Housing in Afghanistan

Housing in Afghanistan is usually obtained through local networks, landlords, brokers, family members or host households. Renting is an established formal basis, but practice remains fragmented. There is no uniform national standard for tenant screening or lease registration. A licensed property dealer can assist with a transaction; the Ministry of Justice regulates these dealers. A dealer licence is reported at 15,000 AFS for three years with a stated ten-working-day issuance period, but this is a provider licence and not a standard household transaction fee. For a rental agreement, identify the property, permitted use, duration and rent. The rent may consist of cash, property, profit or another permissible commitment. Under the Afghan Civil Code baseline, the landlord delivers the property and handles major defects, while the tenant handles customary minor repairs, avoids harmful alterations, reports serious defects and returns the property in comparable condition. A health-endangering condition can support a cancellation claim. Subletting generally requires the owner’s consent. Fixed-term notice, termination and compensation rules exist, but enforcement varies in practice. Afghanistan has no verified nationwide standard for deposits, notice periods, rent caps or move-out inspections, and local practice can differ substantially. Ownership documents require careful checking. Qabala-e-Shariat or Qabala-e-Qat'i refers to official or religious title documentation, while Qabala-e-Urfi is a customary deed. A Qabala-e-Urfi may support an ownership claim but does not by itself prove secure and uncontested title. Before purchasing or accepting a transfer, check the seller’s or landlord’s Tazkira, authority over the property, the complete document chain, inheritance papers, competing claims, plot and building status, witnesses, payment records and evidence of possession. Tax books, electricity records and occupancy documents can provide supporting evidence but do not replace reliable title verification. Informal settlements often lack a deed or registry entry. This can increase the risk of eviction, duplicate claims, disputes with landlords or hosts, state reclamation and weak access to formal services or finance. The Ministry of Justice’s Huquq administration deals with civil and property-rights matters. MAIL Land Affairs handles land-rights identification, land-bank and registration information, informal-area registration and Qabala-related functions. The Ministry of Urban Development and Housing and municipalities deal with urban planning, state land and building permissions, cadastral matters and transfers. Courts handle property disputes. Provincial responsibilities and implementation can overlap. State-plot programmes are project-specific. A 2025 law published by the Ministry of Justice concerns the sale or distribution of state plots and building permission, with implementation involving MUDH, municipalities and MAIL Land Affairs. Eligibility does not automatically grant a plot. Where the project allows it, instalment payment may be possible if a lump-sum payment cannot be made, but construction and use conditions can create a repossession risk. Mortgages are rare. Purchases are more commonly financed with cash, family support, private credit or Geerawi. Geerawi is a fixed advance paid for occupancy until the money is refunded, and the agreement should specify the refund terms, duration, possession rights and dispute process. No nationwide public mortgage or housing-subsidy pathway has been verified. Afghanistan also has no nationwide social-rental system identified in the reviewed sources; family or host housing can function as a practical alternative. Housing conditions are often affected by insecure tenure and limited services. Informal, unplanned and peri-urban settlements may contain mud, unfinished or temporary homes with overcrowding and weak water, sanitation, heating, structural or weather protection. In a UNHCR returnee sample from April 2025, 71% lived in substandard mud dwellings, 62% rented, 17% stayed with family or friends and 15% lived in owned or inherited housing. Among the sampled renters, 61% could not afford the rent, 60% had borrowed for rent and 31% faced an eviction threat. The sample also recorded crowding, including up to four people per room, multi-household sharing in 15% of cases and single-room households in 14%; these figures are not national prevalence rates. Formal Civil Code principles recognize women’s ownership and inheritance, but practical access remains insecure. A UN-Habitat brief estimates that fewer than 5% of land documents include a female family member. Female-headed households may face weaker income and collateral, reported landlord refusal without a male guardian and restrictions affecting housing searches, contracting, services and dispute access. A formal right therefore does not guarantee equal practical access. Disputes may proceed through negotiation with the landlord or owner, elders, a Shura or Jirga, licensed legal or property professionals, Huquq or the courts. Customary mediation can be locally effective but may be unequal or difficult to enforce against absent parties, especially where women or disputed title are involved. The Ministry of Justice advertises free legal consultation through 188. UNHCR lists legal and housing, land and property assistance for refugees, returnees and internally displaced people, but coverage and eligibility depend on the province and programme. Rent levels, deposits and notice practices are highly local and volatile. Shelter Cluster consultations in 2025 indicated rent increases of about 10% to 40% in surveyed areas, which is indicative rather than a national rate. Preserve the signed or customary lease, receipts, witness details, condition evidence and written notices. Renewal, termination, new-owner claims, landlord-use claims, nonpayment and disputed restitution require case-specific review because no uniform national outcome is assured.