"Renters cannot renew ID because address doesn't exist'

Illegal constructions or negligence by the landlord can result in serious problems for tenants. Robin is one of hundreds if not thousands of tenants who have faced a problem registering their new addresses. "Two months after I moved from my old building in Salmiya to a new building - also in Salmiya - my residency was expiring. So during the renewal process, I took my new rental contract to the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) to change my address. When I handed the application form to the staff, after checking the system, she said that there is no fifth floor for this building. So I took back the application and said I will check the issue," Robin told Kuwait Times.

He then realized there was something wrong with his building. "I went to the haris to ask him what to do and what was wrong, but he simply suggested changing the number of my flat in the application to one on the first or second floors. He didn't explain anything, and gave an excuse about delayed paperwork. So I ended up keeping my old address although I live in a different place," Robin said.

The new building where Robin now lives also doesn't have a PACI number plate. As this address is registered at PACI for a building consisting of three floors, this either means that the new building was built in this place illegally or the landlord didn't bother to register it at the municipality. In both cases, tenants are facing a problem and can't resolve the situation.

According to Ahmad from the public relations department of PACI, the tenant has to provide a valid official rent contract signed by the landlord and the ID number of the building. "The tenant is not allowed to change their address without the identification number of the building. The correct procedure is that the landlord registers the building at the municipality immediately after completing construction works. PACI will then enter the data in the system including the exact address and the number of flats," explained Ahmad.

PACI is not responsible if the building is not registered by the landlord. "We don't have the legal authority to enforce the landlord to do so. We also can't register the address of any tenant of a building that doesn't have an identification number. We can only advise the tenant in such cases to complain at the municipality, as they are in charge of this matter," added Ahmed.

Renters, especially expatriate renters, have little recourse for resolving the matter. They rarely understand or can find out the legal requirements for a rental contract, especially if they don't speak Arabic or relatively new to Kuwait. Moreover, once the contract is signed and deposit and rent paid, they may not be in a position to move and most never meet the building landlord but deal only with the haris (caretaker).
The municipality didn't respond to Kuwait Times' queries regarding this matter.

By Nawara Fattahova