Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Housing continues to conduct studies since the launch of the idle land fees program to monitor monopolistic practices in the local real estate market and strike a balance between supply and demand, Rotana Khalejia TV channel reported, citing Abdullah Alhammad, assistant deputy minister of housing for lands and technical affairs at the ministry.

He said that the fees were applied in some cities, including Madinah, Abha and Khamis Mushait, based on the results of studies.

Regarding the criteria for applying the fees in certain cities, the official said this depends on the ratio of idle lands within an urban area to the occupied ones, as well as the percentage of ownership and the balance between supply and demand.