RIYADH — The head of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) said the real estate industry was in a bad state and demanded fixed regulations for governing the sale and rent of property, Makkah daily reported. Muflih Al-Qahtani said: “The rent prices are unregulated and left to the landlord to decide. “This has caused many incidents in which the landlord would suddenly ask double the rent from tenants, who had to pay up otherwise they would be evicted." He believed there should be an executive directorate that protected landlords and tenants' rights. “Moreover, the Kingdom should have a higher authority dedicated to real estate in the Kingdom. “It should also have an official quasi-governmental real estate company.” Al-Qahtani said such a company would regulate construction and contracting in the real estate industry and keep prices in the sector low. “An official directorate as such will have the power to negotiate with architecture authorities and regulate rents. “The company will also provide more than 1 million job opportunities and introduce new products into the local market.” Head of the Saudi Association of Real Estate Sciences Khalid Bin Sukait demanded that all real estate projects must be planned before they are executed. “Any citizen whose real estate investment decreased in value should be compensated by the municipality because it is responsible for the price drop. “The municipality is responsible for regulating the buildings being constructed in a city. “The municipality must evaluate the necessary facilities of each neighborhood and not approve construction projects randomly.” An imbalanced neighborhood would contain a 5,000 square meter mansion and an apartment building with 40 families situated across the street from it, said Bin Sukait. Naif Arabic University faculty member Faisal Al-Sumairy said real estate planning in the Kingdom is conducted in a random manner. He said too many uninformed decisions were being made, such as increasing building floors despite the lack of an adequate sewage system and licenses being issued to shops without parking spaces. He said this is why the real estate market lacks investors. “There is a great need for a higher authority to set regulations, control and unify all real estate agencies and protect landlords and tenants' rights,” said Al-Sumairy. NSHR Secretary-General Khalid Al-Fakhry said there is a lack of regulations in the Kingdom with regard to real estate. He said: “Violators should be penalized, as violation of rights is a serious matter.”
