Ministry to pay house rent for Saudi prisoners, patients

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.”