The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) lifted a temporary suspension on a 33.2 sq km area of land in western Riyadh, it said on X on Thursday. Property owners can now resume sales, purchases, and building permit issuances in adherence to Wadi Hanifa’s urban code

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Not the first time: In April, the government lifted land freezes on 81.5 sq km of land in northern Riyadh, permitting similar activities in those areas. This included 33.2 sq km of newly activated land north of King Salman Road, in addition to 48.28 sq km that were previously released.

IN CONTEXT= The government has rolled out sweeping reforms to stimulate the real estate market to tackle “unacceptable” real estate prices, the Crown Prince acknowledged in his annual address last month. This includes opening property ownership to non-Saudis, permitting foreign investment in Makkah and Madinah real estate firms, and amending the White Land Tax law. The RCRC also launched the Tawazoun platform last month, offering citizens residential plots capped at SAR 1.5k per sqm.

DATA POINT- Riyadh’s residential market saw steep price hikes in 2Q 2025, with villa prices climbing 15.1% y-o-y and apartment prices increasing 13.3% y-o-y, according to a JLL report. The city’s housing supply now stands at roughly 2.2 mn units, with 5.6k delivered in the first half of 2025 and nearly 19k more expected by year-end.

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