Uruguay housing program and regulation developments

The Uruguayan government has introduced several initiatives to expand housing access and address urban development. In October 2026, the Ministry of Housing and Territorial Planning launched the ‘Abriendo Puertas – Primera Vivienda’ program in partnership with the Banco Hipotecario del Uruguay. This program provides 500 loans across 19 departments, offering financing for up to 95 percent of property values with potential subsidies for monthly installments.

By November 2026, efforts expanded to include the construction of up to 360 homes in Montevideo through a partnership between the Ministry of Housing and the National Development Corporation. This project, part of a program running through 2030, focuses on collective housing for middle and lower-middle-income households with a specific distribution of one, two, and three-bedroom apartments.

Concurrently, the National Housing Agency reported that a majority of promoted housing units for 2026 are studios or one-bedroom apartments. This has prompted legislative debate in Parliament regarding a proposal to mandate a minimum habitable surface area of 35 square meters, as lawmakers weigh quality of life against the demand for smaller, affordable units.