Is Zakat obligatory on a housing loan granted by a company to an employee in exchange for mortgaging his house?

This loan is considered a debt. We have preferred the view that whoever possesses an asset for personal use (like a house or a car) that they do not need, should use it to offset the debt and then pay zakat (definition) on their wealth. For one who does not have a surplus asset, they should deduct the debt from the amount subject to zakat. There is no difference between an immediate debt and a deferred debt, except for a narration from Ahmad which states that only an immediate debt can be deducted from zakat. Therefore, if you have assets that can be used to offset the debt, you should pay zakat on the loan; otherwise, no zakat is due on it from you. As for the company lending money to an employee in exchange for waiving the penalty for delaying the delivery of the house, this is a usurious loan if the benefit is conditional.