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.

Ali Saeed, a tenant, said he was living in a building in Al-Mansour district for three years when the landlord asked him early this year to vacate the building as it was marked for demolition for a development project. “All the tenants left except myself and another one. A few days later we found out that the man was lying. When we confronted him, he admitted and told us that he wanted to keep the building vacant to rent out to pilgrims,” he said.

Saeed said he asked the landlord to give him time to look for another building, something he refused as he was in a hurry to empty the building. “He started threatening and annoying us to force us to leave. He even paid an African man to come and knock at our doors after midnight to threaten us to leave immediately. We finally had to leave. We are now staying in furnished apartments which are very expensive until we find a regular apartment,” he said.

Umm Yasser, a divorcee, said she was living with her disabled son in an apartment in Al-Rusaifah district costing SR17,000 a year. Two months ago before the end of last year, her landlord asked her to vacate the apartment as he wanted to turn it into a hotel.

“A few days later, we discovered that he had rented the building out to pilgrims. When we asked for an explanation, he said the rent that pilgrims pay for three weeks is much more than what we pay in an entire year,” she said.

Muayad Al-Fahmi said his landlord increased her annual rent from SR22,000 to SR27,000. “We agreed, but two months before last Haj season he asked us all to leave but we refused. A month later strange things began happening in the building. Electricity was repeatedly cut off and water began to leak from the pipes. We could also hear men working on the roof and so asked the landlord what was happening,” he said.

“He told us that he was making repairs because the building was about to fall. We then emptied the building and then saw a signboard in front of the building a few days later that it was up for rent to pilgrims,” he said.

Commenting on the issue, lawyer Muhammad Nihar said landlords are free to rent their buildings to whoever they wish. “He can ask tenants to vacate after the termination of the rent contract or if he is being harmed by them,” he said. He said tenants can sue landlords if they harm them but not if they express desire to rent their buildings to other tenants.