Kuwait “Evacuation” Project

We read a statement in the newspapers by the Director General of the Municipality, Ahmed Al-Manfouhi, where we find that Bouabdallah is facing a problem regarding violations, whether they are in investment housing or residential housing, and the gap between them has become very deep and cannot be cured, which is the responsibility of the legislator in the first place and the municipality in the second place. The law of 2016 tightened and legislated huge fines for violators while also prohibiting him from removing it for failing to address lease contract cancellation. He forgot or forgetting that what encouraged the citizen to violate it was the inaction of the municipality and the stagnation of building laws, which were unable to keep up with the changes in supply and demand in the real estate market. I have already written dozens of articles on this matter, and finally, I voluntarily submitted an integrated study to the President of the Municipal Council, Abdullah Al-Mahri, related to the new construction code, in which I produced a special section on the dilemma of violations, their fines, and their social and economic effects on citizens and financial institutions. According to what I read, the legislator is moving in a more dangerous direction, as they are now discussing prohibiting leasing in residential areas, whether for a Kuwaiti citizen or an expatriate, and as advice, I decided to write in the hope that it would be accepted by the decision-maker.  First, before we legislate that "rent is forbidden," there is a question I would like to ask: Has a statistic been prepared showing the number of Kuwaitis living for rent in residential areas as well as the number of expatriate families in addition to the number of commercially exploiting residential units? Do you have statistics on the number of residential properties in violation of the Building Law? For example, who built a fourth floor, or who divided the housing into 16 apartments or more?  We need statistics on the number of real estate properties that adhere to the law and are leased to others. In return, the legislator must be provided with the number of apartments and their sizes available in investment areas. Why do I ask such questions? If these recommendations are approved, Kuwait will experience the largest evacuation in its history following the Iraqi invasion. Let me tell you how that is, as among my modest statistics, there are no less than 30,000 Kuwaiti families renting housing units in private housing areas, as well as more than 25,000 expatriate families and individuals renting out those areas, and the number increases by tens of thousands if we add residents of Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, where some plots are classified as private housing. Why didn't we ask ourselves where those families would live? Is the vacancy in the investment sector enough for their housing? Is it eligible for family housing? The question here is: Why does the citizen want to live in residential areas? The answer is clear, first: security and safety, and secondly: the space of the floors and apartments is large and serves the size and privacy of the Kuwaiti family, as well as the rental price per square meter is less than the price of investment apartments, and this matter also applies to expatriate families. Of course, on the other hand, the investment sector is burdened with poorly finished buildings, small units, and violations of the building code. This means that it does not cater to those with a large family. This great demand for such units and the high cost of investment lands as well as building them whetted the appetite of some citizens, and they began to wreak havoc in residential areas. So we see them, with a plot of 1,000 meters, dividing the building after connecting the electric current to more than 16 apartments. Of course, there are the citizens who were allowed by the building system to build a house with two floors, and the third floor is divided into two apartments, so you find them residing in and renting these two apartments so that the amount of their rent helps them pay their installments and provide housing for their children in the future. My question to Bou Abdallah is: Do you think that evacuating Kuwaiti landlords from private housing areas is a prudent decision? And let me be more precise, if you had the case of a married son with children and a housemaid who is waiting for a house from the government, would you accept that he be forced to leave his residence in private housing and move to Hawalli or Mahboula with their status now? I personally know one of the National Assembly members who rents a house close to his father's residence until he finishes building his house, and I think he has been living there for more than 5 years and is very comfortable there. Do you want him to legislate the evacuation, take his family, and live in a violated apartment in Shaab Al-Bahri, whereas half of the building is a residence for bachelors?

Dear Bou Abdallah, I hope you will tolerate me for a while and wait for my next article to complete the matter for you.

Stay Safe