provide a high degree of ease of use and transparency, and a dedicated hotline (920002431) has been established to answer citizens’ inquiries.