Riyadh: The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has issued 1,360 licenses for collective housing, impacting approximately one million resident workers in Saudi Arabia. This move is part of a newly established regulatory framework aimed at enhancing the collective housing sector and ensuring safe and sustainable living environments for foreign workers in the Kingdom.

According to Saudi Press Agency, the ministry's press release highlighted that these new licenses require collective housing service providers to adhere to unified municipal, technical, health, and safety standards. This ensures that living environments are safe and efficiently managed while supporting sustainable urban development.

The regulatory framework mandates that owners of commercial establishments with 20 or more workers must provide licensed collective housing or secure alternative housing through licensed facilities that comply with the regulatory standards. In 2025, Saudi Arabia launched the "National Program for the Development of Collective Housing" to oversee the framework's implementation. This initiative aims to upgrade the labor housing system, improving workers' quality of life in line with the Quality of Life Program, a key component of Saudi Vision 2030.

The national program includes ten government entities working collaboratively to oversee the implementation of municipal, technical, health, and safety standards in licensed establishments. These entities conduct inspection campaigns and awareness initiatives across the Kingdom, taking regulatory actions against non-compliance to ensure ongoing adherence and improvement in labor housing conditions.

The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing emphasized that the framework's launch through the national program signifies the Kingdom's commitment to protecting workers' rights and elevating their living standards. According to the ministry, "this framework reflects the Kingdom's broader efforts to protect the health, safety, and dignity of the workforce."

This initiative is part of Saudi Arabia's strategic approach to adopting strict compliance measures, enhancing field oversight, and fostering government collaboration to ensure decent and secure living environments in support of the Saudi Vision 2030 objectives.

Source: Saudi Press Agency