Riyadh- Mohammed Jamous: </The Riyadh Municipality has intensified its efforts, in coordination with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, to confront the phenomenon of dividing residential units on villas, buildings and apartments into multiple rental units without obtaining the necessary licenses, which constitutes a great burden on infrastructure and public services, and negatively affects the quality of life in residential neighborhoods.
Extensive control campaigns and regular penalties
As a result of abuses and violations that affected some villas and upper annexes within neighborhoods, turning them into multiple rental units without regular licenses or application of requirements, Riyadh Municipality launched a wide campaign that included 134 control rounds in the scope of 15 sub-municipalities, which resulted in issuing violation notices in all visited sites. These campaigns come within the framework of the Municipality's commitment to improve the urban landscape and achieve the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to promote sustainable urban development.For its part, the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing confirmed that the secretariats and municipalities continue to monitor and address these violations, through the implementation of field monitoring tours at the regional level, in addition to the digital reports and reports received through the «Baladi» application, within an advanced monitoring system that allows effective control of violations, while taking legal measures against those responsible.
For its part, the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing confirmed that the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing continues to monitor and address these violations.
Highlights of violations
In a press release, the ministry explained that the most prominent violations include re-dividing residential units into smaller parts, opening internal doors, and modifying exits without obtaining the necessary licenses, stressing that these violations are considered a breach of public safety and negatively affect the infrastructure and municipal services, as well as the social and economic balance in cities, stressing that the fine for dividing residential units without a license may reach up to 200,000 riyals.
Risks to public safety
For his part, real estate specialist Matar Al-Shammari warned of the serious risks that result from the irregular and random division of buildings. Al-Shammari explained, during a television intervention, that these practices pose a direct threat to public safety, as they may lead to the weakening of the building's structural structure, especially the load-bearing columns, putting it at risk of collapse or loss of structural cohesion.Al-Shammari pointed out, during a television intervention, that these practices pose a direct threat to public safety. Al-Shammari pointed out that buildings are designed and implemented according to accurate engineering plans, and any unauthorized intervention may cause serious damage that is difficult to repair later. He also noted the negative effects of these violations on the comfort of residents, confusing the management of the building, and hindering the efforts of owners" associations in regulating the relationship between residential units and the service department."
Tackling irregular practices
<The campaigns aim to ensure a better quality of life for residents of the capital, Riyadh, and address irregular practices that negatively affect the quality of residential use and the socio-economic balance in cities. The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing invites citizens and residents to report any violations or abuses of this kind through official channels, within the framework of an advanced monitoring system that allows for effective control of violations and taking legal action against those responsible.Ministry of Municipalities and Housing.
