Morocco’s Housing Crisis Deepens as Homeownership Slips Out of Reach for Many

Many Moroccans are confronted with this harsh reality. Access to homeownership remains a problem for them, in this difficult economic context. The real estate sector is facing several challenges that need to be addressed urgently to facilitate access to housing, analyzes a real estate developer with the newspaper Le Matin. According to this professional, the decline in the purchasing power of Moroccans due to the general rise in prices partly explains this difficulty in accessing housing. Those from the middle class are increasingly turning to low-cost housing, especially since banks have tightened the conditions for granting credit.

Despite the enthusiasm of nationals and Moroccans residing abroad (MREs) for the government’s housing assistance program launched in January to facilitate access to housing valued between 300,000 and 700,000 dirhams, the reality shows that this type of low-cost housing is rare on the market. "An offer of this type can only attract attention, that is undeniable. However, are there homes at this price? Does the supply match the demand? This is a legitimate question. We have raised this issue several times with the ministry concerned, but we have not received a response," said the real estate developer.

The specialist deplores the lack of clear statistics on "the number of authorized and under-construction housing" as part of this program. "The success of these programs must be evaluated not only by the interest they generate, but also by the tangible reality of the supply," indicated the developer, specifying that "developers support the establishment of this system and are delighted with it, provided that it is coherent." Other difficulties in accessing housing concern the cumbersome administrative procedures to obtain building permits and the lack of responsiveness of some civil servants, the developer said.

The professional also points to "many gray areas" in the new law that sets the guarantee period for constructions at five years. "How can we, as an economic operator, guarantee a product beyond the guarantee we have received ourselves?" he wonders. He also mentions the law that has made the presentation of a tax certificate mandatory since July 1st for any real estate transaction, noting that it slows down sales. The developer calls on the competent authorities to quickly find solutions to these problems to boost the real estate market and facilitate access to housing for Moroccans.