100,000 EGP fine.. Penalties and conditions for benefiting from social housing units

The Social Housing Law included several obligations for citizens to benefit from social housing units.

  The Housing Law sets deterrent penalties for those who violate it, up to imprisonment, a fine, and the withdrawal of the unit.

Article 4 of the law stipulates that:

  The beneficiary of a housing unit is obligated to use it for his residence for a period of no less than five years from the date of receiving it.

The beneficiary of a plot of land is obligated to build on it in accordance with the conditions and controls decided by the administrative authority concerned with planning and organizing affairs.

  It is prohibited for the beneficiaries of the housing units to dispose of them except after 7 years have passed since their allocation.

The beneficiaries of the plots of land are prohibited from disposing of the buildings or any part thereof except after the lapse of five years from the date of approving the certificate of suitability for the entire building for occupancy.

5 cases that threaten the social housing unit owner with withdrawal:

1- Selling the apartment 7 years prior to its allocation

2- Renting the apartment 7 years prior to its allocation

3- Changing the apartment's activity from residential to commercial or administrative

4- Failure to use the apartment on a regular basis, one year after receiving it

5- Submitting forged documents and papers on behalf of the beneficiary

Severe penalties

  The law criminalizes making any misleading statements regarding social housing units, with the intention of obtaining a housing unit, a plot of land, or support from the Fund without right.

Whoever carries out these practices shall be punished with imprisonment and a fine of no less than 50,000 Egyptian pounds and no more than 100,000 Egyptian pounds, or one of these two penalties.

  Anyone who violates the terms of use of units or social housing lands, or trades in them, shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of no less than one year, and a fine of no less than 20,000 pounds and not exceeding 100,000 pounds, or one of these two penalties.