Egypt moves to overhaul building-violation settlement law with 12-month legalisation window
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Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly reviewed proposals to simplify fees, widen instalment plans and complete legalisation within a year of the law being amended.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met ministers and officials on Monday to review progress on overhauling the country's building-violations settlement scheme, saying the government attaches great importance to a file that directly affects a large share of citizens.
The meeting was attended by Manal Awad, minister of local development and environment; Alaa El-Din Farouk, minister of agriculture and land reclamation; Mostafa El-Naggar, head of the housing and utilities sector at the housing ministry; and Hossam Rashed, head of the agriculture ministry's central administration for land protection.
Madbouly said problems that had emerged in applying the law needed to be fixed and that tangible concessions were required to meet its goals and widen the number of people who benefit from it.
The meeting reviewed the targets and recommendations of the Egypt Forum 2026 on the settlement file, which call for simpler procedures to speed up legalisation, with the process to be completed within 12 months of an amendment to the law being passed, taking account of people's social circumstances and ability to pay.
The recommendations also call for settlement fees to reflect differences in market values between areas and for a distinction between private housing for low-income families and commercial or investment use. They propose wider use of affordable instalment plans, incentives for early payment and fewer documents for applicants.
Officials discussed revising the conditions and paperwork required, changing how settlement fees are assessed, and updating payment and instalment systems, with the aim of balancing citizens' social and economic circumstances with fair pricing and the protection of the state's rights.
Madbouly instructed officials to contact members of the House of Representatives who have submitted proposals and amendments to the draft settlement law to agree wording that reflects the different views. He said the amendments should make settlement easier while introducing controls to stop violations recurring and close the door on new unlicensed construction, and directed ministries to complete the legislative drafting so the legal changes and the systems needed to apply them are ready together.