JEDDAH, 14 April 2007 — Ahmad Al-Shihri says that when it comes to finding an apartment he feels like a stranger in his own land.
“I’ve spent the last two months searching for an apartment. I’m getting rejected just because I’m a Saudi,” said the 28-year-old schoolteacher who is engaged and looking for a place to live once he gets married.
Considering the highly noticeable construction boom going on in Jeddah, renting an apartment here should be a relatively painless endeavor. However, landlords are often hesitant to rent to Saudis because of the absence of clear laws that guarantee rights for landlords.
Couple that concern with the reputation of Saudis, especially single ones, to be less-than-scrupulous about paying rent on time, and the result is overt discrimination. Single men in general have an even harder time because landlords often like to claim that their buildings are family-oriented.
Surprisingly, it has become common to hear the word “the flat is for non-Saudis only” from the watchmen, who often operates as the building superintendents, when Saudis inquire about availability.
“Even if some people don’t pay the rent, there must be a more practical solution besides discrimination,” said Al-Shihri.
He said he’s visited various districts and found many places where he was told the building is for non-Saudis only. He eventually found a place far away from his office.
Saeed Al-Salmani, a Saudi government employee, said that he had to move from his apartment because the landlord wanted to clear out the apartment and give it to his son. But he said when he tried to find another flat in the area he was scrutinized heavily by landlords.
“I had to bring a certification from my previous landlord stating that I was never late in my rent payments in order to rent an apartment in the same neighborhood,” he said. “It feels so degrading to be rejected even if it doesn’t happen all the time.”
Saleh Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi in Jeddah, said that after finding what he considered the perfect place he went to talk with the landlord personally. Like Al-Salmani, he had to get a letter from his previous landlord stating that he was never late with rent. But he added that he could understand the concern of property owners, considering that it is difficult to evict people for nonpayment.
“I can’t blame landlords for their reaction because there are no clear laws that could help them get their rent or kick out those who don’t pay at all,” he said.
Salem Bamihriz, owner of a residential building, said that he has had bad experiences with Saudi tenants. “I’ve had some that have been a year late on rent, and I couldn’t legally evict them,” he said.
Musa’ad Al-Bugami, owner of a Jeddah-based real estate brokerage, admits that the property owners he works with prefer to rent to expatriates. And all tenants, he said, are screened for payment history and professional background.
Khalid bin Hareez disagrees that there isn’t a legal way to kick out tenants. This manager of a residential building in Al-Rawdah district said many landlords simply don’t want to go through the legal process for evicting people who behave more like squatters than tenants.
