. This conference came to provide an integrated picture of the government's efforts to balance the real estate sector and control the relationship between landlord and tenant according to new statutory provisions.
This conference came to provide an integrated picture of the government's efforts to achieve balance in the real estate sector.
Minister of Information Speech
The Minister of Information opened the conference with a welcoming speech in which he emphasized that the government press conference is held periodically to highlight national developments and government achievements under the Kingdom's Vision 2030. Al Dosari pointed out that the Kingdom is moving forward in the process of historic transformation under wise leadership and with the active participation of citizens, where the vision translates the impossible into the possible, the possible into achievement, and the achievement into history.
Minister of Information reviewed the government press conference. The Minister of Information reviewed a number of national achievements during the past period, most notably the Kingdom's provision of additional support to the brothers in Yemen in the amount of one billion and 300 million Saudi riyals through the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen, and the Kingdom's obtaining first place globally for the second time in the Cybersecurity Index 2025.
He also announced the launch of the Kingdom's first cybersecurity index for the year 2025. He also announced the launch of the first virtual remote control tower in the Middle East at AlUla International Airport, the joining of the Hyundai factory to the King Salman Automotive Complex with investments exceeding 800 billion riyals, in addition to the inclusion of 1444 national products in the mandatory list of the Local Content and Government Procurement Authority until mid-2025.
On the media side, the Kingdom was ranked first globally for the second time in the Cybersecurity Index for the year 2025. <On the media side, six Saudi entities won the Sharjah Government Communication Awards, including three awards for the Ministry of Information. He also launched the Media Scholarship Program, to which more than 14 companies applied for more than 200 training and educational opportunities in the fields of digital media, filmmaking, electronic games and media data analysis. Al-Dosari emphasized that low-quality content is a danger to society and that the TRA has set clear limits for content to help content creators adhere to them, noting that the most important penalty for negative content is society's refusal to follow it and ignore it.
Haqeel reviews measures to control the real estate market
Then the conversation turned to the Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majid bin Abdullah Al-Haqeel, who emphasized in his speech that the wise leadership puts the human being first and seeks to provide wider opportunities for housing, investment and achieving stability for the Saudi family.
Haqeel explained that the real estate market control measures are in place. Al-Haqeel explained that the generous directives of His Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz came to rebalance the real estate sector after some regions of the Kingdom witnessed an unacceptable rise in residential real estate prices that reflected on the cost of housing in relation to the citizen's income.
Haqeel highlighted the importance of providing more opportunities for housing and investment and achieving the stability of the Saudi family.
<Al-Haqeel highlighted the practical steps taken by the ministry to achieve real estate balance, starting with the opening of the suspended lands north of Riyadh with an area of more than 81 million square meters, through the approval of the white land fees system within a short period and the adoption of its executive regulations and the determination of geographical ranges, fee rates and registration dates, up to the launch of a specialized electronic platform. He also pointed out that the rate of land registration increased from 10 % in the previous phase to 40 % currently, reflecting the seriousness of citizens in participating in the program.
Minister of Municipalities <The Minister of Municipalities and Housing stressed that the new statutory provisions to control the relationship between landlord and tenant, which were recently announced, will directly contribute to regulating the residential and commercial rental market, balancing the interests of all parties, promoting the growth of supply and demand, and raising the attractiveness of living and investment in the Kingdom. He also explained that the ministry is working in cooperation with the National Housing Company and the private sector to pump thousands of housing units over the next two years until 2030 to increase supply and address rising rents, while launching special support programs for low-income families to ensure that their spending on housing does not exceed of their income.
Real Estate Authority Chairman Reveals Rental Market Figures
<At the end of the conference, Engineer Abdullah bin Saud Al-Hammad, CEO of the General Authority for Real Estate, emphasized that the real estate sector is the beating heart of the Kingdom's economy and a basic pillar that touches the life of every family and investor. Al-Hammad revealed that the rental market in Riyadh includes more than 1.17 million rental units, including 838 thousand residential units and 332 thousand commercial units owned by nearly 200 thousand owners, which reflects the diversity of the market and its distance from monopoly despite the existence of other challenges, most notably the shortage of real estate supply against the increase in demand.Hammad explained that the real estate sector is the beating heart of the Kingdom's economy. <Al-Hammad explained that the new statutory provisions constitute a qualitative shift in the governance of the real estate market and enhance confidence between all parties, as they included the obligation to document rental contracts in the «Ejar» platform, stop the annual increase in rent in Riyadh for 5 years, and organize controls for automatic renewal of contracts and powers not to renew in specific cases to give the family reassurance and promote stability for commercial projects, especially entrepreneurs. The landlord was also empowered to object to the rental value in cases of substantial renovations or old contracts according to an elaborate governance, while imposing financial penalties, compensating those affected, and establishing rewards for whistleblowers up to 20% of the value of the violation.
Hammad also pointed out that the new law will be implemented in the city of Riyadh for a period of two years. Al-Hammad pointed out that the "Ejar" platform has turned into an integrated rental journey that includes documentation, preserving rights and reducing disputes, as it has documented to date more than 13 million contracts at an average of 4,200 contracts per day and provided about 40 million digital operations from 2017 to mid-2025, stressing that any contract or transaction outside the platform is a clear violation and is not considered by the system.
Hammad concluded by saying that any contract or transaction outside the platform is a clear violation and is not considered by law. Al-Hammad concluded his speech by emphasizing that these measures represent a new phase entitled real estate balance, preserving the rights of all parties and providing a fair and stable investment environment, stressing that the Authority will follow up the effects of these measures to enhance the positives and address any negatives that may arise.
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