JEDDAH – For the past few years, rents have witnessed continuous hikes and have become a burden on the budgets of low income people. Fleeing high rents in central Jeddah, many have gone to districts such as Al-Harazat, Al-Sanabil, Al-Rehaili and Al-Hamdaniyah. Okaz/Saudi Gazette interviewed several young Saudi men and women who live in these districts. Israa Al-Rifai, a secondary school student, said high living costs, rents and the large number of expatriates have decreased the opportunities to own or rent a suitable house. “Many building owners refuse to rent their apartments to Saudis because they do not pay rent on time. This practice has harmed the citizens considerably.” Amina Al-Rifai, a university student, said the housing crisis requires urgent intervention to protect citizens from seemingly-random rent hikes. She went on to speak against greedy landlords who take advantage of tenants. “My friend and her husband lived in a building whose owner increased the rent every year by SR500 to SR1,000. “However, at the beginning of this year, he increased the rent by SR5,000! Are owners only concerned about making money without taking into consideration others' circumstances? As it is, tenants can barely pay the rent from their salaries,” she said. Khaled Al-Owlaqi said he is staying with his wife and three children in a four-room apartment whose rent is SR25,000 per year. The rent was SR18,000 when he began living there. “Where should I go with my children? This apartment is the cheapest I could get. All similar apartments to the one I am staying in have rents reaching SR27,000,” he said. “The number of Saudi nationals who do not own homes is estimated at 80 percent of the population, according to statistics quoted by local newspapers. The concerned authorities should intervene urgently to stop the current exploitation of citizens,” said Al-Owlaqi.
