Morocco Unveils Direct Housing Assistance Program for First-Time Buyers

After the official implementation of the direct housing assistance scheme by King Mohammed VI on October 17, the minister outlined the steps to be followed to benefit from public housing assistance. At the outset, Fatim Ezzahra El Mansouri recalled that this program, which will be executed over the period 2024-2028, aims to facilitate access to housing for Moroccans residing in Morocco and abroad who do not have a primary residence in Morocco, by providing them with direct financial assistance.

Fatim Ezzahra El Mansouri’s department has developed a draft decree that sets the conditions, forms and procedures for granting this direct aid to families. According to this text, which will come into force on January 1, 2024, a direct aid of 100,000 DH will be granted for the acquisition of a housing unit whose price is less than 300,000 DH including tax, and 70,000 DH for the acquisition of a housing unit whose price varies between 300,000 and 700,000 DH including tax. Future beneficiaries of this aid must never have received public housing assistance. The sales contract must be signed before a notary and the housing unit must have a certificate of occupancy issued in 2023, the document specifies.

In a spirit of transparency, the entire process, from the registration of applicants to the payment of the aid, will be done online on a CDG platform. Applicants who do not know how to use the computer tool will be assisted by cybercafes with which the ministry will sign agreements, said Fatim Ezzahra El Mansouri, announcing that these aids should cost the State 9.5 billion DH from the first year during which 70,000 to 100,000 housing units should be delivered.

This program aims to strengthen the purchasing power of low-income and middle-class households, improve their living conditions and contribute to reducing the housing deficit, explained the minister, adding that economically, it will promote job creation in the sector, as well as the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises, and regulate and control the real estate market. Ultimately, 12 Regional Agencies for Urban Planning and Housing will be created to implement this direct housing assistance program and support the renovation of urban and territorial planning, she concluded.