JEDDAH — Several Saudi families have been complaining that real estate owners prefer to rent out their properties to expatriates while others deliberately increase their rents to put Saudi customers off. On the other hand, some property owners maintained that some Saudi tenants do not pay their rent on time resulting in huge losses to them, Al-Hayat Arabic newspaper said. Talal Al-Themali, a real estate agent in Jeddah, said most property owners prefer to rent out to expatriates because Saudis do not pay their rent on time. Other owners just prefer expatriates to Saudis for no clear reasons, he added. These owners take advantage of the fact the real estate market is not tightly regulated. Al-Themali does what the owners want because in the end he just acts as a mediator between the tenant and the landlord. Sometimes, he says, landlords ask him not to rent out their property to any police officer. “It is really a strange request,” Al-Themali said. He demanded more strict regulations to put an end to these practices, which he said have started to become a new market phenomenon. Some owners want tenants to produce salary certificates, some prefer Saudi families with no children while others prefer small families, Al-Themali explained. Many landlords increase the rent by up to SR2,000 when they realize that the tenant was interested in their property, he added. He said the new real estate regulations, once they come into effect, will treat both landlords and tenants equally. Abdul Aziz Al-Shatri, who also owns a real estate office, agreed the new regulations will be a first step toward putting an end to these practices, which in effect puts tenants at the mercy of the landlords. Lately, landlords have been in full control of the market and the rents and some of them refuse to sign lease agreements with Saudi tenants, Al-Shatri added. The suffering of Saudi tenants should be stopped and it is time financing and real estate mortgage laws came into force, he added. Ahmad Al-Mabadi, a Saudi looking for a home, said: “A Saudi tenant would be very lucky if he can find an apartment for rent these days in Jeddah. Most owners prefer expatriates to Saudis.” Jafar Al-Thaqafi, another Saudi, spent a long time searching for an apartment and could not find one. When he found some apartments, the landlords set difficult conditions such as bringing a salary certificate or having a small family. The same thing happened to Fatimah Al-Ayed. She was shocked when every real estate office she called in Jeddah asked her if she was Saudi or non-Saudi. She added: “We are Saudis and we want to live in our country. Why do some landlords treat us like this and why are there no laws to protect us?” — SG
