Ghazi Al-Majnouni, 42, lives in the tent along with his wife and two sons. He was initially told by the Civil Defense, which investigated the collapse, that he was entitled to compensation, but was later informed that this was not the case.

With nowhere to go,  Al-Majnouni has erected a tent close to his collapsed home.

“The Civil Defense asked me to go to the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI), which told me that according to the system, I’m not entitled to any compensation,” he said.

Al-Majnouni said he had also sought the support of a welfare society but has not received anything so far.

“I cannot get help from the government or nongovernment organizations because of the system,” he added.

Al-Majnouni had bought his house through a loan he obtained from a commercial bank.

He was supposed to pay back the loan in monthly installments of SR2,400 but was unable to keep up with payments because he retired from his military job after suffering a head injury that has left him epileptic.

“My pension could not cover the installments so I stopped paying them,” he said.

Al-Majnouni said he bought a car on installments and sold it to pay back his bank loan.

“I have to pay monthly installments of SR2,500 to the car company. I discovered that I had corrected a mistake with a graver one,” he said, adding that he has accumulated debts of over SR180,000.

Al-Majnouni appealed to the authorities to help him. He says he wants a decent house where he, his wife and two schoolgoing sons can live instead of the tent where it is hot and infested with insects. “I also want treatment for the fits that I repeatedly get,” he said.