Riyadh household rent burden falls to 15%: REGA CEO

Abdullah Al-Hammad, CEO of the Real Estate General Authority (REGA)

Abdullah Al-Hammad, CEO of the Real Estate General Authority (REGA), said the ratio of rent burdens to household income in Riyadh fell to around 15% from more than 17.5% in September 2025.

He said the decline was one of the initial impacts measured following the implementation of real estate balance decisions.

Speaking at the Legal Aspects of Governance Conference at King Saud University, Al-Hammad said the most financially vulnerable households had been spending more than 30% of their income on rent.

He added that the roughly 2% decline in households’ rent burden is one of the tangible outcomes of the real estate balance decisions in Riyadh, more than 18 months after they were approved.

Al-Hammad said Crown Prince directives also included monitoring real estate indicators and submitting regular reports on results and challenges.