A task force at the Real Estate Developers Services Center (Etmam) is is making significant efforts to address concerns regarding delays in the approval of land plans for housing projects, as revealed by the team during an extensive workshop held at the Eastern Province Chamber last week.
Licenses and Approvals
The task force explained that the center is working to address a number of observations regarding the current status of real estate development projects, including: The process of obtaining the necessary licenses and approvals from the relevant authorities takes a long time due to multiple requirements, which may sometimes be unclear, as well as the large number of service-providing entities, resulting in lengthy and complex screening procedures.
The team emphasized that the role of the «Etmam» Center is to serve as a one-stop shop for all services, given its team of consultants, engineers, and specialists who provide the assistance needed to complete the procedures.
The destination for real estate developers
The «Etam» team noted that the center was established in accordance with Royal Decree No. 7262 dated 2/8/1437, which called for the formation of a temporary working group within the Ministry of Housing comprising representatives from the Ministries of Justice, Housing, and Municipal and Rural Affairs to oversee the approval of land plans for housing projects. They added that the center’s vision is «to be the first point of contact for real estate developers to access services and facilitate their business dealings with relevant authorities,» and its strategic objective is «to improve the performance of the real estate sector and increase its contribution to GDP.»
Regulations and Procedures
They also emphasized that, in order to improve performance, the Center relies on the participation of real estate stakeholders represented within the Center—who are the Center’s partners—in developing its regulations and procedures. These partners include: the Ministries of Justice, Housing, and Municipal and Rural Affairs, as well as two companies (National Water Company and Saudi Electricity Company). Officials at the Real Estate Developers Services Center (Etmam) stated that the Center’s high-quality services aim to improve the performance of the real estate sector and increase its contribution to GDP by reducing processing times and streamlining procedures.
Center Services
This was announced during an extensive workshop held at the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce last week, attended by a team from the Ministry of Housing’s "Etmam" Center, which is responsible for approving land plans for housing projects.
The session was chaired by Eng. Hamid bin Hamri, Chairman of the Real Estate and Urban Development Committee at the Eastern Province Chamber, who welcomed officials from the Real Estate Developers Services Center, and praised the center’s launch of services for this sector, emphasizing that the Kingdom’s real estate market is going through a critical period that requires further development and regulation, especially in light of the significant efforts being made by the Ministry of Housing to provide a variety of housing options, as demand has increased for the services of real estate developers, whose role has been—and continues to be—critical, precise, and effective.
Numerous Achievements
It is worth noting that "Itmam" has achieved several milestones, most notably during the period when it initiated the approval process for 89 housing plans with a total area exceeding 118 million square meters; to date, 76 of these plans have been approved by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.
It is worth noting that the “Etemam” Developer Services Center seeks, through the services it provides, to overcome the obstacles facing the approval of residential plans across the Kingdom in order to contribute to increasing the supply of housing units and making them available to citizens at affordable prices.
