The UAE continues to achieve remarkable milestones in the federal housing sector, enhancing its leadership in urban development and social stability, and strengthening its position among the best countries globally in terms of quality of life.
In the first half of 2025, the UAE Cabinet approved housing decisions for over 1,838 citizens, totalling AED1.2 billion as part of the Sheikh Zayed Housing Program, which has provided assistance amounting to AED63 billion ($17.15 billion) since its establishment. More than 93,000 Emirati citizens have benefited from this initiative to date, reflecting the country’s commitment to empowering Emirati families and providing suitable housing as one of the key pillars of societal stability.
In recent years, the program has seen a series of strategic developments that have enhanced the effectiveness of the housing system, accelerated the process of obtaining housing support, and increased customer satisfaction. Additionally, there has been an expansion in partnerships with the banking sector and financial institutions, aligning with the country’s focus on financial sustainability and innovation in service delivery, as reported by the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
Between 2021 and 2024, the program achieved remarkable results in terms of performance indicators. The time required to obtain a housing support decision was reduced by more than 50 percent. The percentage of citizens owning homes increased to 91 percent—a 17 percent increase compared to 2017—while private sector funding accounted for 76 percent of the total, confirming the effectiveness of the adopted financial policies.
Customer satisfaction surveys also indicated that happiness levels regarding housing services doubled today—an increase of 100 percent compared to 2021—signifying a significant improvement in the efficiency of the government service system.
New financing policy approved
In this context, the UAE Cabinet has approved a new financing policy for the Sheikh Zayed Housing Program extending until 2041. The policy aims to issue 40,000 housing support decisions, divided into four phases. The first phase includes the issuance of 13,000 decisions at an estimated cost of AED11.5 billion, effectively doubling the number of annual decisions compared to previous years. This initiative is part of the country’s efforts to enhance resource sustainability and improve the efficiency of public spending.
The new policy is based on an integrated model between the federal government and national banks, contributing to reducing the financial burden on the public treasury while providing flexible financing alternatives for citizens.
Furthermore, the UAE Ministry launched several regulatory initiatives in collaboration with the Central Bank of the UAE to address challenges associated with implementing the new policy. These include the “Flexible Loan,” which allows citizens to obtain housing finance that aligns with their financial capabilities, with the possibility of benefiting from the finance gap for up to four years. Another initiative is the “Reuse of Housing Assistance Value,” enabling citizens to re-utilize the assistance if their living conditions change. Additionally, the policy includes an “Exemption of Retirement Contributions from Total Salary,” which enhances the process of assessing monthly income and expands opportunities for obtaining housing support.
Streamlining procedures with Manzili
As part of the government’s efforts to streamline procedures, the Ministry launched the “Manzili” bundle, which was recognized in the Zero Bureaucracy Awards as the Best Team across the UAE Government in the “Impact on People’s Lives” category. This package contributed to reducing the number of entities a customer must deal with from 11 to just one, the number of procedures from 14 to three, and the required documents from 10 to just one. This was made possible through integration and coordination with 28 partner entities, resulting in saving over 9 million working hours, reducing fuel consumption by 55,000 liters, and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 586,000 kilograms—based on calculations for an estimated 5,000 users annually.
The Ministry also launched the national platform “Darak” as a unified window for offering advisory services and construction packages to citizens. This was accomplished in collaboration with the Ministry of Possibilities, the Social Solidarity Fund for Ministry of Interior employees, and local housing programs.
In a new achievement that reflects the UAE’s global standing in the housing sector, the country won the presidency of the General Assembly of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) and secured membership in its Executive Board. This recognition strengthens the UAE’s role in supporting international efforts in housing and sustainable urban planning. UN-Habitat is an international UN agency headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, working towards a better urban future, with a mission to ensure adequate shelter for all by promoting the sustainable development of human settlements in social and environmental dimensions. UN-Habitat includes a membership of 193 countries from around the world.
Empowering Emirati families
Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, UAE minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said, “Thanks to the directives of the UAE’s wise leadership, the country continues to achieve significant milestones in the housing sector. The housing support decisions during the first half of 2025 reflect the country’s unwavering commitment to providing suitable housing for citizens, as it represents a fundamental pillar in the path of comprehensive development.”
He added, “These remarkable achievements are the result of a strategic vision in which government efforts are integrated with the banking sector under the new funding policy, aimed at empowering Emirati families, enhancing quality of life, and ensuring resource sustainability.”
He pointed out that the Ministry, in the coming phase, aims to develop innovative housing projects that align with future needs, reinforce principles of sound financial management, and redefine traditional concepts of homeownership—contributing to improved quality of life, family stability, and the social and economic growth of the nation.
For his part, Eng. Mohamed Al Mansouri, director-general of Sheikh Zayed Housing Program, emphasized that these achievements reflect the forward-looking vision of the wise leadership, which places people at the heart of development plans. He noted that the program is a fundamental pillar in empowering and stabilizing Emirati families.
He said, “We continue working to develop a flexible and innovative federal housing system that integrates government and private sector efforts, aligns with citizens’ aspirations, and enhances the UAE’s global competitiveness in quality of life and urban development indicators.”
