Housing in Yemen

A household may obtain housing in Yemen through a private landlord or real-estate agent, a host family, an IDP site or collective centre, an informal settlement, emergency or transitional shelter, a purchase or inheritance, self-building, or repair of a damaged home. These arrangements do not provide the same security. Formal ownership and rental pathways exist alongside customary arrangements and humanitarian access routes. Public services, conflict, displacement and local governance can determine whether a housing option is available and whether it can be used safely. A rental arrangement is often based on a direct agreement with the owner or an agent. Written leases are not consistently available: a 2023 Yemen Shelter Cluster sample found contracts available for 53% of assessed rental households and unavailable for 47%. In the same assessment, 70% of agents and landlords reported that rental housing was scarce or difficult to obtain. Yemen has no reliably evidenced nationwide standard for lease duration or move-in procedures. The agreement should therefore state the property, rent, payment date, duration, deposit, utilities, repairs, permitted occupants and termination arrangements. Utility and repair responsibilities otherwise remain vulnerable to dispute because they commonly depend on the contract, customary practice and local arrangements. Ownership records require careful verification. A بصيرة, or basira, is a property deed or ownership document used in local property practice. Land-registry records and authentication by a competent court can provide additional support, but cadastral and registration capacity is weak in many areas. Displacement can cause the loss of housing, land and property documents, while paper records, customary records, land disputes and overlapping statutory, customary and religious tenure systems can create uncertainty. For a property-collateral loan from the Yemen Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the borrower needs a signed request stating the amount, purpose and term, ownership documents, land-registry documentation and competent-court authentication; the bank also conducts a legal review. Private and Islamic finance options exist, but broad affordability and access are not established nationwide. Construction, expansion, raising, alteration, reinforcement and demolition require a permit from the competent local building office. A permit is valid for three years and can be renewed for another three years. Residential, commercial and government complexes also require written occupancy permission. Local implementation capacity varies, so the responsible office and documentation process should be confirmed where the property is located. Building, ownership and occupancy records should be kept together because a permit does not by itself resolve ownership or land-tenure disputes. During occupancy, tenant and owner duties are mainly shaped by the agreement, customary practice and local rules. Arrears, land reclamation, site closure and disputed ownership can create eviction risks. There is no reliably evidenced nationwide notice or termination period that applies to every housing arrangement. A household facing a notice should preserve the lease, receipts, identity documents and property records, avoid confrontation, and seek local legal or humanitarian support promptly. UNHCR legal partners and lawyers, community-based protection or site committees, and in some areas UN-Habitat-supported services can provide counselling, mediation or representation. UN-Habitat's STDM and legal-counselling and mediation work has operated in Aden and Lahj with the Ministry of Public Works and Highways, the General Authority for Lands, Surveys and Urban Planning, and the Ministry of Justice. Women, displaced people, returnees, female-headed households, Muhamaseen and undocumented occupants face higher risks in accessing housing and protecting tenure. Available assistance depends on location, eligibility, funding and operational access. Housing costs vary by market and location. In 2023 assessed markets, indicative monthly rents were approximately USD 31 to USD 136 for one- to four-room homes, with higher prices near services. These figures are not a current national benchmark. In the same assessment, 31% of households had less than USD 39 in monthly income, 29% had USD 40 to USD 64, 16% had USD 65 to USD 79, 11% had USD 80 to USD 100 and 13% had more than USD 100. Rent arrears affected 69% of assessed tenants in southern areas and 81% in northern areas; among households with arrears, eviction threats affected 54% in the south and 60% in the north. Permit, title and registration fees can further restrict access for low-income households. Humanitarian rent assistance is not a general housing benefit. It is usually limited to assessed vulnerable internally displaced people, returnees or host households, depends on funding and commonly covers up to six months. Other changes may involve lease renewal, a negotiated move, transfer to another host family, return and repair, relocation from a site or eviction. Return should be voluntary and informed, with housing, land and property documents and possible disputes reviewed before return or transfer. Yemen's housing conditions remain highly affected by conflict, economic collapse, climate shocks, displacement and public-service breakdown; a national average cannot reliably describe a specific city or governorate.