Key decisions, measures in Saudi real estate sector during 2025

Key Decisions and Measures in the Saudi Real Estate Sector During 2025

Decision / Measure

Date

Details

Crown Prince Directs Measures to Achieve Balance in the Riyadh Real Estate Sector

March 29, 2025

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directed the adoption of measures to regulate the real estate market in Riyadh, including lifting development suspensions on land exceeding 81 square kilometers, allocating between 10,000 and 40,000 residential plots annually at prices not exceeding SAR 1,500 per square meter under controls to limit speculation, accelerating amendments to the White Land Fees Law, and regulating the relationship between landlords and tenants.

Crown Prince Donates SAR 1B to Support Homeownership

April 10, 2025

Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman generously donated SAR 1 billion, from his personal funds, to the National Developmental Housing Foundation (Sakan), represented by Jood Eskan, to support housing ownership for eligible beneficiaries and families. The Crown Prince directed that the housing projects funded by this donation be completed within 12 months and executed by national companies.

Cabinet Approves Amendments to the White Land Fees Law

April 29, 2025

The Cabinet approved amendments to the White Land Fees Law, imposing fees on vacant properties within urban boundaries at a rate based on market rental value, not exceeding 5% of the property’s value, raising the maximum annual fee rate to 10% of the property’s value, and redefining the minimum size of white land subject to fees to 5,000 square meters.

Ministry of Municipalities and Housing Granted the Authority to Sell Its Housing Units to Non-Beneficiaries

May 6, 2025

The Cabinet approved granting the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing the authority to sell residential units in its projects to non-beneficiaries of housing support, in accordance with regulations set by the ministry in coordination with relevant entities.

Cabinet Approves Amendments to the Housing Support Regulation

May 27, 2025

The amendments included lowering the minimum age for housing support eligibility to 20 years, removing the dependency requirement for wives and divorced mothers, amending the divorce duration requirement and linking it to the executive regulations, and reclaiming housing support in cases of misleading information or documents.

Approval of the Regulation Governing Non-Saudi Ownership of Real Estate

July 8 2025

The Cabinet approved the updated regulation governing non-Saudi ownership of real estate within designated geographic zones, particularly in Riyadh and Jeddah, with special conditions applicable to Makkah and Madinah.

Extension of the Facilitated Mortgage Program for Three Years

July 15 2025

The Cabinet approved extending the Facilitated Mortgage Program for three years, enabling housing finance of up to 85% of the property value, with a 15% down payment, 70% bank financing, and an additional 15% guaranteed by the Ministry of Finance.

Commencement of the New Executive Regulations for White Land Fees

Aug. 13, 2025

The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing announced the approval and commencement of the new executive regulations for White Land Fees, setting the fee rate on undeveloped land at up to 10% of its value, based on urban development priorities.

Announcement of Geographic Zones for White Land Fees in Riyadh

Aug. 27, 2025

The Minister of Municipalities and Housing announced the geographic zoning for applying the white land fees in Riyadh, classifying them into four tiers based on priority, with annual fee rates of 10% for the first tier, 7.5% for the second, 5% for the third, and 2.5% for the fourth.

Launch of the Real Estate Balance Platform (Tadazoun) to Receive Land Purchase Applications in Riyadh

Sept. 11, 2025

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City launched the Real Estate Balance Platform (Tawazoun) to receive applications from citizens wishing to obtain residential land in the city of Riyadh.

Approval of Legal Provisions Regulating the Relationship Between Landlords and Tenants

Sept. 25, 2025

The Cabinet and a Royal Decree approved provisions regulating the relationship between landlords and tenants in Riyadh, including freezing annual residential and commercial rent increases for five years, fixing rents at the level of the most recent lease contract, mandating contract registration through the Ejar network, regulating automatic renewals, defining eviction cases, enabling objections to rental values, and imposing fines of up to the equivalent of 12 months’ rent on violators. 

Minister of Municipalities and Housing Unveils New Programs

Sept. 29, 2025

Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majed Al-Hogail announced the launch of programs to support low-income families, ensuring housing costs do not exceed 30% of household income, in addition to plans to introduce the “Build-to-Rent” program to increase housing supply over the next two years through 2030, in partnership with the National Housing Co. (NHC) and several real estate developers.

Amendment to Housing Support Executive Regulations

Oct. 3, 2025

The amendments included revising the eligibility period for divorced mothers to receive housing support to one year from the date of divorce, instead of the previously applied two-year requirement.

Instant Licensing for Off-Plan Sales Projects

Nov. 19, 2025

The Real Estate General Authority launched an instant licensing service for off-plan sales projects after reducing licensing requirements by approximately 90%, allowing licenses to be issued immediately through an automated electronic Law, instead of a process that previously took up to 30 days.

New Amendments to the Real Estate Registration Law

Nov. 25, 2025

The Cabinet approved amendments to certain articles of the Real Estate Registration Law to enhance the accuracy and reliability of real estate data by accelerating the acquisition of “absolute legal validity” and reinforcing privacy principles through the protection of owners’ personal data.

RCRC Declares Results of Tawazoun Platform Land Draw

Dec. 17, 2025

A total of 10,024 residential land plots were allocated during the year through the Real Estate Balance Platform (Tawazoun), with a total area of 6.38 million square meters, distributed within the urban fabric of Riyadh and in multiple locations under development, including Al-Qirawan, Al-Malqa, Al-Nakheel, Al-Narjis, Namar, Al-Rimayah, Al-Rimal, and Al-Janadriyah neighborhoods, with each plot measuring 300 square meters.

90,000 Families Benefit from Housing Support Programs

During 2025

More than 90,000 Saudi families benefited from housing support programs and products during 2025, in addition to the supply of more than 107,000 housing units and developed land plots across various regions of the Kingdom.