Moroccan Expats’ Empty Apartments Fuel Real Estate Crisis in Tangier Region

According to official data, the number of vacant apartments in the Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima region is estimated at around 334,000 units, or 15.6% of the total number of vacant apartments in Morocco, making this region the second region in Morocco in terms of the number of vacant apartments, after Casablanca-Settat. The increase in vacant apartments is very worrying in Tangier. Proof of this, vacant apartments account for nearly 18% of the total residential apartments in the city. At the origin of this phenomenon, the purchase of these dwellings by many Moroccans residing abroad (MREs) who only occupy them during their stay in the kingdom. This situation is not without consequences for low-income households. They have difficulty accessing decent housing.

In order to eradicate this phenomenon, the authorities, supported by the auxiliary forces, carried out a large-scale campaign in February to free the abandoned apartments that had been occupied by some illegal sub-Saharan African migrants. The latter had transformed these dwellings into places of residence, representing a real threat to the security of local residents. In March 2023, the government launched a housing assistance program for first-time buyers. But these efforts have not yet managed to overcome the phenomenon. Voices are then rising to demand urgent government intervention to examine the nature of the ownership of these apartments, particularly the economic apartments subsidized by the State.