Egypt will announce the results of a nationwide survey of delayed real estate projects in October. This will give authorities a more precise measure of delivery delays and the number of units affected. This will include a review of delivery delays across nearly 500,000 units under construction.

Why You Should Care

The survey could provide a clearer picture of delivery delays across Egypt’s real estate market, where units are commonly sold before construction is complete, and buyers pay the remaining value through long-term installments.

Rather than treating an entire project as delayed, the review will examine individual units and compare their status with the delivery dates set out in their contracts. This distinction is important because a single project can contain some units that are behind schedule while others remain on track.

The findings are expected to show how many units have missed their contractual delivery dates, how long those delays have lasted, and what share they represent of the nearly 500,000 units currently under construction.

The Details

Eng. Tarek Shoukry, Chairman of the Real Estate Development Chamber at the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI), told Asharq Business that the survey is being conducted with several government bodies, including the Administrative Control Authority (ACA), the Ministry of Housing, and the New Urban Communities Authority.

The review includes detailed information on projects experiencing delivery delays. This includes the number of affected units within each project and the length of the delay. Additionally, the process aims to reach an accurate measurement of the scale of delay. For instance, a single project may contain units whose delivery is delayed, while other units are proceeding according to the specified schedules

Delays will be grouped by duration, including six months, one year, two years, or longer. Authorities will then use the data to calculate the proportion of delayed units relative to the total number of units under construction, which currently approaches 500,000.

The assessment will be based on the delivery dates stipulated in buyers’ contracts. Units that have not yet reached their contractual delivery dates will therefore not be counted as delayed, even if construction is still underway.

Egypt’s predominantly pre-sale model means buyers typically make a relatively limited down payment and pay the remaining value over an extended period, with delivery taking place several years later. The structure gives developers cash flow to support construction, while making the market more exposed to disruptions in either project execution or buyer payments.

Real estate activities account for between 10% and 11% of Egypt’s gross domestic product, according to Central Bank of Egypt data.

The Ripple

The government’s review is taking place alongside a separate examination of real estate financing by banks operating in Egypt.

The Central Bank of Egypt has requested detailed information on loans and credit facilities extended to finance real estate projects. This includes financing values, utilization rates, repayment performance, and the extent to which funds were directed toward their intended projects.

Banks have also been asked for more detailed information on the 15 largest real estate companies in the market. This includes project completion rates and the volume of loans they have received.

Shoukry distinguished this banking review from the government’s project survey. The Central Bank’s focus is on developers and projects receiving bank financing, their repayment performance, and how financing is being used. The government survey, by contrast, is intended to measure actual delays in construction and unit delivery.

What to Watch

The October findings will give the market a clearer, data based picture of delivery timelines across Egypt’s real estate sector. By separating individual delayed units from projects that remain on schedule, the survey should provide a more precise view of where delays are concentrated and help buyers, developers, lenders, and regulators better understand the market. It could also support more targeted action to address delays while recognizing projects that are progressing as planned.