Latest news with #Tas'heel
Daily Tribune
30-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Tribune
Urgent move to reinstate housing requests struck off over pay rises
TDT | Manama Parliament has urgently agreed to a proposal calling for the reinstatement of housing applications struck off when applicants' salaries rose above the allowed limit. The plan, tabled by Hamad Al Doy and four other MPs, demands that affected applications be restored to their original submission year, without treating them as new cases or sending them through new checks. MPs say this would keep families from losing years they had already waited, and would help put right a rule that punishes people for bettering their circumstances. 'The housing file in the Kingdom is riddled with gaps that affect citizens' ability to access housing services, whether through units, the Mazaya programme, Tas'heel or other schemes,' Al Doy said during the debate. 'If a citizen's salary reaches 1,200 dinars, their application is cancelled, setting them back to square one. We call on the Ministry of Housing to reinstate these applications without forcing citizens to start over.' Cost Urgency was pinned to the rising strain on families left without homes, as well as the cost of new builds and private homes, which most households can no longer meet. MPs said that while public spending on housing needs to be kept in check, including by cutting housing allowances, this must not come at the cost of fairness for people who have worked to climb the ladder and seen their pay rise as a result.
Gulf Insider
30-04-2025
- Business
- Gulf Insider
47,000 Bahrainis Left Waiting For A Roof Over Their Heads
More than 47,000 Bahrainis are still waiting for government housing, with some requests stretching back over two decades, a parliamentary investigation has found. The inquiry, launched to examine the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning's methods, uncovered a system that has steadily drifted away from its founding principle. Those who have waited longest were meant to be first in line. Findings Instead, according to the findings, housing is handed out through a patchwork of local preference schemes and vague ministerial discretion, leaving the queues as long and restlessas ever. Among the requests still stuck in the system, more than 44,000 related to housing units. The northern governorate bears the heaviest load with more than 20,000 outstanding requests. The capital follows with over 12,000. Muharraq and the southern governorate account for the rest. Distribution rules The ministry insists it uses a blend of national seniority and local distribution rules, but the committee found the real-world outcome to be less even. Families with old requests have been passed over as projects sprang up closer to home for others. The longer the queues grew, the sharper the grievances became. Concerns Central to the concerns raised is the ministry's wide discretion to set aside seniority for socalled 'special circumstances'. No public list of such circumstances exists. The committee said this allowed for choices to be made behind closed doors, giving citizens little sense of how or why others moved ahead. The numbers tell their own story. Requests for units from 2002 alone number 1,067. Meanwhile, older cases of requests for plots and apartments date back to 2013 and 2015, respectively. Many of the applicants have lived through years of rising property prices, climbing rents, and squeezed household budgets, with no clear path to a home of their own. The ministry pointed to financing schemes like Mazaya and Tas'heel as ways to move the lists along. The schemes, it said, gave people quicker ways to buy homes from the private market. Applicants Yet the committee found their reach to be limited. Only 17.7 per cent of applicants had been helped through such routes over the past three years. Questions were also raised about who could actually make use of the finance on offer. Many lower-income families were left out. Loans, set by banks, came with strict terms that often pushed affordable housing out of reach. Rising market prices added another barrier. The inquiry highlighted inconsistencies in the ministry's own data. Financial schemes In one part of its response, it said 8,000 people had benefited from financing schemes since 2022. Elsewhere, it claimed 13,000. No clear answer was given to explain the gap. Costs of direct government housing projects came under scrutiny too. A standard unit now carries a sticker price of about BD128,871. State support Applicants are asked to pay BD42,000, backed by state support. However, the land beneath the houses, said to be a royal grant, has been included in that total cost, something the committee said skews the figures. The findings pointed to a deeper strain. Housing, once seen as a building block of social order, has become a source of division. Also read: Two Lawyers Guilty Of Using False Employment Document
Daily Tribune
29-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Tribune
47,000 Bahrainis left waiting for a roof over their heads
More than 47,000 Bahrainis are still waiting for government housing, with some requests stretching back over two decades, a parliamentary investigation has found. The inquiry, launched to examine the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning's methods, uncovered a system that has steadily drifted away from its founding principle. Those who have waited longest were meant to be first in line. Findings Instead, according to the findings, housing is handed out through a patchwork of local preference schemes and vague ministerial discretion, leaving the queues as long and restless as ever. Among the requests still stuck in the system, more than 44,000 related to housing units. The northern governorate bears the heaviest load with more than 20,000 outstanding requests. The capital follows with over 12,000. Muharraq and the southern governorate account for the rest. Distribution rules The ministry insists it uses a blend of national seniority and local distribution rules, but the committee found the real-world outcome to be less even. Families with old requests have been passed over as projects sprang up closer to home for others. The longer the queues grew, the sharper the grievances became. Concerns Central to the concerns raised is the ministry's wide discretion to set aside seniority for socalled 'special circumstances'. No public list of such circumstances exists. The committee said this allowed for choices to be made behind closed doors, giving citizens little sense of how or why others moved ahead. The numbers tell their own story. Requests for units from 2002 alone number 1,067. Meanwhile, older cases of requests for plots and apartments date back to 2013 and 2015, respectively. Many of the applicants have lived through years of rising property prices, climbing rents, and squeezed household budgets, with no clear path to a home of their own. The ministry pointed to financing schemes like Mazaya and Tas'heel as ways to move the lists along. The schemes, it said, gave people quicker ways to buy homes from the private market. Applicants Yet the committee found their reach to be limited. Only 17.7 per cent of applicants had been helped through such routes over the past three years. Questions were also raised about who could actually make use of the finance on offer. Many lower-income families were left out. Loans, set by banks, came with strict terms that often pushed affordable housing out of reach. Rising market prices added another barrier. The inquiry highlighted inconsistencies in the ministry's own data. Financial schemes In one part of its response, it said 8,000 people had benefited from financing schemes since 2022. Elsewhere, it claimed 13,000. No clear answer was given to explain the gap. Costs of direct government housing projects came under scrutiny too. A standard unit now carries a sticker price of about BD128,871. State support Applicants are asked to pay BD42,000, backed by state support. However, the land beneath the houses, said to be a royal grant, has been included in that total cost, something the committee said skews the figures. The findings pointed to a deeper strain. Housing, once seen as a building block of social order, has become a source of division.
Daily Tribune
28-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Tribune
MPs propose affordable ‘land and loan' payment scheme for Bahrainis earning less than BD800
A push to hand low-income Bahrainis plots and loans has been launched in Parliament, as MPs warned that thousands earning under BD800 are slipping through the cracks despite royal orders to expand housing. Led by MP Hanan Mohammed Fardan and backed by four others, the proposal seeks to introduce a new service called 'Land with Loan', aimed at families whose incomes fall between BD400 and BD800 a month. Applicants would be ranked by the date of their original housing request. 'In light of the Royal Directives to provide 50,000 housing units to strengthen social stability and housing fairness, it is regrettable that the schemes introduced in recent years, particularly Mazaya, Tas'heel, and Tas'heel Plus, do not cover a wide number of citizens earning less than BD800,' said MP Fardan. She added: 'Limiting these programmes to a certain group clashes with the Constitution and breaches Clause (w) of Article Nine, which makes clear that the State must work to provide housing for citizens with limited income.' Service The service would give families land alongside a suitable loan, helping those who cannot otherwise afford to benefit from government schemes. Fardan said it would also help the Housing Ministry reach its goal of meeting the royal pledge to build 50,000 units. She argued that setting up 'Land with Loan' would help clear the backlog of old applications and make better use of the vacant plots already in the Ministry's hands, particularly in the newly built towns where construction can start without delay. 'Introducing this service would not only ease the burden of delayed applications but also allow the Ministry to move its resources around with more fairness and sense,' she said. The lawmaker described the proposal as a fair and proper answer to 'the genuine needs of a wide group of citizens', adding that it would help push Bahrain's housing efforts in a steadier, more lasting direction.
Biz Bahrain
25-04-2025
- Business
- Biz Bahrain
Diyar Al Muharraq Opens Sales for Al Wasem Plots through 'Tas'heel+'
Diyar Al Muharraq, Bahrain's largest real estate developer, took part in the Innovation Summit 2025 in the Social Housing Sector, held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. The summit took place from April 23 to 25 at the Exhibition World Bahrain Centre. The Summit witnessed the introduction of 'Tas'heel +', the latest financing solution launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning in collaboration with Eskan Bank. In conjunction with this initiative, Diyar Al Muharraq announced the opening of sales for residential plots within its Al Wasem development, allowing aspiring homeowners to benefit from Tas'heel + financing. Commenting on the occasion, Eng. Ahmed Ali Alammadi, Chief Executive Officer of Diyar Al Muharraq, stated: 'We are honored to take part in the 2025 Innovation Summit and Exhibition in the Social Housing Sector and present residential plots from Al Wasem at this prominent real estate event. Through this step and the launch of sales under the new Tas'heel + financing scheme, we aim to empower more citizens to realize their dream of building a lifelong home within a modern, integrated community. This initiative also reinforces our firm belief in the importance of strengthening public-private collaboration to support the national housing sector.' Al Wasem is the first project in Diyar Al Muharraq's Northern Islands and boasts a prime and exceptional location, surrounded by upscale commercial centers and prestigious international educational institutions. The development features wide internal streets measuring 20 meters in width and offers a range of residential plot options, including 58 exclusive waterfront plots starting at 360 sqm, in addition to 81 inland plots starting from approximately 302 sqm. The exhibition featured a special offer on Al Wasem plots, with prices starting from BHD 91,000 in alignment with the Tas'heel + financing program. Diyar Al Muharraq is Bahrain's largest integrated residential city that blends luxury with the core family values of Bahraini society. The development offers a wide range of housing solutions and contemporary lifestyles, complemented by a mix of residential, commercial, recreational, and healthcare facilities that embody the vision of modern, future-ready urban infrastructure.
