MAKKAH, 20 November 2007 — As the Haj season kicks in and pilgrims begin flocking to the holy city of Makkah, landlords are busy unofficially renting unauthorized buildings to Haj groups to house pilgrims. Many of the homes on offer lack health and safety features and are being rented without appropriate Civil Defense permits.
“This problem recurs every year close to Haj time. Both citizens and expatriates play a part in this. It is the Haj groups that are at fault. They’re basically breaking Ministry of Haj rules,” said Muhammad Falata, a real estate specialist.
According to Falata, government bodies are too busy preparing for the Haj and so have little time to inspect each property and ensure pilgrims are not housed in unauthorized buildings.
“Lots of buildings without proper documents are being rented out and it’s usual. However, the problem is acute this year. Before landlords would charge around SR500 to SR600 per pilgrim. However, because there’s a lot of construction happening around the Grand Mosque and proper hotels are being penalized for not meeting Civil Defense conditions, landlords are charging SR1,100 to SR1,500 per pilgrim,” said Falata.
Falata says the problem is expected to get worse in subsequent years, as further hotels close to the Grand Mosque are demolished to make way for the King Abdul Aziz Bridge, which will lead to the Jabal Omar project.
“Haj groups need to be directly checked in by the Ministry of Haj. This would stop the problem,” he said.
Arab News met a middleman to see how unlicensed buildings are rented to Haj groups. A reporter asked for three buildings that could house 300 pilgrims. A villa was shown in the Al-Azizia district of Makkah. “I’ve contacted the landlord, the cost is SR800 for each pilgrim and another SR150 for food. My commission is SR50 per pilgrim totaling SR15,000,” said the middleman.
When asked about whether the building is safe from local authorities, he said, “They won’t find out anything. We won’t have boards or the like saying that there are pilgrims here. It’s far from the Grand Mosque, so just tell them to keep a low profile.”
After a few days, Arab News declined the offer. “I’m sure the person you found does not know the market well,” said the middleman.
One landlord, speaking about why he rents his building out illegally, said, “Well what can I do? We go for permits and get turned away. Renting our buildings out like this is profitable and easy. I once went to get a permit, but they turned me away. In the end I just started renting my building out illegally.”
Hatim Qadi, an official at the Ministry of Haj, said Haj groups are not allowed to rent these buildings. “These buildings are dangerous. If we catch people doing this then they will be fined half of their rent. We’ll also ensure they aren’t able to rent their buildings legally,” said Qadi.
Speaking about how he finds it difficult to understand why Haj groups could be renting buildings illegally, Qadi said, “Haj groups cannot enter the Kingdom without a license and in order to obtain a license to operate they have to prove they have rented a secure and safe building that conforms to our specifications. People need to cooperate with us to ensure they have a safe Haj and that pilgrims are provided with the best of services.”
Khaled Bajahraz, an Islamic studies professor, said that all government rules are in the best interests of pilgrims. “Unfortunately, some people break the law and want to make money by renting out unlicensed buildings and houses. They’ve forgotten that their primary concern should be pilgrims’ safety and nothing else,” he said.
