DOHA: Concerned over a reported hike in rents from October this year, a number of tenants of Barwa “affordable” housing complex in Assailiya yesterday held a meeting to discuss the issue.
It was decided that a committee will be formed that will launch a signature campaign against the company’s move.
The signatures of the tenants are to be collected and a joint plea is planned to be made to the Barwa management to reconsider their decision.
This is the second time in two years that the company plans to raise the rent of its housing units in Assailya and Mesaimeer complexes.
Both the complexes were built by Barwa when house rents were peaking in the country at historic highs some years ago, making it difficult for limited-income families to afford respectable rented homes. The company dedicated the complexes exclusively to limited income families, both expatriates and Qataris.
The tenants were, however, shocked when in 2011 the company suddenly announced a 10 percent rent hike citing soaring maintenance costs.
Media reports said citing company sources that the management planned to raise the rent of Assailiya and Mesaimeer units by 10 percent from October as maintenance costs were escalating due to misuse of the property by tenants.
There are about 2,000 housing units in both Assailiya and Mesaimeer complexed and they are both two and three-bedroom apartments. Tenants in the Mesaimmer complex said they had not held any meeting so far and that they had not been officially notified about the rent hike.
“We have checked the notice board. There is no intimation put out there. We haven’t also received any direct communication from the company about the rent raise,” a tenant said.
He said when the company raised the rent the last time, notices were sent to individual tenants. The Peninsula
