Qiwa shared housing: what owners with larger teams should know

Saudi Gazette reports that Qiwa has set shared-housing requirements for establishments with 20+ workers in 527 listed professions. For those professions, a housing allowance paid with the salary no longer meets the requirement on its own. This note summarises what the report says and what it means for the way you budget a role.

What the report says

• The requirement applies to establishments with 20+ workers in the 527 professions on the list.
• The listed professions sit in four groups: skilled agriculture, forestry and fishing; craft and related trades; plant and machine operators and assemblers; and elementary occupations.
• For those workers, the establishment must provide licensed shared housing. A housing allowance on its own no longer counts.
• For professions that are not on the list, housing or an allowance remains an option.
• The report describes a gradual rollout, starting with larger establishments.

Why it matters for budgeting

Housing used to be a simple monthly allowance line. For the listed professions it now means registered housing that meets the platform's requirements. That changes both the cost and the planning: the space, the location and how many workers it has to cover.

The groups on the list are mostly hands-on and technical work, so the rule is most likely to matter to companies in construction, manufacturing, agriculture and similar fields. Whether it applies to you depends on your own roles and headcount, so check the list rather than assume.

Three steps for owners

1. Check which of your roles are on the list. Use the official Qiwa guidance, not a summary.
2. Review your current housing arrangements against what the platform requires.
3. Plan the cost before you add people. Put housing in the monthly cost of the role, next to social insurance, medical insurance, visas and equipment.

Our cost calculator lets you enter your own figure for each line, including accommodation, and see the monthly total for a role. The cost checklist lists the lines worth pricing.

If part of the work is desk-based

Some work is built around repeatable tasks that can be done remotely, such as bookkeeping, support, data entry or documentation. For those roles you can compare the full monthly cost of a local employee with a managed service. Send us the role and its tasks and we reply within 24 hours with next steps. The service is provided under an international service agreement; terms are set out in the agreement.

Source

Saudi Gazette: Qiwa: Shared housing mandatory for establishments with 20+ workers in 527 professions. For the exact rules that apply to your establishment, read the official guidance on Qiwa.

This article summarises a news report and gives general points for business owners. It is not legal advice. Rules and thresholds change, so confirm the current requirements with Qiwa or a qualified adviser before you decide.