Residential buildings in the Kingdom lack proper management
NOT HAPPY with conditions in your apartment building? Are your neighbors causing you distress? You are far from being alone. A couple that fight day and night, their shouting matches heard all over the building, carelessly discarded trash bags on landings, dirty staircases or an elevator that always breaks down … These are all are very aggravating problems that many people can identify with, but no one — neither residents nor property owners is willing to take responsibility.
When people rent or buy apartments in Saudi Arabia, one major problem causes endless difficulties for residents: the lack of organized property management. Property owners are charging what they want for rent and some are selling apartments at exorbitant prices, but what are they giving in return? Surely their role does not end at just providing living space? Here, there are no clear laws governing the establishment of property management or residential associations that set rules to protect tenants. Government agencies such as local municipalities should perhaps consider not giving building licenses to property developers unless they include a clause stipulating the requirement for building management. In return, landlords should be entitled to charge maintenance fees to fund building management. Some high-end luxury apartment buildings already have a management team, such as the residential towers in the Cornish district in Jeddah. But those are few, compared to the vast amount of various types and class of residential buildings in the Kingdom.
Property managers protect people who buy apartments, by dealing with any difficulties that may arise in the building, whether problems with the construction, plumbing, faulty elevators, sanitation or difficult neighbors. The role of property managers is to find solutions for problems as they arise, and residents are not left to take matters in their own hands, especially if there is tension or lack of discourse between neighbors.
Perhaps the current lack of management in residential apartments for sale makes many people apprehensive and think twice about buying; I certainly would be. Should landlords not be obligated by local authorities to create a management team? Alternatively, residents should have the right to set up a residents’ association. This has been in practice since the 19th century in the West. In broad terms, an association is a gathering of tenants in the same building, with a chairman, and a secretary. This is in order for residents to meet regularly and discuss any matters that may arise in their building. The board of the association will take it up with the landlord, management, or even relevant government offices and demand proper solutions for them. Of course they should have legal backing in the first place.
To sum up the idea, the whole aim of management and residents’ associations is not only to protect tenants and landlords’ rights alike, but also to keep residential buildings in reasonably good condition so as they do not lose value, and remain suitable habitats for families.
However, in the end, there has to be total willingness from all parties involved to cooperate together. Least we forget, Islam encourages respect for the mutual rights and duties of neighbors, Muslims and non-Muslims, Arabs and non-Arabs alike. As it says in the holy Qur’an: “And (be good) to the neighbor who is your relative and to the neighbor who is not a relative....” (Qur’an; 4:36)
