http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article84243.ece
Widows, divorcees call for understanding by landlords
By DIANA AL-JASSEM | ARAB NEWS
Published: Jul 15, 2010 00:03 Updated: Jul 15, 2010 00:03
JEDDAH: Many landlords are hesitant to rent apartments to Saudi women who are widowed or divorced saying such women are unable to pay their rents on time.
The landlords also ask these women to bring their mahrams or legal guardians along with them when renting them apartments. As a result, many divorced and widowed women are often unable to rent houses. These women, who already live a difficult life without husbands to depend on, complain about the way they are being treated by society. They are also calling for affordable housing.
Huda, an Egyptian woman whose Saudi husband divorced her after 20 years of marriage, said she was left without any money after her husband left her. "When my rent was due, I told my landlord that I couldn't pay. He then phoned my ex-husband but to little avail. In the end, I was forced to vacate the apartment," she said.
"Where can I get SR26,000 a year when I have no job or steady income? The landlord paid for the electricity and water, asked me to leave and waived the outstanding rent. I was then forced to move in with a friend," she added.
Hala Al-Naser, a Saudi widow who lost her husband in a car accident, said life without any support is very difficult. "Not only it is very difficult for us to rent, even other tenants in these buildings do not want us. Some of the women think we're there to steal their husbands, which isn't true," she said, adding that some women accuse divorced and widowed women of bringing strange men into their homes.
Landlords also opt not to rent out to such women, saying they are often unable to pay rent and that they are there to make money.
Saleh Eid Al-Harbi, chairman of the board of the Al-Hajjas Real Estate Company, said landlords' wives pressure them not to rent out to divorced or widowed women. "Landlords often suspect they will not receive their rent on time. We offer to help widows and divorced women by finding cheap accommodation for them. We sometimes rent out apartments on their behalf and act as their legal guardians," he said.
Abu Abdullah, a landlord who owns four buildings in Jeddah, said he once rented an apartment to a divorced woman. "A few weeks later I began getting complaints from other residents that men were visiting the woman at night. When I confronted her, she simply told me it was none of my business. I was then forced to kick her out and promised myself I would not rent out to widows or single women," he said.
Haifa Khaled, a Saudi journalist who started the website, "Saudi Divorce Initiative," to discuss the plight of Saudi divorced and widowed women, said she knows of a large number of Saudi and non-Saudi women who are divorced or widowed and find it difficult to rent apartments.
"Most of those women are unable to afford to pay rents. We've called the Ministry of Social Affairs to offer these women cheap accommodation," said Khaled.
Khaled Abu-Rashed, a Saudi lawyer and vice president of the Paris-based International Justice Organization, said the real estate sector is an open market. "Landlords have the complete freedom to define prices. A tenant is a tenant regardless of his or her social status. Both male and female tenants should pay what their landlords charge," he said.
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