Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia’s Housing Ministry’s Sakani program paid real estate tax on behalf of first-time homebuyers and issued 558,367 certificates among beneficiaries since the beginning of the program until September 2021, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday citing the program’s monthly report.

The report showed a surge in the number of beneficiaries from the Sakani program’s housing and financial solutions during the current year. A total of 160,304 Saudi families benefited from the ministry’s program until the end of September.  

The report also gave details about the number of projects being carried out in partnership with real estate developers in different parts of the Kingdom.

The Ministry of Housing and the Real Estate Development Fund formed Sakani in 2017 with the aim of facilitating home ownership in the Kingdom through the creation of new housing stock, allocating plots and homes to nationals and financing their purchase. It has a goal of reaching 70 percent home ownership by 2030.

The program also launched new e-services to serve people effectively.

The app, which allows users to access four new services, can be downloaded at: qrco.de/bc5N3L.

The services include electronic financing, ready-made units, approved contractor, and interactive maps.

The services had been added to ensure Sakani becomes “the go-to destination for housing services and solutions, in order to make it easier for Saudi families to own their first home.”