Over 11,000 new houses are currently being built for UAE citizens across the country and will be handed over to the owners soon after they have been completed, a top UAE government official has announced.

Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure and Chairman of the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme, on Tuesday told members of the Federal National Council (FNC) that the government has prioritised the housing sector to provide citizens with suitable housing that will achieve their family stability, happiness and quality of life.

He noted that the number of completed and delivered individual housing projects since the inception of the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme, over 20 years ago, has reached 35,000 houses.

“The programme has contributed to the stability of Emirati families, through offering housing support and constructing comprehensive housing districts,” he said.

“It also achieved significant success in ensuring that the required specifications for citizens’ housing districts and the construction of sustainable housing are met.”

Al Mazrouei pointed out that the main goal of the programme was to fulfil the housing needs of UAE citizens, so that they can get their homes in the shortest time possible.

The minister also revealed that a special committee has been created to formulate new measures regulating housing grants provided to the citizens, including the people of determination, adding that the committee has completed drafting the decision and has presented it to the Cabinet for discussion and approval.

The minister was responding to a question from an FNC member about the measures taken by the ministry to grant housing assistance to the people of determination and being exempted from paying back the housing grants.

Operations during the Covid-19 crisis

On how the ministry was handling applications for the housing grants under the current Covid-19 situation, Al Mazrouei noted that the ministry has worked with the concerned government bodies to assess all the services provided to customers and that safety measures were put in place to ensure the continuity of provision of services to citizens.

He noted that the ministry implemented the Cabinet’s decision that granted an extension for the housing grants that were ending on March 1, 2020, for a period of 3 months.

The ministry also facilitated citizens who had issues with applying for housing grants during the Covid-19 crisis, by giving them more time to complete the procedures for opening up the files, which benefited nearly 800 citizens.

“The ministry has provided a stimulus package and exemptions to contractors and consultants who are implementing the residential projects for citizens by granting them more time for completing and delivering the houses and exempting them from fines due to delays resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Al Mazrouei.

Established by the UAE's founding father Late Sheikh Zayed, the programme has set strategic objectives which seek to meet the current and future residential needs of Emirati citizens; provide and develop the sustainable and innovative residential environment beyond people expectations; and ensure provision of administrative services according to quality, efficiency and transparency standards.

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