JEDDAH: The Housing Ministry removed a man’s name from the list of married citizens and put him in the list of single men instead, thus denying him the right to own a housing unit.
Adel Al-Harbi, father of three children, had applied for a house through the electronic portal, Eskan, five years ago, local media reported on Saturday, adding that he is still struggling to own an accommodation.
The married man reportedly tried to convince the ministry on Jan. 4 last year about the mistake in its electronic portal, and he later received a text message saying that his grievance would be addressed.
According to the report, Al-Harbi’s is not an isolated incident. A number of citizens were surprised to see their names removed from the housing entitlement list for several reasons, mostly on assumptions such as being a bachelor. They are still reportedly knocking on the doors of the ministry to correct the mistakes.
The ministry insisted that Al-Harbi was not entitled for a housing unit because he is single, although the data on its website clearly states the ID numbers of his wife and three children and their birth dates.
When Al-Harbi phoned the ministry, he was advised to file an objection on the same electronic portal with a copy of the family status card attached. The ministry promised to correct the mistake as soon as it updates the data after three months while announcing that it would distribute 100,000 housing units within a few days.
Al-Harbi is pessimistic that his name would be be included in this list, the report said.
A source at the ministry was quoted as saying that mistakes do happen, even as the electronic procedures are done without human intervention.
The source said that all the affected applicants should file complaints through the ministry’s single phone number so that the issue can be addressed quickly.
Married man listed as single, denied housing privilege
Married man listed as single, denied housing privilege
