Govt to offer homes with monthly installments starting at Rs 11,000

KATHMANDU: The government has registered a bill in the House of Representatives aimed at ensuring the right to housing for every Nepali citizen.

The Ministry of Infrastructure Development registered the Building Bill, 2026 at the Federal Parliament Secretariat on Friday, with provisions to guarantee housing for low-income families and ensure safe and organized housing for middle-income families.

Minister for Infrastructure Development Sunil Lamsal said in a social post on Friday that the proposed legislation seeks to ensure the housing rights of all citizens.

Under the proposed law and regulations, the government will build safe, earthquake-resistant and basic-standard smart homes and make them available to middle-income people. Such homes would cost between Rs 2 million and Rs 7.5 million and have a plinth area of 900 to 1,300 square feet, according to Minister Lamsal.

He added that people will be able to obtain such homes through subsidized loans. Under the initial payment options, a buyer would pay Rs 500,000 upfront and repay the remaining amount in monthly installments of Rs 11,000 over 15 years.

The bill also proposes providing free river-based and other natural construction materials required for the construction of a first home built according to type designs and standards prescribed by the government.

A similar provision has been proposed for citizens applying to construct cattle sheds, with necessary natural construction materials to be provided free of charge.

To ensure housing for poor and disadvantaged citizens, the bill proposes grants of up to Rs 75,000, with Rs 50,000 provided by the federal government and Rs 25,000 by provincial governments.

The bill also proposes relocating settlements deemed vulnerable, unsafe, or at risk of disasters to safer locations and having the government construct new houses for affected residents.