Tunisia housing crisis: 200 years needed to meet demand

Tunisia faces a severe structural housing crisis, with an estimated national need for 200,000 homes. The Chamber of Real Estate Developers warns that current government rent-to-own programs are insufficient to meet this demand.

According to Hechmi Miliani, treasurer of the National Chamber of Real Estate Developers, the current program is limited to the SNIT and SPROLS, which have a combined production capacity of only 1,000 units per year. At this rate, it would take 200 years to satisfy the current demand.

The Chamber is advocating for legislative reforms to allow private developers to participate in the program, provided they adhere to the same specifications as the public sector. Such a move could potentially increase production to between 25,000 and 30,000 units annually, aiming to reach 90,000 units within three years. Additionally, the Chamber suggests segmenting the housing supply into social, intermediate, and improved tiers to accommodate various income levels.