Small rooms, shared living by expats drive away tenants, leave flats empty
‘House rent getting beyond reach of common man’
KUWAIT CITY, Dec 2: The caretakers of some residential buildings bemoan the vacant apartments which remain unoccupied for almost months because the owners of real estate demand high rents which do not run parallel to the decline in demand at a time when many tenants have complained of high rents and increase in electricity costs, reports Al-Anba daily.
To know more about the real estate market and latest developments in the investment sector, the daily conducted a field tour and met a number of tenants and real estate guards to find out why there are a large number of vacant apartments in Kuwait.
The daily discovered many factors have affected the investment sector in the recent period, most notably the modern buildings with small areas and poor finishing, which has become a trend among owners in the recent period.
They said the expatriates sharing apartments because the income does not permit them due to the high rents and this negatively affected this sector.
At the beginning, one of the tenants said the street in which he lives in Hawalli has many vacant apartments and that rents have decreased by 15% to 20% in the building he lives in this year.
He attributed these reasons to the fact that there are many families who share apartments instead of living alone in small areas because they cannot afford the monthly rent, which ranges between 250 dinars and 350 dinars for a two-bedroom apartment and a very small hall.
He added the new buildings do not meet the demand of tenants because of its small size and poor finishing compared to the high rent, as many of the rooms are so small that they cannot accommodate a family.
Maids trafficker held:
Officers from the Domestic Labor Department arrested an Ethiopian, who speaks the Kuwaiti dialect fluently, for posting an announcement on Instagram about the availability of Asian and African housemaids on daily or monthly basis and the recruitment fee ranges from KD15 to KD250, reports Al-Anba daily.
The officers seized KD3,000 from the suspect who seems to be renting a car with daily rent reaching KD30. He is also wearing an expensive watch.
The arrest came after the department saw the advertisement on Instagram. The officers contacted the owner of the advertisement by telephone and sent a secret agent to hire a housemaid for KD250 per month.
The secret agent met the Ethiopian who was driving an expensive car and was wearing a branded watch.
During investigation, the Ethiopian admitted that he is trafficking in housemaids and he also persuades them to escape from their sponsors to hire them in return for commission – 50 percent of the contract value.
The housemaids were referred to the Administrative Deportation Department and their names were included on
the blacklist.
Woman assaulted:
A citizen caused damage to the eardrum of an Arab woman when he slapped her and then fled from the scene.
The victim filed a complaint at Fintas Police Station, where she also submitted a medical report showing the injury. A case was registered and securitymen are now looking for the culprit.
Cafe worker attacked:
A Syrian attacked an Asian worker at a café in Ardiya due to delay in providing him with lighter for his shisha. The sponsor of the worker reported the incident at Ardiyah Police Station and the assailant has been arrested.
Drifter nabbed:
Security operatives chased and arrested a motorist who was caught drifting along Sabiyyah Road after he defied orders to stop for checking. The officers impounded the car.
A security source said the officers ordered the motorist to pull over after he was seen drifting on the road, but he defied instruction. He was given a hot chase and ultimately arrested after impounding the car.
Pile of used tyres:
A citizen has complained about the huge pile of hundreds of used car tyres in Sulaibiya Industrial area.
He supported his complaint with photos that he handed over to the daily. He wondered about the role of the concerned authorities in this regard, warning that a huge fire might occur anytime due to the pile of used tyres.
Teenager caught:
Personnel from the Jahra Security Department have taken into custody an unidentified teenager for reckless driving; making stunts with his vehicle and endangering the lives of other motorists on a road in Taima, reports Al-Anba Daily.
The arrest came after several motorists and pedestrians called the Operations Room of the Ministry of Interior.
Meanwhile,personnel from the Jahra Security Directorate have arrested an unidentified young bedoun for reckless driving, reports Al-Anba daily,
The daily said the youth was arrested during routine patrolling in the Saad AlAbdullah area. At the time of arrest the youth was under the influence of drugs. Youth was under the influence of drugs, reports Al-Anba daily. Police found in the car of the suspect drugs. He has been arrested on three counts – reckless driving and possessing and consuming drugs.