Housing Grant

The housing grant allows low-income citizens over 45 years of age to obtain a ready or under-construction home free of charge, based on a set of general and specific eligibility criteria that define the qualified categories and the rules for benefiting from the grant.
Key Points:
1.General Eligibility Conditions:
• The applicant must be a citizen and a continuous resident of the country.
• Must be a provider (breadwinner) and over 45 years old.
• Neither the applicant nor their spouse must have previously benefited from any housing grant or loan for purchasing, building, or demolishing/rebuilding a home from any government entity (exceptions apply to benefits the wife received before marriage or inherited property shares).
• Must be low-income.
• The applicant must apply individually.
• Must pledge to waive any shared property if benefiting from a shared housing grant or jointly funded home.
• If previously granted a residential land or inactive building loan, must waive the vacant land and cancel any existing building loan.
• Must pledge not to apply for other housing grants or loans except after the granted home reaches the end of its lifecycle or in emergency cases as per applicable laws.
2.Specific Conditions by Category:
Males:
• Must have completed 45 years (exception for married men).
Widows:
• Must be over 45.
• Must be a custodian or provider for one or more children (exception for elderly or medically unable to bear children).
• Non-citizen widows: must have continuously resided in the country for at least 5 years before applying.
• Must not have suitable housing.
Unmarried Female Citizens:
• Must be over 45.
• No legally or religiously obligated provider, or the provider is unable or legally cannot provide housing, or she is providing housing for relatives up to the second degree.
• Must not have suitable housing.
Divorced Females:
• Must be over 45.
• Divorce must be final (major separation) or at least 3 years have passed if not major.
• Must be a custodian or provider (exception for elderly or medically unable to bear children).
• Non-citizen divorced women: must have continuously resided in the country for 5 years before applying.
• Must not have suitable housing.
Married Female Citizens to Non-Citizens:
• Must be over 45.
• Must have one or more children living with her (exception for elderly or medically unable to bear children).
• Must have continuously resided with husband and children for at least 7 years before applying.
• Must not have suitable housing.
• The non-citizen husband must be unable to provide suitable housing.
• The non-citizen husband must pledge not to apply for any other housing grant, including if he later acquires citizenship.
3.Rules for Using the Grant:
• The home is registered as a grant and subject to public housing regulations; it cannot be mortgaged to the authority.
• Approval is canceled if the beneficiary does not move in within 6 months of allocation or fails to continue occupancy without an unavoidable reason.
• In case of cancellation, the citizen may submit a new application two years after the first grant’s cancellation.
 

The text issued by the competent authorities:
Housing Grant:
Enables a UAE national, who is over forty-five (45) years of age, earning a limited income to obtain a ready-built or under-construction housing grant, free of charge.

 

General Conditions for Eligibility for Housing Grant:
1. The applicant shall be UAE national.
2. The applicant shall be a permanent resident of the UAE.
3. The applicant shall be a breadwinner.
4. The applicant shall be over forty-five (45) years of age,
5. Neither the applicant nor his spouse has benefitted from any housing grant or housing financed by a housing purchase loan from any government entity, whether federal or local, as well as neither the applicant nor his spouse has benefitted from any construction loan or demolition and reconstruction loan, except for housing benefits received by the wife before marriage, and the heir's share in residential plot of land or housing.
6. The applicant shall be of limited income
7. He /She shall be a sole applicant.
8. The applicant shall undertake to assign his joint share upon approval of his/her application if the applicant has benefited from any joint residential plot of land grant, joint housing grant, or housing financed by a joint housing purchase loan.
9. In the event that the applicant has previously benefited from a residential plot of land grant and/or an inactive housing construction loan, he/she shall undertake to assign the unbuilt residential plot of land granted to him/her either to Abu Dhabi Housing Authority or the entity designated by Abu Dhabi Housing Authority, and shall agree to cancel the housing construction loan, if any.
10. The applicant shall undertake not to submit an application to Abu Dhabi Housing Authority for a residential plot of land grant, housing grant, or a ready-built housing purchase loan, and not to submit an application to Abu Dhabi Housing Authority for a housing construction loan or a housing demolition and reconstruction loan except upon the expiration of the lifespan of the housing granted to him/her, or in emergency and other cases stipulated by the applicable legislations.
Special Conditions according to Categories Eligible to Housing Grant:
Males:
• He shall be over forty-five (45) years of age. Married applicants are exempted from this requirement.
Widows:
• She shall be over forty-five (45) years of age.
• She shall be the custodian or provider of one or more children. Elderly widows or widows who are unable to bear children are exempted from this requirement, by virtue of a medical report issued by the competent authority.
• A widow, whose dead husband is non-UAE national, shall have resided continuously in the United Arab Emirates for a period of no less than (5) consecutive years prior to the date on which the application is submitted.
• She does not own a suitable housing.
Unmarried Female UAE Nationals:
• She shall be over forty-five (45) years of age.
• She shall not have a breadwinner, or her breadwinner is unable to provide a housing for permanent reasons, or it is impossible to legally obligate her breadwinner to provide a housing, or she is the provider of housing to her relatives up to the second degree.
• She does not own a suitable housing.
Divorcée:
• She shall be over forty-five (45) years of age.
• She has been irrevocably divorced with major separation or has been divorced for three years.
• She shall be the custodian or provider of one or more children. Elderly divorcées or divorcées who are unable to bear children are exempted from this requirement, by virtue of a medical report issued by the competent authority.
• A woman divorced from a non-UAE national shall have resided continuously in the United Arab Emirates for a period of no less than (5) consecutive years prior to the date on which the application is submitted.
• She does not own a suitable housing.
Female UAE Nationals married to Non-UAE Nationals:
• She shall be over forty-five (45) years of age.
• She shall have one or more children living with her. Elderly women or women who are unable to bear children are exempted from this requirement, by virtue of a medical report issued by the competent authority.
• She shall prove that she has resided continuously with her husband and children in the United Arab Emirates for a period of no less than (7) consecutive years prior to the date on which the application is submitted.
• She does not own a suitable housing.
• The father of the children' shall be unable to provide a suitable housing.
• The non-UAE husband shall declare and undertake not to claim or apply for any other housing grant if he obtains the UAE citizenship in future.
Controls for Beneficiaries of Housing Grant:
The housing shall be registered as a grant and shall be subject to the provisions of public housing. It shall not be mortgaged in favor of Abu Dhabi Housing Authority. Abu Dhabi Housing Authority may cancel the approval of the housing grant in the event that either the applicant does not move to live in it within (6) six months from the date of the decision on approval of the allocation of the housing or the applicant does not continue to occupy the housing unless this is due to an emergency reason beyond the beneficiary's control. In the event that the approval is cancelled for the reason mentioned in this paragraph, the citizen shall have the right to submit a new application for obtaining a housing grant two years after the decision on cancellation of the approval of the first grant.
Reference: https://www.iskan.abudhabi/en/Our-Services/Housing-Grant