Addis Ababa Housing Development Corporation: How 20/80 and 40/60 Condominiums Work

Two city bodies run government housing in Addis Ababa. The Addis Ababa Housing Development and Administration Bureau registers home seekers and manages allocation. The Addis Ababa Housing Development Corporation builds the condominium blocks and signs sale contracts with buyers. Most official news about them appears in Amharic on Telegram. This guide explains in English who does what, how registration and savings work, what recent lottery rounds cost, and how to check your status.

For a short overview of condominiums as a home, read our condominium guide. This guide focuses on the institutions and the process.

The bureau, the corporation and the "betoch agency"

"Betoch" is the Amharic word for "houses". Many residents still say "betoch agency" for the city housing office. In 2013 that office was the Housing Administration Agency of the Addis Ababa City Administration. Its general manager spoke for the 20/80 scheme when registration opened that year. Today the bureau handles the registration of home seekers. Its Amharic name is የአዲስ አበባ ከተማ አስተዳደር የቤቶች ልማትና አስተዳደር ቢሮ.

The bureau's website says the city re-established the Housing Development Corporation to build homes for low and middle income residents. The two bodies sign a joint performance plan each fiscal year. In August 2025 the bureau head said the two bodies "are expected to work more closely than ever" on housing delivery.

The savings schemes

The city started the condominium program in 2005. In 2013 it opened registration for three savings schemes. Registrants opened closed savings accounts at Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) branches across the city.

In 2013 officials said a 10/90 saver needed to save only Br 187 a month for three years. Registration for 20/80 and 10/90 ran from 10 to 28 June 2013. The 40/60 registration followed. Officials also said Ethiopians abroad could join the 40/60 scheme through Ethiopian embassies.

The 40/60 account at CBE

Under 40/60, you save at CBE. The bank lends the remaining 60 percent when you win a unit. Some savers paid 100 percent up front because the first rules gave them priority. In February 2019 the government removed that priority. Savers with 40 percent or more now enter the draw with equal chances. The minister said a full deposit no longer counts as full payment, because construction costs had doubled.

Prices per square metre

The city prices each round at its construction cost, not at the market price. The price you saved for is not the price you pay.

In 2022 The Reporter put market prices for condominiums above Br 30,000 per square metre. Balderas, Gotera, Gofa Mebrat Hail and Gerji were the most expensive sites.

Lottery rounds

When a block is ready, the city holds a computer lottery among savers who reached the down payment by a cut-off date.

• 13th round, 6 March 2019. In April 2019 the Federal High Court suspended the title deed transfer of more than 18,000 40/60 units from this draw. 98 savers who had paid in full brought the case.
• 14th round, July 2022. The draw covered about 25,000 units. 52,599 40/60 savers had saved at least 40 percent by 28 February 2022. 27,195 20/80 savers from the 2005 registration had saved 20 percent. Days later the mayor annulled the draw. A committee found that close to 100,000 people had entered the digital system illegally.
• Repeat draw, November 2022. The city drew 25,791 units: 18,930 for 20/80 and 6,843 for 40/60. 146,892 savers were eligible. INSA built the lottery system. By regulation, 5 percent of units go to people with disabilities, 20 percent to civil servants and 30 percent to women. The results went out on the mayor's office Telegram page.

In May 2026 the mayor said the city transferred about 106,000 units through two lottery rounds since 2019. We found no newer general lottery round. She also said future priority goes to registered savers. But she warned that the city cannot sell units "at the saving rates of 15 or 20 years ago".

The newer housing routes

Since 2021 the city has added other ways to build and allocate homes. The mayor told the city council in May 2026 that nearly 166,000 units are under construction.

• Housing cooperatives. Savers form associations and build together. In 2022 the city offered 20/80 and 40/60 savers a model in which their associations cover 70 percent of the cost. Today the city gives land and main infrastructure free. 119 cooperatives with 13,630 units started building in the current fiscal year. Most of 67 teachers' associations have started work. Their designs come from Addis Ababa Science and Technology University.
• Government employee scheme. In May 2025 the bureau and CBE signed an agreement for more than 41,000 government employees. Employees save 25 percent and the bank lends 75 percent, with teachers first. The program runs over 20 years.
• Public-private partnership. Under the 70/30 model, a developer gets land free of lease. It sells 70 percent of the units and gives 30 percent to the city for low income residents. The city lists about 55,000 units in this pipeline.
• Treasury-funded condominiums. About 50,000 units are under construction with city money, not bank loans. Sites include Akaki, Tulu Dimtu, Gerji, Seba Dereja, Dejach Wube and Qecheltira.
• Urban renewal and corridor replacement housing. The city replaced old kebele housing with about 46,000 apartment units. Some went to residents displaced by redevelopment, some to vulnerable groups, and some became rental units. The bureau says it gave replacement houses to residents moved for the corridor development project.
• Rental housing. The bureau builds and manages government rental houses and renews their contracts.

How to check your registration and savings

1. Verify your record online. The bureau's "Verify Saving" portal at aahdabsaving.gov.et asks for the ID you got at 20/80 or 40/60 registration. You can also search by bank account number. To correct a record, you upload your registration confirmation and the first page of your bank book, and give a phone number.
2. Check your balance at CBE. The bank holds the savings account. Your branch can print the balance and the date of your last deposit.
3. Follow the official channels. The bureau's website is aahdab.gov.et. Its Telegram channel is t.me/aahdabofficial, named "A.A Housing Development and Administration Bureau". The site lists phone 0118722918 and email aahdab2021@gmail.com. The office is in a building beside the Greek School, on the road from Bambis to Denbel.

Many unofficial Telegram channels copy bureau news. Never pay anyone who claims to move you up the list. Check any notice against the official channel.

Contracts, occupancy and title

After a win, you pay the down payment from your savings. You sign a sale contract with the corporation and a loan agreement with CBE. In the 2022 round, buyers repay the balance over 20 years.

The corporation expects owners to live in their units. On 30 September 2024 it warned owners of empty units, bought by lottery or auction, to move in by 9 November 2024. Otherwise it would end the sale contract and give the unit to someone else. At Bole Ayat 2, owners of over 7,000 40/60 units said the site lacked water, power, roads and lifts. More than 1,800 units had no doors or aluminium windows.

The final step is the title deed. The city's Landholding Registration and Information Agency handles property registration and title issuance. Before a unit can transfer to a new buyer, confirm with the corporation that the sale contract is in good standing and the CBE loan is current.

Known problems

• Debt. In 2022 the corporation owed CBE 54 billion birr. In May 2026 the mayor said the city had repaid about 60 billion birr, but still owed close to 30 billion birr. She said the city could not get new bank loans while that debt stood.
• Delays. The city planned about 270,000 units. It has delivered about 139,000 to savers. Some blocks took years to finish.
• Low savings. In the six months to February 2022, savers deposited only Br 1.53 billion. That was 4.5 percent of the target. A professor told The Reporter that people had lost faith in the program.
• Irregular occupancy. In 2021 the city found 21,695 condominium units occupied illegally or left empty.
• Missing lifts. Many 40/60 towers had no lifts for years. In June 2026 the bureau finished lifts in eleven 40/60 towers at the Tourist site.
• Relocation debt. In May 2025 Addis Fortune reported that more than 4,000 displaced households faced debt or eviction threats. Down payments of Br 120,000 exceeded their relocation money.

The resale market

Most buyers no longer wait for a lottery. They buy from a winner or an earlier buyer. Prices are far above the lottery price, and the legal checks matter more.

• Browse condominiums for sale in Addis Ababa and condominiums for rent.
• Compare sites on our condominium site list. The 2022 draw included units at Ayat, Bole Bulbula, Bole Arabsa, Tafo and Jemo.
• Central sites such as Balderas, Gotera, Mebrat Hail and Gerji sell at the highest prices.
• Before you pay, follow the checks in our condominium guide and how to buy a house in Addis Ababa. Budget for transfer costs with our guide to property tax and fees.