CAIRO — Sun, 07 Dec 2025
An Egyptian senator has submitted a sweeping proposal to establish a unified digital, financial, and regulatory framework to reform and better organise Egypt’s real estate market. Yasser Qoura, Deputy Leader of the Wafd Party bloc in the Senate, presented the proposal to the Senate’s housing committee at the start of the second legislative term, marking the first “proposal by request” of the new cycle.
The initiative centers on creating a permanent oversight structure under a proposed “Real Estate Regulatory Unit,” aimed at enhancing transparency, protecting buyers and investors, eliminating market manipulation, and bringing discipline to unregulated practices. Qoura said the framework aligns closely with Egypt’s national digital transformation strategy and broader efforts to strengthen the investment climate.
Under the proposal, a national real estate authority would be established to regulate and supervise all property projects. Developers would be required to operate mandatory escrow accounts, with all customer payments deposited into these accounts. Funds would only be released based on verified construction progress, monitored by both a general consultant and the regulatory authority to ensure compliance and timely delivery.
The framework would also unify sales contracts across real estate companies, standardising data on unit size, pricing, services, and facilities to reduce price disparities and curb misleading practices. A digital unit identification certificate would become mandatory for each property, detailing approved area, verified price per square metre, project registration number, and the project’s dedicated bank account.
A central digital monitoring platform is also proposed, creating a national database of all projects, developers, actual transaction prices, and construction progress. This platform would be linked to banks, financing institutions, and the New Urban Communities Authority to enable real-time supervision and financial transparency.
To accelerate dispute resolution, the proposal calls for the creation of a specialised judicial unit composed of judges, legal advisors, and engineering experts to handle real estate disputes outside the traditional civil court system. Post-delivery management would be strengthened through dedicated maintenance accounts transferred to homeowners’ associations to ensure long-term service sustainability.
The proposal draws on regulatory models from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the United States, adapted to Egypt’s local market conditions. It also includes tax and administrative incentives for environmentally compliant developers, simplified registration for foreign buyers, and enhanced international marketing of Egyptian real estate through embassies and diplomatic missions.
The proposal will now be reviewed by the relevant Senate committees before being referred to the House of Representatives and then to the government for further consideration.
