Agents dupe Msheireb residents
Agents have been found to be collecting rents from tenants in Msheireb, where electricity was disconnected, including families, even though the property owners agreed to let tenants reside for free.
“Though some of us were willing to move out six months ago after being served notices by the owners to vacate the premises where we stayed some of the agents (rent collectors) misled us with assurances that we could remain there at least for another two-three years,” said a person who had moved out of the place more than a month ago.
The expatriate said only a few days before he eventually left the place that he and his friends realised that the building owner had actually allowed the tenants to stay there for free. However, it was found out that in the six months since they received notice for eviction the entire money collected as rents went to the agent(s).
A similar situation is still going on in the same area, according to the sources among the residents.
When a demolition of a larger magnitude was announced by authorities in the city’s now defunct Abdulla Bin Thani area five years ago, the owners of the properties had intimated both the commercial and residential tenants there not to pay rents anymore.
Thus many tenants were fortunate to remain in their properties without paying for more than a year or so.
