Real Estate – The Governor of the General Authority for State Real Estate Ihsan Bafqee a decision to establish the General Secretariat of the Committees for Reviewing Ownership Applications. The decision included the appointment of Legal Advisor Fahd bin Ali Al-Yahya as its Secretary-General. Bafqee said: “The committee was formed under the chairmanship of the Authority and with membership from the Ministries of (Interior, Justice, Environment, Water and Agriculture, Municipal and Rural Affairs, and Finance), and aims to strengthen the regulatory environment and enable the committees to carry out their duties in accordance with the principles of justice, fairness, and transparency, which ensure that everyone’s rights are protected.
Duties of the General Secretariat of the Committee
The General Secretariat of the Committees reviews ownership applications as follows:
– Confirming citizens" ownership of lands that do not have title deeds after all approved requirements and conditions have been met.
– Protecting state property from encroachment and utilizing it for the public good through the establishment of investment projects or government facilities.
– Undertaking the task of organizing the registration of applications for committees, managing their records, communicating with applicants, organizing committee meetings, and preparing draft minutes.
– Communicating directly with entities inside and outside the Authority regarding matters related to the committees and providing legal, technical, administrative, and technical support to committee members.
– In addition, prepare periodic and annual reports and statistics on the committees" achievements and the challenges they face, and submit proposals.
An electronic platform for receiving and processing requests
Bafqih noted that the Secretariat is currently working on building an electronic platform to receive requests and track their progress until they are submitted to His Highness, thereby helping to ease the burden on citizens and enabling them to complete the required procedures anytime and anywhere. He also praised the significant support the Authority receives from the rulers, may God preserve them, which enables it to achieve its vision and mission of ensuring that state-owned real estate is protected and optimally utilized, while providing appropriate real estate solutions to government entities and realizing the optimal value of such properties.
Rules and Mechanism of Operation for Application Review Committees
Bafqih noted that "state properties “ have been included in Rules and Procedures for Review Committees Regarding Applications for Real Estate Ownership: Conditions that must be met by the submitted application, provided that the application has not previously been adjudicated by a final and binding court ruling, nor should the property subject to the application be located in areas where ownership may not be acquired under Sharia law or pursuant to orders, decisions, and instructions, and the regulatory plans and aerial photographs must not negate the existence of development on the property subject to the application prior to the order prohibiting development issued pursuant to Royal Order No. (21679) dated 9/11/ 1387, and the application must be submitted during the designated period for receiving applications; no application submitted after the expiration of the specified period will be considered, provided that the Committee shall, within one year from the date it commences its duties, review the application in accordance with the regulations and rules approved by the Authority.
