Housing assistance increased by RO5,000
RO25,000 will be given to a family of two or three individuals, and RO30,000 to a family of four or more
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning (MHUP) has increased the housing assistance for citizens by RO5,000. As part of its efforts to support low-income and social security families, H E Dr Khalfan bin Saeed al Shuaili, Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, on Sunday issued a Ministerial Resolution (No 9/2023), regarding amending the value of housing assistance for citizens.
According to the new decision, the value of housing assistance is determined based on the number of family members and the area of construction.
The decision stated that an amount not exceeding RO25,000 will be given to a family of two or three individuals to build or rebuild a house, provided that the building area is not less than 140sqm. ‘In case the area is between 140sqm and 250sqm, the beneficiary has to contribute towards extra expenses.’
For families with four or more members, a housing assistance of RO30,000 will be given to the family, provided that the building area is not less than 190sqm. ‘In case the beneficiary wants to contribute for building on an area over 190sqm, the building should not exceed 300sqm.’
According to the earlier decision, the value of housing assistance for building, rebuilding, restoring or making additions to a house was limited to a maximum of RO20,000 for two to three-member family, and the minister had the authority to raise the value of assistance in areas of difficult topography.
While for a family with four or more members, the limit was RO25,000.
The new ministerial decision aims to improve the quality of housing, enhance family stability and strengthen partnership and cooperation with the private sector, taking into account the social and economic changes for the groups benefiting from the housing assistance programme, such as the increase in the value of building materials and the added tax, stated the ministry.
According to the latest statics, the ministry provided housing assistance to 1,478 families worth Ro35mn in 2022, compared to 1,261 families at a cost of Ro30mn in 2021. While 600 families benefited from Ro15mn in 2020 and 1,000 families got Ro41mn in 2019.