This refers to the report, “Expats sharing their flats to meet high rent prices,” published in Arab News (Feb. 17), which says that many expats in the Kingdom are forced to partition their apartments so as to rent out the new space and lessen the impact of high rents.

Rent prices have indeed increased enormously and many people cannot afford these escalating prices, resulting in many expats sharing their rooms by erecting concrete wall inside the apartment to maintain privacy for both the rented people.

But there is a risk involved in this. Building of extra wall may create burden on the concrete infrastructure, and chances are that floor may collapse creating serious problem for the residents inside.

We have often come across such news report related to building collapse mostly in Makkah, which might be due to the change in building infrastructure.

The best thing is that people generally should search for space on rent according to their need and interest. It could be a difficult task, but is worth undertaking for the sake of security.

Also, too much repair work inside the apartment may create vibration that may weaken building’s infrastructure that should be avoided. - Anees Lokhande, Alkhobar