3 days ago
Minimum Age for Housing Support in Saudi Arabia Lowered to 20
These reforms aim to expand access to housing support for young Saudis and divorced women while tightening accountability rules.
Saudi Arabia has lowered the minimum age for housing support eligibility from 25 to 20, in order to increase homeownership amongst younger citizens. The decision, approved by the Council of Ministers, is part of a broader set of reforms designed to expand access to housing and financing options across the country.
The reforms extend to divorced women, who will now be eligible for housing support without needing to meet previous financial dependency requirements. Additionally, the two-year waiting period previously imposed on divorced women is being revised to allow more immediate access.
The measures also reduce the mandatory holding period for housing support assets from 10 years to five, giving beneficiaries greater flexibility in reselling or transferring properties. At the same time, new accountability provisions have been introduced to prevent misuse of the system. Penalties have been tightened for those who submit false or misleading information in housing support applications. Under the updated rules, authorities are now empowered to reclaim any form of housing subsidy—whether financial aid, land, or residential units—if misrepresentation is discovered.
The Saudi Housing Program (Sakani), which administers many of the country's housing initiatives, has reported a 64% homeownership rate and a 90% beneficiary satisfaction rate. These reforms are expected to build on that progress by widening the pool of eligible citizens and improving equity in access to state-supported housing. Applications under the new eligibility criteria will open once regulatory procedures are finalised and officially announced.
