Housing demand

Waiting list reaches 29,000 applications, reflecting growing need for homes

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Waiting-list in Bahrain’s housing system stood at 29,000 applications by the end of 2025, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning told Parliament, saying 17,190 housing services had been allocated and 2,520 applications cancelled during the current legislative term.

The figures came in a reply to MP Khalid Buanaq, who asked about old applications, rejected files and the steps being taken to clear the queue. The ministry said the oldest applications, dating back to 2004 and earlier, are still the hardest to clear.

It said these cases are being handled under a three-choice plan, with allocations made by application date.

Cases

The remaining cases involving subsidised residential plots depend on infrastructure works being finished on land reserved for that purpose.

Under that plan, applicants may choose a residential plot with BD40,000 in Tas’heel finance and housing allowance for two years from the date of entitlement; a flat with a BD3,000 grant and a two-year exemption from common-area maintenance fees; or Tas’heel finance of BD70,000 together with a BD10,000 grant.

The ministry said it had finished allocating the second and third choices for all those who wanted them across the kingdom, while the first had so far covered 2002 applications and part of 2003.

Applications

On cancelled applications, the ministry said 42 per cent were removed after a change in marital status, 29 per cent because the applicant or a family member did not meet the permanent residence requirement in Bahrain, 17 per cent because income exceeded the limit for the service, and 12 per cent because the applicant or a family member owned residential property.

It added that a cancelled application may be revived within two years if the applicant later meets the housing conditions, under Article 69 of Decision No. 909 of 2015 on the housing system.

The ministry said most pending applications are from the first family category, which covers a husband, wife and children, if any, and accounts for 88 per cent of the total.

Category

The second category makes up 8 per cent, the third 3 per cent and the fourth 1 per cent. These applications cover housing units, flats and residential plots.

It also gave figures for the fifth category, which is limited to temporary housing.

This category includes divorced women, widows, women deemed abandoned by court order who have no children, and unmarried women who have lost both parents.

The ministry said 135 applications had been submitted under this category during the current legislative term and 77 had been allocated.

Health

It said applicants in this category must usually be between 21 and 60 when they apply, though women over 60 may still apply if their health allows them to live alone.

Income must not exceed BD800 at the time of application and allocation, and the monthly payment for temporary housing must not exceed 25 per cent of income, up to a ceiling of BD100. Applications are reviewed individually and referred to the Housing Committee, which can allow exceptions in some cases.

The ministry said it launched an electronic service for fifth-category applications in 2023 through its online services portal, allowing women to apply and track their applications from submission to allocation.

It said text messages are sent at each stage, and where an application is turned down the reason is also sent by text message.