Crackdown on shared villas worries expats
A number of residents living in shared villas have expressed their worries about the recent crackdown by municipality inspectors.
The recent enforcement of Law No 4 for 1985 targets illegal modifications of villas and other buildings in violation of the originally-approved designs submitted when obtaining the license.
The campaign has not specified clearly any sharing of accommodation as one of its targets.
“Some villas are shared with a number of families with very minor modifications only to keep their privacy and there is no real change to the original building. Speaking from the perspective of a tenant, it is only about having a decent and affordable family unit,” said an Asian resident of one such villa.
Another expatriate pointed out that many employees came to the country as newly-married or with just one or two infants on a small budget for housing allowance and a room or two in a villa would meet their needs.
“The majority of new villas are built to accommodate more than one family with very little modification to the original design of the building. Some families of certain expatriate nationalities share apartments and make modifications inside the apartment to subdivide it into smaller housing units,” said a resident.
The campaign, according to unofficial sources, targets those residences overcrowded by inhabitants, whether families or bachelors, constructing smaller units in the areas which otherwise should be vacant or used as yards or corridors. These could be deemed as violations “because of negative social, health and safety consequences”.
Read the full article on Gulf Times
I want to know why QL has used a picture of my penthouse apartment for this post.
the report states 'very minor modifications'. any amendments to an approved building including a villa tantamount to a resubmission to Qatar CD for approval. 'very minor modifications' would likely to affect means of egress. This is not about distance or widths. Means of egress is more complicated than that. The entire villa occupancy classification is modified because of those partitions.
Do this structures look like villas or even shared villas. They are the work of greedy tenants and landlords who are out to make some quick money little knowing that this structures are a serious Fire and safety risk to the ones using this cramped places and to the others statying next to this structures
Their manager / head would find a solution for them ... Sat ,07.06.2014 , 10.30 hrs ...