A real estate office employee in Jeddah has allegedly cheated a number of Saudi and expatriate tenants as he rented them flats in a building in Al-Salama district without the knowledge of the landlord, and then fled after collecting huge amounts in rent advances. The Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution has launched an investigation into the scandal after the tenants filed a case against the real estate office, Al-Madinah Arabic daily reported. The landlord, meanwhile, has asked the tenants to vacate the flats. The unexpected turn of events occurred after the tenants received keys of the flats, moved their furniture into them and paid part of the annual rent. Mashhour Bin Saleem, a private sector employee, said he rented Flat No. 16 of the building after paying an advance amount of SR22,000. The flat has three bedrooms and he had rented it through a real estate office in the building about three weeks ago. "I was surprised when a person, who introduced himself as owner of the building came and asked me and other tenants to vacate the flats. I, however, refused to leave. The next day, the owner came and changed the flat's key and we don't know where he has thrown our furniture. It happened while my wife and I were away at work," he explained. Saleem said he had informed police about the issue, which is now being taken up by police. Mohammed Hanafi, an expatriate worker, said he knew about the flat through the Internet and paid the rent to an expatriate worker in the real estate office and paid SR12,000 as advance and agreed to pay the remaining amount in two months. He had received the keys of the flat and that of the main gate. "When the landlord asked me to vacate the flat I tried to contact the real estate office employee but the man had closed his mobile phone," he said. Khaldoun Abushaikha, another expatriate, said he rented the flat through the real estate office after seeing an advertisement. He rented flat No. 10 and paid the first installment of rent. "I was caught off guard when the landlord's asked me to vacate the flat." Mundir Abdul Jawad, an expatriate, said he came from Al-Ahsa when his company transferred him to Jeddah. "I came to know about the flat from a website advert. I paid SR14,000 as advance rent and moved my furniture from Al-Ahsa to the new flat. Now the landlord has asked me to vacate the flat and has cut water and electricity supply. I don't know what to do with my family." Mohammed Alwan, a pharmacist, had another story to tell. He rented the flat weeks before the arrival of his wife from his country. The landlord has removed its furniture and air-conditioners to an unknown place after changing the key of the flat, he said. Al-Madinah's correspondent visited the place and contacted the landlord who said the issue is now with the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution. He said a real estate employee had cheated the tenants by renting them his flats to them while he was in Riyadh. The real estate employee, who took money from tenants after giving them fake agreements, has disappeared, the landlord said. "When I returned from Riyadh I saw some people in my flats and I came to know that somebody had rented them without my knowledge and was taking rents much lower than the market rate," he said.
