By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: The coronavirus pandemic continues to ruin the lives of thousands of people. Sara, an expat employee working in the private sector, is one of many people seriously affected by the outbreak. She lives in a building where the landlord didn't waive the rent, and she has no income as she left her job three months ago.

Sara resigned in February to start a new job in a different company in March. Then the pandemic changed everything. "Now I stay without air-conditioning, as the landlord stopped it because I couldn't pay the rent. I couldn't pay as I didn't receive my indemnity from the old job, because I can't transfer my residency to the new company. So basically the last salary that I received was in January," she told Kuwait Times.

"The landlord is not helping me although I explained the whole situation and told him that I will pay all the rent when I receive my indemnity. Now only renewals are possible, so I can't transfer my visa. I hope the situation will get back to normal soon," added Sara.

The landlord is not allowed to evict the tenant for not paying the rent in this situation as he can't issue an order from the court to vacate the flat, as the courts are not working now. But after the courts start working again, he can take legal action. This is why he chose to cut the AC as a way to force her to pay or leave. But such action is also illegal.