ASIF IQBAL

DOHA

BARWA Masaken, a subsidiary of Barwa Real Estate, has defended its decision to implement a 10 percent rent hike at its affordable housing projects citing spiralling maintenance cost and plans to have new amenities and services at its housing projects as the reasons.

“For Barwa Mesaimeer, the rent hike would be effective from February and at Barwa Al Sailiyah it would be charged from July,” General Manager of Barwa al Sailiyah & Mesaimeer Limited Company Khalifa al Mohannadi told Qatar Tribune on Wednesday.

He said the rent had to be increased due to substantial increase in maintenance expenses pushed up by rising material costs. “We had been providing free maintenance in the last three years and adjustments in the rent had to be made to cover some operational and commercial costs,” al Mohannadi said.

Barwa has 1,984 two and three-bedroom apartments in both Mesaimeer and al Sailiyah complexes with rents of QR3,000 and QR3,500, respectively.

The two housing projects were a pioneering initiative in the country to provide affordable housing units to low and middle-income families, both nationals as well as expatriates.

Once the hike comes into effect, rents would go up to QR3,300 for two-bedroom and QR3,850 for three-bedroom apartments in both the complexes.