Rogue landlords are exploiting tenants in Kuwait who do not understand letting laws by hiking rents.
Expats were quizzed about letting rules in Kuwait by the local media, and most were unsure and some believed landlord law from their home country also applied in the Gulf state.
Under Kuwaiti law, landlords can double the rent every five years, either in one go or by increments.
A flood of expats is also blamed for soaking up empty properties and allowing landlords to charge higher rents.
Many tenants fear reporting rule breaking to the authorities as they may risk losing their home.
Another problem is ‘haris’ who keep a look out for vacant homes and charge tenants a fee for the information so they can approach the landlord.
Another factor increasing demand is the forced demolition of apartment blocks that have outlived their useful life in Riggai and Abbasiya.
The government is due to make housebuilding and housing law reform a priority as some families can wait up to 15 years for a government home.
More than 107,000 families are on the waiting list and the list is increasing by around 9,000 families a year.
One of the main factors leading to the housing shortage is government policy. Most land is allocated to oil and gas exploitation, leaving little land for developing the housing the country needs for expat workers and nationals.
The government has announced plans to build 140,000 new homes by 2020.
Thousands of illegal expats employed by government
Expats in Kuwait have also hit the local headlines for taking jobs on illegal work visas.
Although almost 20,000 Kuwaitis are jobless, 1,150 illegal residents are employed in the public sector.
Most are employed in healthcare (643), while the rest are spread among several public services.
Just over 300 work for the education ministry, while between 20 and 50 have jobs with the ministries of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Labour, Electricity and Water.
The government also confessed that thousands more illegal residents are employed by the military and defence ministry.
The unemployment rate has dropped in the first half of 2013, to 20.7% from 21.5%.
Most Kuwaitis without work are women – 15,400 against just 3,200 men.
Ration cards for expats
Meanwhile, in case of a national emergency, the Kuwaiti government is issuing all expats with free ration cards that entitle them to food for a week – but only in the neighbourhood where they live.
The move follows a national census collecting data on all expats.
