«Real Estate Registration»... Property Issues «In the News»

Abdullah Al-Mutlaq: Educating owners on the details of the system is a «necessity»

Al-Aboudi bin Abdullah: Resolves disputes between holders of conflicting rights

Ibrahim Al-Saleh: Lack of Awareness Is the Most Prominent Challenge

Abdullah bin Jabran: «Al-Falah» mediation for Riyadh neighborhoods «sets it apart»

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Amlak – Special

The Real Estate Registration System, issued by a Cabinet decision, aims to increase the reliability of ownership, enhance the accuracy of real estate information, protect the rights of real estate sector stakeholders, and enhance the sector’s investment appeal. Under the system, a comprehensive real estate registry has been established to contain all information and data on real estate units in the Kingdom.

The General Real Estate Authority has begun real estate registration operations—the «Real Estate Registry»— in accordance with its updated mechanism, starting in the month of Shawwal of the current year 1444 AH, in the Al-Falah neighborhood of Riyadh, in accordance with the operational plan and readiness criteria in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam.

The Authority’s CEO, Abdullah Al-Hammad, said: "The establishment of the Real Estate Registry will cover all residential, commercial, agricultural, industrial, and other real estate units, in addition to government properties throughout the Kingdom."

He added: Each real estate unit, regardless of its property number, and a title deed, replacing the current title deeds with a property record that includes data and descriptions of the property, its condition, associated rights and obligations, and all real estate transactions related to it, linked to geospatial information.

He explained that this is achieved through surveying and geographic coordinates of the properties to serve as the basis for registering ownership and the associated real estate rights, thereby contributing to the sustainability and strengthening of the real estate sector and its key drivers.

According to the system, property registration deeds issued by the "Real Estate Registry" will acquire the status of absolute authenticity, which is the highest level of unchallengeable guarantee of real estate ownership, which will limit real estate disputes and achieve the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 in digitizing real estate assets.

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Al-Aboudi bin Abdullah: Resolves disputes between holders of conflicting rights

Al-Aboudi bin Abdullah, a real estate investment researcher and founder of the Al-Aboudi Housing Incubator, emphasized that the real estate registration serves as a record for each property unit, accurately describing the unit in terms of its location, area, and nature, and the rights and obligations attached to it.

He said: "Every property has a title deed that is legally binding and cannot be contested, in which all developments and modifications to the property are recorded, and it provides protection for those dealing with the property; to avoid risks arising from similar names, in addition to stabilizing real estate ownership and supporting real estate credit.

He explained that this system resolves disputes between holders of conflicting deeds and rights, and protects property owners from malicious lawsuits.

Regarding its benefits for the real estate sector, he noted that it enhances regulation, governance, investment, and reliability, and that its benefits for stakeholders are significant, as it allows for access to the property’s complete history, as well as all financial disputes, obligations, and rights.

Regarding violations, he emphasized that penalties of up to 100,000 riyals apply for attempting to mislead with false information during registration, intentionally obstructing the work of the competent registration authorities, or failing to register the property within a specified period.

He continued: Following the issuance of the regulations for the system, the initial registration of the property will be free of charge. This system is expected to improve the Kingdom’s standing in global rankings, make it an attractive environment, and stimulate local and foreign investment in the real estate sector.

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Ibrahim Al-Saleh: Lack of awareness is the main challenge

Ibrahim Al-Saleh, a resident of Al-Falah neighborhood, attributed the choice of Al-Falah for implementing the system to the fact that it is a fully developed neighborhood, in addition to its size—which is incomparable to larger neighborhoods—and the completeness of its services.

He emphasized that the most significant challenges facing the real estate registration system are the lack of awareness regarding the registration process and its benefits, even though its advantages include increased reliability of the property for both the seller and the buyer; due to the accuracy and clarity of the property data and specifications after documentation, in addition to the complete digitization of property documents, which facilitates real estate transactions for beneficiaries.

He described the response to the system as »good," especially since there are no fees or costs associated with registration requirements, in addition to the services and benefits it offers to property owners in this neighborhood and future neighborhoods.

He added: Those who do not comply with the system are expected to face certain obstacles that prevent them from benefiting from public or private services before completing the physical registration.

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Abdullah Al-Mutlaq: Educating Owners on the System’s Details Is a »Necessity"

Abdullah Al-Mutlaq, one of the real estate office owners in Al-Falah neighborhood, noted that there is nothing that distinguishes Al-Falah from other neighborhoods in terms of service availability, as it shares this aspect with most neighboring areas, highlighting the importance of educating owners about the real estate registry and its role in their best interest.

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Abdullah bin Jabran: Al-Falah’s Central Location Among Riyadh’s Neighborhoods »Sets It Apart«

Abdullah bin Jabran, a real estate office owner, noted that Al-Falah neighborhood is distinguished by its central location among the neighborhoods in northern Riyadh, which gives it an advantage over them.

He added: The General Real Estate Authority maintains its approved criteria, according to which it selected the neighborhood to serve as the starting point for the real estate registration program, so all the expectations and analyses that have been added remain an attempt by those interested in the real estate sector to extrapolate these criteria through personal and professional experience.