Eyeing windfall during Haj, landlords kick out tenants
MAKKAH: A number of development projects are currently under way in Makkah with a view to improving the services offered to pilgrims to enable them to perform their religious duties with ease and comfort.
These projects include the expansion of the northern plazas of the Grand Mosque, the parallel road project, and the Jabal Omar and Jabal Al-Kaaba projects. The execution of these projects has necessitated the acquisition and demolishing of many housing units in the areas around the Grand Mosque, something that has led residents to look for accommodation elsewhere in Makkah thus creating an acute housing problem in the Holy City.
Demand has surpassed supply and many landlords are taking advantage of the situation to make extra money. Many refuse to rent out their buildings to local residents to keep them vacant until the Haj season when they will rent them out to pilgrims at high prices. This has caused rents in Makkah to increase. A three-room apartment, which used to cost SR15,000 for a year, costs SR35,000 or more.
Some landlords have gone as far as to kick tenants out and only rent buildings to pilgrims - something that is more lucrative, Kazinform refers to the Arab News.
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