Justice Minister: Specialized judicial circuits to resolve private housing construction disputes

Justice Minister and Advisor Nasser Al-Sameet announced a move to draft legislation regulating the establishment of specialized judicial circuits to adjudicate disputes arising from private housing construction contracts. This initiative follows direct directives from Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah, with the aim of accelerating case resolutions and protecting the rights of citizens harmed by stalled construction projects or contractors’ failure to fulfill their contractual obligations.

Al-Sameet confirmed that disputes related to private housing construction reached approximately 2,200 cases in 2025. He noted that the Ministry of Justice is currently preparing the necessary legislation to regulate this system, enabling more specialized and efficient handling of such cases. He explained that the initiative involves assigning judges to hear private housing construction disputes, thereby speeding up litigation procedures and resolving conflicts within shorter timeframes. This is particularly important given that these cases directly affect citizens, their families’ stability, and their financial commitments.

The Justice Minister added that the project also includes establishing a specialized unit within the General Administration of Experts, assigning accountant and engineering experts to investigate tasks related to these disputes. This will ensure faster completion of expert assessments with a higher degree of specialization and accuracy, facilitating the necessary procedures to resolve cases.

He clarified that the Ministry of Justice is working on establishing the legal framework governing these procedures, including the creation of specialized judicial circuits and a mechanism for utilizing necessary technical and accounting expertise to examine disputes. This aims to develop the process for handling residential construction cases and expedite their resolution.

This step comes amid complaints regarding the halt of some residential construction projects or contractors’ failure to meet their contractual obligations after receiving financial payments from plot owners, prompting affected parties to seek judicial recourse to recover their funds or claim compensation for damages incurred.

Drafting this legislation represents a step toward developing mechanisms for handling residential construction disputes, thereby supporting the protection of citizens’ rights, helping to redress grievances of the affected, safeguarding the rights of contracting parties, and mitigating the financial and housing impacts resulting from stalled residential construction projects.