Yusuf bin Abdullah Al-Zaghibi, Acting Director General of the Real Estate Development Fund, has instructed all branch and office managers of the Fund to ensure that citizens registered on the Fund’s waiting lists understand that they should not cancel their applications at this time, until the remaining stages of the support process—prioritization and allocation—are completed. The circular explained that a number of citizens registered on the Fund’s waiting lists have visited the Fund’s branches and offices, requesting to cancel their applications with the Fund, claiming they received messages from the Housing Support Portal asking them to do so. Al-Zaghibi called on the managers of the Fund’s branches and offices to explain to those who have made such requests that they should not cancel their applications at this time until the remaining stages of the support process—namely, prioritization and allocation—are completed, as the current approval is only preliminary, This is to ensure that citizens do not lose their opportunity with the Fund in the event that their priority for support is delayed, the allocation does not meet their expectations, or their application is rejected due to new developments in their circumstances. He added that an agreement has been reached with the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Housing for Studies and Research, and that reassurance messages will be sent to them via the Housing Support Portal regarding this matter. Al-Zaghibi also issued another circular regarding repeated complaints from some citizens that they had been harmed by Fund employees providing information to real estate agents and certain individuals who inquired about payments and installments for loans belonging to other citizens, without any proof of official authorization to do so. He emphasized the requirement to disclose no information except to the borrower—upon presentation of identification—or to the borrower’s legal representative, Each employee will bear regulatory responsibility and legal accountability for providing any information about borrowers to unauthorized third parties.
