Due to the high cost of rent I had to move back to Mahboula area from the city area and after a few days I realized it is ghetto and a scary place for families to live. I took the apartment directly from the Kuwaiti owner which meant I avoided paying the illegal finder fees to the haris and/or company who doesn't do anything but give you an address and expect half month rent as a payment for doing nothing. I was told it was a family building and after moving in and taking more time to see who lives in the building I saw that there were a few families but also some shady characters.
I took a drive around the area and saw that the area is a dumping ground for construction companies as you see from the pyramid style dumping heaps. There are abandoned cars and crap everywhere, I didn't see this area in the 'Kuwait through our eyes' video!
It is also an area full of bachelor laborers who stare at women to a point that it becomes a little frightening. I don't let my daughter or housemaid go down at all even though the bakala is two feet from my car. I don't understand how it is ok for family areas to be swamped with bachelors to the point of it becoming dangerous. With the prices of rent being more than 50% of people's income there is no other alternative but to go to these kinds of areas to try and catch a break. Although I hate moving, it may be coming up as soon as I can find something else.
Abu Alhassany, which is supposedly a high-end area, has a similar scene but at a lesser degree with regards to being a dirty dumping ground.
ReplyDeleteRents in Kuwait are becoming INSANE. I never thought I would have a room mate again, but here I am because my rent equates to a mortgage payment on a mansion in the US. I can recommend some good realtors if you are interested. Sorry you're having a hard time.
ReplyDeleteIts for the same reason that you moved to a cheaper place that there are so many bachelors. It is not exactly their fault. Most of them would have family and kids that have been sent home because they cannot afford to keep them here on their 100 or 200 or 300 KD salary when even a dependent visa + medicals cost more than that. How can they keep their wife and kids in Kuwait when rents are so high. There are many families who sent their families home after the recent round of rent increases turning them into bachelors. What are the bachelors expected to do. Live in the desert ?
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of things that need to be done before the situation turns nasty
- Reduce rents which are increased only because of profiteering by Kuwaitis without any ethical or moral scruples.
- Legalise prostitution and decriminalise sex outside marriage so that those who need it have an outlet rather than making it an unsafe environment for families and children.
- Increase salaries by large percentages for low wage earners to help them keep their families in Kuwait. People who earn big salaries should take a bigger pay cut. There are a few people who get 3000 to 5000 KD a month salaries in Kuwait for sitting in a office which is hardly justified.
I hear ya! I was facing similar issues when apartment hunting. We were looking for places near the seaside, Mahboula was on the list but thank god we didn't choose that dump. It is a shame to see such a prime positioned area turn into such a waste land.
ReplyDeleteI know this isn't much, but there's an instagram account @Q8needsyou who you can whatsapp pics around Kuwait and they'll tag the respective authorities. Not sure how effective but i've seen them make some difference. check out there website http://q8needsyou.com/index.php ; it's in both english and arabic.
good luck with finding another place......actually if your not Kuwaiti then i'm sure you'll be able to find a good place.
This is the one thing that drives me nuts about Kuwait, it's so dirty. For a country with the highest dollar they certainly don't take pride in cleanliness. Everyone is at fault for this mess on a macro and micro level.
ReplyDelete