According to a survey carried out by Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper, about 75 percent of the owners of such homes — which also include certain types of villas — expressed regret over purchasing them. On the other hand, 25 percent of people said they were happy with their homes and appreciate the opportunity to become homeowners.
The survey was carried out among some 50 owners of residential apartments and villas who share their utility services for periods ranging from two to five years. Around 85 percent of those interviewed supported the idea of a law that identifies who is responsible for what. This, they say, would enable them to safeguard their interests as well as give them a longer period of access to utility services at nominal rates.
Yaser Abu Ateeq, executive chairman of Dar Al-Tamleek, said people do not like purchasing such apartments because of the poor way they are built and the absence of a law governing who is responsible for the maintenance of things like elevators and bills to dispose sewage.
“Buildings in the Kingdom usually last between 30 and 40 years. However, in other countries, they can last for up to 100 years. This is mainly because of the existence of laws governing the quality and standards of construction,” said Abu Ateeq. “Enacting such laws would stop the growing problems between the two parties and ensure proper maintenance of these buildings at reasonable rates. This would also help create job opportunities,” he added.
Abdullah Al-Ahmari, chairman of the real estate committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said such projects are facing huge problems in the absence of a proper law governing such buildings. “These projects lack the working mechanism even though they are beneficial for many low-income citizens. The formation of such federations is crucial for the success of such projects. The municipality is mainly responsible for enacting such laws,” he said, adding that a number of residential towers in Jeddah have been turned into commercial offices because of the absence of such a law.
Al-Ahmari underlined the need to ensure the participation of the private sector in enacting and implementing such a law. “They should encompass all types of residential units and villas without any exception. There should be specific terms and conditions after taking advantage of the experiments undertaken by other countries in this respect,” he said, adding that this would resolve most problems and legal disputes.
Realtor Muhammad Al-Khoja said such a law would help increase awareness among owners of residential apartments to take adequate measures to ensure quality and standards when constructing buildings. They would also help solve around 95 percent of problems that exist with regard to such residential apartments.
Aymen Peshawri said a law such as this could not materialize with the absence of a construction code that sets a specific standard of construction. “Most buildings are lacking in their quality of construction, thus increasing the cost of maintenance,” he said, while suggesting a proposal to open a special department for projects with common utility projects.
Talal Jameel, executive chairman of Talal Khaleel Trading and Contracting Group, said that the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs should enact a law to form a federation of owners with provisions binding on owners of all residential apartments with common utility services.
“This would help solve about 90 percent of legal disputes involving such properties,” he added. Jameel carried out the first study on the formation of such a federation after studying the experiences of several countries.
