Faster issuance of Emirati home loans

Authority will set up a mechanism to cut the amount of time that citizens wait to receive financial aid to build their houses.

Plans to provide Emiratis with housing more quickly will soon be introduced. Wam

ABU DHABI // Plans to reduce the time it takes for Emiratis to receive government housing or loans to build their own homes will soon be introduced.

The Abu Dhabi Housing Authority is in the process of introducing a time frame to deal with requests, according to Khalifa Al Hemeiri, the authority’s executive director of policy development and strategy planning.

He said on Monday that the authority was "currently working to set the mechanism" for a time frame for "an Emirati to receive his house". Mr Al Hemeiri was speaking to Emirates FM, an Arabic-language sister radio station of The National.

Every week, the radio station receives about 20 calls from Emiratis regarding government housing. The most common issue is the long waiting period for assistance.

Some Emiratis who are entitled to government housing loans or ready-built homes said they had waited for up to six years to receive either. In the meantime, they are living in rented accommodation, which puts a strain on their family finances, particularly for those whose employers do not offer a housing allowance.

Last year Abu Mohammed applied for a housing loan after receiving a plot of land from the government.

“My brother received his loan five years after he applied for it. It is well known that it takes five to six years at least,” he said. “I just ask that they give out the loans faster so that we can have the opportunity to build instead of living in rented spaces.”

The authority last year approved 2,402 housing loans ranging from Dh500,000 to Dh2 million.

Abu Mohammed is lucky, as he can afford to take out a loan to build his house. For nine years, Abu Khaled has asked authorities to take back the land granted to him and give him a house instead.

The 31-year-old earns Dh25,000 a month and uses about half of his wage to pay his debts.

To be eligible for government housing, the authority says that an Emirati’s “income shall not exceed D15,000, or the per capita household monthly share is less than Dh2,500”.

“We all live in a government house that belonged to our father,” said Abu Khaled, who lives with 20 family members. “I am their only supporter and breadwinner.”

The father of one was given land 80 kilometres from where he lives with his family.

“There is an abandoned house across from ours. It belongs to the government. I have begged the authorities to take my land and give me that house,” said Abu Khaled. “I can’t leave my family and go far away. My mother is sick and there are young children in the house. I am the only person who takes care of them.”

The authority said its mission was “to foster family connectivity and individual stability among citizens by providing the appropriate housing programmes”.

However, Umm Hussein fears that she will soon lose the familial stability that the authority aims to foster.

She works in the capital and her son attends a school for autistic children in the city. She has applied for government housing aid but the rules of the authority state that only Emiratis with a national identity card issued in the emirate can receive housing there.

Her identity card was issued in Ras Al Khaimah, where her former husband is from. She was told that she was only eligible for land in Ras Al Khaimah.

“What am I supposed to do, resign from work and move my kids to Ras Al Khaimah to live on land that I can’t afford to build on?” she said.

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q&a Abu Dhabi Housing Authority

What are Emiratis entitled to?

Loans, residential land and ready-built houses.

Who is entitled to receive a house vs receiving land?

Land: Must be a UAE national, holder of a family record issued from Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Must have completed 21 years for males, 35 years for single and divorced females, and 27 years for widows.

The applicant or the spouse shall not be an ex-beneficiary of any housing services from any governmental authority, whether federal or local. The heir’s share in a residential plot or house is not included in the ex-benefits meant in this clause.

The monthly income shall not be less than Dh15,000, and the per capita household monthly share shall not be less than Dh2,500.

It must be a solo individual application.

The applicant should be a permanent resident of the UAE, except for those whose work, or spouse’s work, demands living abroad for long periods.

UAE females marrying non-UAE nationals should have resided in the UAE for 7 consecutive years, and the divorced and widows of non-UAE nationals for 5 consecutive years, unless the nature of their work demands otherwise.

House: Must be a UAE national, holder of a family record issued from Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Must have completed 21 years for males, 35 years for single and divorced females, and 27 years for widows.

The applicant or the spouse shall not be an ex-beneficiary of any housing services from any governmental authority, whether federal or local. The heir’s share in a residential plot or house is not included in the ex-benefits meant in this clause.

The monthly income shall not exceed Dh15,000, or the per capita household monthly share is less than Dh2,500.

It must be a solo individual application.

The applicant should be a permanent resident of the UAE, except for those whose work, or spouse’s work, demands living abroad for long periods.

UAE females marrying non-UAE nationals should have resided in the UAE for 7 consecutive years, and the divorced and widows of non-UAE nationals for 5 consecutive years, unless the nature of their work demands otherwise.