Ministry of Municipalities Approves Guide to Combat Illegal Housing Unit Divisions

The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing has approved the "Guide for Monitoring Illegal Divisions of Housing Units," as part of its efforts to enhance compliance with municipal regulations and reduce practices of illegal housing unit divisions. This contributes to maintaining building safety, improving the quality of the residential environment, and increasing the efficiency of municipal oversight.

The guide aims to provide a unified regulatory and oversight framework to address this phenomenon by defining roles, responsibilities, and specific oversight procedures for detecting, verifying, and addressing violations in accordance with approved municipal regulations and bylaws. It includes all residential and commercial residential units that have been divided illegally.

The ministry has identified the entities responsible for implementing the guide, which include: the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, municipalities, and partner entities, in addition to property owners and tenants. This enhances integration among related entities and increases the effectiveness of oversight.

The guide adopts a comprehensive oversight methodology based on proactive monitoring by matching data and rental contracts with issued licenses, utilizing community reports, and conducting field visits to verify suspected cases and detect violations.

In terms of task distribution, the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing is responsible for developing regulatory systems and guides, preparing oversight plans, and developing reporting mechanisms and technical connections with partner entities. Meanwhile, municipalities are tasked with conducting oversight tours, receiving reports, verifying violations, enforcing legal penalties, and monitoring the correction of violators' situations.

The ministry confirmed that adopting the guide helps mitigate the negative impacts of illegal divisions on building safety, infrastructure, and quality of life in residential neighborhoods. It also supports improving the efficiency of real estate utilization and promoting more organized and sustainable urban environments.

The ministry noted that the adoption of the guide is part of the regulatory and oversight measures implemented to enhance safety and reliability in the real estate sector and improve service quality, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. The guide can be accessed through the ministry's official website: momah.gov.sa/ar/regulations.