Housing Applications Only Cancelled if Eligibility Conditions Are Lost: Ministry

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Manama: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning has clarified that job loss or financial hardship, on its own, does not lead to the cancellation of a housing service application. The statement comes as the Council of Representatives prepares to discuss a proposal to extend the period for reinstating cancelled housing applications from two years to four.

The proposal was postponed from the previous parliamentary session due to time constraints and is expected to be debated in the upcoming session.

In its response to the Council, the ministry explained that housing applications are cancelled only if the applicant loses one of the basic eligibility conditions for housing services. In such cases, a formal cancellation decision is issued.

The ministry noted that Article (69) of Ministerial Resolution No. (909) of 2015, which regulates the housing system, allows applicants whose requests were cancelled for loss of eligibility to apply for reinstatement within two years from the date of cancellation, with the exception of cases involving the loss of Bahraini nationality.

It also stressed that changes in marital status do not automatically result in application cancellation. In situations such as divorce, the application may be retained and transferred to a category that better suits the family’s updated circumstances, in accordance with the classifications outlined in the housing regulations.

The proposal to amend Article (69) was submitted by MP Hanan Fardan, who called for extending the reinstatement period from two to four years. She argued that some families face temporary challenges such as job loss or economic instability that prevent them from restoring eligibility within the current two-year timeframe.

Fardan said that extending the deadline would give families greater flexibility to stabilise their situations and would reduce the need to submit new applications and restart the process from the beginning.

The explanatory memorandum accompanying the proposal stated that the amendment aims to support family stability, ease psychological and social pressures on applicants, and reduce the administrative burden by reactivating previously cancelled applications. It also pointed out that housing systems in some other countries allow longer reinstatement periods.

The Public Utilities and Environment Committee concluded its report by recommending approval of the proposal, with unanimous agreement from all members present, citing valid public interest considerations.