Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The Ministry of Housing's website is preventing residents of remote villages and hamlets from applying for housing loans due to a condition that requires them to prove they have electricity. The Eskan site requires applicants to enter their Saudi Electricity Company subscription numbers. Most applicants living in villages and hamlets cannot meet this requirement because they have no electricity. In order to register on Eskan, anyone applying should also indicate the exact location of the house or the apartment in which they live. Talking to Al-Eqtisadiah business daily, Sarah Mohammed was surprised by the conditions set by the website. "The site did not take into consideration the fact that electricity has not yet reached a number of villages and hamlets," she said. She said she tried to register some of her relatives who live in a remote village but could not. "These people do not have houses. My relatives' family includes a man and his married son who are both jobless and living on social security assistance," she said. Mohammed questioned why the ministry did not exempt such people from the condition of having to submit their electricity accounts or subscription numbers. The Ministry of Housing opened its doors to receive applications for housing loans or plots of land or both through Eskan on March 6. A month later, the ministry will start selecting applications and distributing its products among eligible applicants.
