Projects
WAREFA by ROSHN, Riyadh: Project Guide for Buyers
WAREFA is ROSHN’s second community in the Saudi capital and its first in east Riyadh. Where SEDRA is a 30,000-home city in the north, WAREFA is a deliberately smaller proposition: around 2,380 homes across 1.4 million square metres in the Al Janadriyah district, designed for roughly 13,000 residents.
Project snapshot
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | ROSHN Group (Public Investment Fund) |
| Location | Al Janadriyah district, east Riyadh |
| Site area | Around 1.4 million square metres |
| Homes | Approximately 2,380, for 13,000+ residents |
| Product | Four-bedroom townhouses to five-bedroom villas, eight floorplans |
| Design | Salmani architecture, homes without perimeter walls |
| Open space | Around 11% of the development |
| Buyer protection | Wafi-licensed off-plan sales with escrow |
The design difference
The detail worth pausing on is that homes are built without perimeter walls. In a market where the walled villa compound is the default, that is a genuine departure, and it changes what the community feels like at street level: continuous frontages, shared landscaping, and outdoor space that reads as public rather than as a series of private enclosures.
Paired with roughly 11 percent of the site given to open and green space, plus neighbourhood mosques, sports hubs and cycle lanes, the intent is clearly a walkable community rather than a collection of plots. Whether that suits you is a genuine question of preference. Buyers who want a high-walled private courtyard should know this before viewing, and buyers who want their children to be able to walk to a friend’s house will find it the point.
Why east Riyadh
Most of Riyadh’s master-planned development has pushed north, toward the airport and the Expo 2030 site. WAREFA is a bet on the east, and there are reasonable arguments for it:
- Price entry. Established northern districts carry the capital’s highest premiums. Opening a new master-planned corridor typically means better value per square metre at launch.
- Scarcity of comparable product. East Riyadh has had far less integrated community supply than the north, so WAREFA competes against older stock rather than against a dozen similar launches.
- A smaller community. At 2,380 homes it will complete far sooner as a whole than a 30,000-home masterplan built across eight phases. Buyers in later SEDRA phases may live beside construction for years; WAREFA’s build-out window is materially shorter.
Progress
ROSHN broke ground on WAREFA at a ceremony held under the patronage of the Governor of Riyadh, and show villas have since been unveiled, which lets buyers inspect finishes rather than renderings.
Delivery is being accelerated through partnerships in the same way as ROSHN’s other communities. At Restatex Riyadh in 2026 the group signed land sale and development agreements worth more than SAR 2.14 billion in total, of which two agreements worth a combined SAR 781 million related to WAREFA. Private developers building parcels inside the masterplan is how the community reaches completion faster than a single builder could manage.
What buyers should check
- Zone eligibility if you are not a Saudi citizen. SEDRA appears on the published list of designated ownership zones in Riyadh; WAREFA must be confirmed separately. Get the answer in writing before reserving, and see the named designated zones.
- Wafi licence for the specific phase, so payments sit in the supervised escrow account rather than with the developer. See how Wafi escrow works.
- Which parcel, and who is building it. With private developers constructing parcels inside the masterplan, ask who is building yours and what their record looks like.
- The wall-free layout, in person. Visit the show villas. This is a design decision you will live with daily, and it does not photograph the way it feels.
- Handover payment share. Confirm how much falls due at completion, and remember the 5% transaction tax lands at transfer. See the real cost of buying property.
- Commute testing. East Riyadh’s connectivity to the employment centres in the north and centre is the main practical question. Drive it at rush hour before you buy.
WAREFA or SEDRA?
| WAREFA | SEDRA | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | East Riyadh, Al Janadriyah | North Riyadh, airport corridor |
| Scale | ~2,380 homes | ~30,000 homes, 8 phases |
| Delivery | Shorter overall build-out | Phased over many years, first homes handed over from 2022 |
| Proven | Show villas, construction underway | Completed streets you can walk |
| Zone status | Confirm individually | Named designated ownership zone |
SEDRA is the safer choice for a buyer who wants to see a finished neighbourhood before committing. WAREFA is the choice for a buyer who wants a smaller community, an emerging corridor, and a shorter wait for the masterplan around them to be complete.
Browse other launches on our off-plan projects page and work through the process in the off-plan buying guide. Verify all specifications, pricing and timelines directly with the developer before committing funds.
References
Project details in this guide are drawn from public developer disclosures and official Saudi sources, current as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is WAREFA located?
WAREFA is in the Al Janadriyah district of east Riyadh, covering around 1.4 million square metres. It is ROSHN's second community in the capital after SEDRA in the north, and it opens up the eastern side of the city to master-planned development.
How many homes does WAREFA have?
The community is planned at approximately 2,380 homes for more than 13,000 residents, with eight floorplan options ranging from four-bedroom townhouses to five-bedroom villas. That makes it considerably more intimate than SEDRA's 30,000-home scale.
What makes WAREFA's design unusual?
Homes are built without perimeter walls, which is a notable departure from the standard Saudi villa layout, and around 11 percent of the development is given over to open and green space. The intent is a more open, walkable community with shared rather than privatised outdoor areas.
Can foreigners buy in WAREFA?
Eligibility depends on whether the location falls within a designated foreign ownership zone. SEDRA is a named designated zone in Riyadh, but each project must be confirmed individually. Verify WAREFA's zone status in writing with the developer before reserving.