RIYADH: The Ministry of Housing said it is obliged to pay housing rent for citizens who are imprisoned, sick, deceased, or have poor financial capabilities.
The ministry is currently working in coordination with other concerned ministries to implement a program to ensure support to citizens who are unable to pay rent.
Housing Minister Majid Al-Hogail, in a press statement on Tuesday, said his ministry is working on ensuring housing rent prices are affordable for tenants and do not exceed 30 percent of their income.
Al-Hogail said regulations approved in the Council of Ministers session chaired by King Salman on Monday will contribute to the organization of the rental market and ensure the rights of all parties are protected in the rental process, as well as help launch a program to support those unable to pay rent through funds from the state budget, grants, donations and endowments allocated accordingly.
He said the ministry continues to prepare programs and initiatives that will promote more transparency and sustainability, especially as the proportion of the rental market in the Kingdom is expected to reach 48 percent in 2020.
“The new ‘Rent’ (Ijaar) program is based on an advanced electronic network that offers solutions to the rental housing sector and puts all parties of the rental process in one place, as well as helps guarantee the rights of the lessee, the lessor, and the median real estate representative by way of unified leases that guarantee the rights of all parties, and mandatory registration of all residential and commercial units electronically by authorized real estate brokers to ensure no abusive practices in the market,” he said.
For his part, the general supervisor of the rent program, Engineer Mohammed Al-Bata, said the decision will help regulate relations between all parties in the process as well as control rental prices by reducing risks.
He said the ministry will work in coordination with other ministries to implement a program that secures assistance to citizens unable to pay rents due to different conditions. The ministry will also announce its plan to launch a network over two phases, the first which includes registration and training of real estate brokers to join the network, and the second which includes registration of rental contracts electronically via the network.
“Several meetings were held at the Council of Experts in coordination with other government agencies to discuss draft regulations concerning vacating leased premises, including in situations where the tenant has been unable to pay the rent,” he said.
“In light of implementing regulations and Council of Ministers Resolution No. 131 of 3/4/1435, where a sixth article was added stating that ‘rental contracts signed via the network, with signatures in writing or electronically, be in line with documented terms of proof and implementation, and the minister of housing will coordinate with the minister of justice regarding a mechanism to implement this, several recommendations were submitted in this regard for adoption.”
Ministry to pay house rent for Saudi prisoners, patients
Ministry to pay house rent for Saudi prisoners, patients
Threat to Kingdom’s security is ‘red line’ that will be ‘addressed and neutralized,’ Saudi envoy says
- Abdulaziz Alwasil tells UN Security Council the situation in southern Yemen is ‘a just cause with social and historic dimensions’ that can only be resolved through dialogue
- Recent military activity in the south was unilateral, resulting in an escalation that harms the interests of Yemeni people and undermines efforts to address issues in the south, he said
NEW YORK CITY: Any attempt to threaten Saudi Arabia’s national security is a “red line” and will be met with decisive action, the Kingdom’s ambassador to the UN told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Speaking during a meeting of the council to discuss Yemen, Abdulaziz Alwasil said the situation in the south of the country is “a just cause with social and historic dimensions” that can only be resolved through dialogue.
“We stress that any attempt to threaten our national security is a red line, and we will not hesitate to take the necessary actions and steps to address it and neutralize it,” he added.
Alwasil reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for Yemeni President Rashad Al-Alimi, the Presidential Leadership Council, and the Yemeni government in their efforts to achieve security, stability, development and peace while preserving national unity.
He said military activity by Southern Transitional Council forces in Hadramout and Al-Mahra on Dec. 2, 2025, was unilateral, did not have the approval of the Presidential Leadership Council, and was not carried out in coordination with the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.
It had resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of the Yemeni people, undermined efforts to address the issues in the south, and ran counter to the coalition’s objectives, Alwasil added.
The Kingdom, working with its coalition partners, the Presidential Leadership Council and the Yemeni government, had moved to contain the situation by dispatching a military force to coordinate arrangements with the Southern Transitional Council in Aden, he said.
The aim was to ensure the return of the southern council’s forces to their previous positions outside of Hadramout and Al-Mahra, and the handover of camps to legitimate government forces and local authorities in line with agreed procedures, Alwasil added.
He expressed regret over the military operations that took place in Hadramout and Al-Mahra, close to Saudi Arabia’s southern border, which he said posed a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security, as well as the security of Yemen and regional stability. Such steps were extremely dangerous, he added, and contradicted the principles on which the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen had been founded.
Alwasil welcomed a prisoner and detainee exchange agreement signed in Muscat on Dec. 23, which he described as an important humanitarian measure to alleviate suffering and build confidence.
He praised Oman for hosting and sponsoring the consultations and supporting negotiations, and commended the efforts of UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, the International Committee of the Red Cross and all others that has played a part.
Regarding the political efforts to resolve the crisis, Alwasil said Saudi Arabia welcomed President Al-Alimi’s call for an inclusive conference in Riyadh to bring together all stakeholders to discuss just solutions to the situation in southern Yemen.
Preparations for the conference have begun, he added, in cooperation with the Yemeni government and southern representatives, reflecting the close ties between the two countries and their shared interests in stabilizing Yemen.
He urged all southern stakeholders to participate actively and constructively in the talks, to help find comprehensive and just solutions that meet the legitimate aspirations of the people of southern Yemen.
Alwasil called on all Yemeni forces and stakeholders to cooperate and intensify their efforts to reach a lasting political settlement that would ensure security and stability.
He described the southern issue as “a just cause with social and historic dimensions,” adding that “the only way to address it is through dialogue that leads to a comprehensive political solution” based on nationally and internationally agreed terms of reference.
