Director of Government Housing and Buildings Department at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, Mubarak Hamdan al-Arabeed, said that both the Department and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) welcomed the owners wishing to support the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and co-operate through a programme to rent their properties, in accordance with the memorandum of understanding signed between the Department and the SC recently to lease residential buildings to provide accommodation for visitors during the tournament.
Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), al-Arabeed explained that rental period will last for at least five years, which is the period of the contracts that will be concluded with the owners.
The rented properties will be used for the requirements of the World Cup, and will later be used to accommodate employees through the government housing programme.
Work is currently underway to receive the requests of properties' owners wishing to register in government housing, inspect the property, and sign contracts with the owners approved by the committee, he added, noting that applications will be closed once the required numbers of properties completed.
All properties are expected to be received between August 2021 to January 2022.
The Qatari society, with all its members and institutions, are main partners and supporters to organize an exceptional version of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 that is worthy of the name of Qatar and strengthening its position on the global sporting arena.
In this context, the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy signed a memorandum of understanding in March aimed at providing more accommodation options and granting investment opportunities to real estate owners in the private sector by offering their properties to host visitors and fans during the tournament, and then getting the benefit in the long term through government housing.
The Director of Government Housing and Buildings Department noted that the owners wishing to rent their properties can apply through the SC platform, whether it is for a residential building or a residential complex.
He explained that the stages of application start by submitting the request through the SC platform, where the committee verifies the specifications of the properties, then sends a joint work team for inspection.
The team will classify the properties and determine the rental value in accordance with the determined government housing prices, then the owner will be notified of the rental value, provided that communication is made by the Government Housing and Buildings Department with the owners to complete the necessary documents.
Pointing to the most important conditions required for the rented properties for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, al-Arabeed said that the housing units must be furnished with acceptable and integrated furniture, and must be ready in the required period, noting that the rest of the requirements are mostly the same required through the government housing programme.
In the framework of the joint team received recently a number of applications from the owners wishing to rent their properties.
The team studied and valued the applications, and initially approved more that 150 properties varied between flats, towers, fully furnished residential complexes (complete and undivided), thus providing 15,000 rooms.
For her part, SC Vice-Chairman for Operation Affairs Fatima Fakhro said that Qatar promised the world to provide a unique, amazing and accessible experience for everyone during the World Cup Qatar 2022, and accommodations and their facilities constitute one of the pillars of this experience.
Fans and visitors will be offered a variety of accommodation options.
In this context, "we always strive to fulfil this commitment, as our efforts continue to expand accommodation options that suit everyone during the tournament. We also look forward to offering various accommodation options that meet the aspirations of all visitors and fans and suit their budgets and tastes, bearing in mind two main goals: to provide an unparalleled fan experience, and the sustainability of the accommodation options, which ensure that no facilities will be useless after the end of the tournament in 2022."
In remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Fakhro said that in light of the expectations that Qatar will receive about 1.5mn fans during the tournament, "we have been keen on diversifying accommodation options for fans and visitors coming to Qatar to attend the World Cup matches, including innovative accommodation options to ensure that all guests experience an integrated and comfortable stay.
These options include three to five-star hotel rooms all over Qatar, in addition to hotel rooms on board cruise ships floating in the waters of the West Bay, in the context of the agreement signed by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy and the MSC Cruises in November last year to rent two ships during the tournament, which will kick off its first match on November 21, 2022, in Qatar, she added.
The capacity of the two ships is about 4,000 rooms, allowing guests the opportunity to stay in these two floating hotels, anchored in the Doha Port, offering the opportunity to enjoy a breathtaking view overlooking the Arabian Gulf skyline.
In addition, the committee is preparing two to three villages for the fans, and renting residential properties in co-operation with the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, represented by the Government Housing and Buildings Department.
Fakhro underlined the SC keenness on providing sustainable housing solutions, noting that the ship is the first in the MSC fleet that runs on liquefied natural gas, in addition to being the most environmentally friendly ship of the fleet because it is designed in a way that reduces gas emissions to the minimum, and is equipped with advanced systems for waste and water treatment as well as a range of modern environmental technologies to ensure clean greenhouse gas emissions and reduce their negative impact on the environment.
"Within the framework of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy's endeavor to prepare innovative accommodation options during the World Cup, we assure that football fans from around the world are on a date with a unique residence experience represented in the fans' villages, which are desert camps that combine the past with the present and the future and provide luxury accommodation, entertainment and cultural tourism.
The guests will learn about the traditions, heritage and authentic Qatari hospitality," she continued.
Online application is still open for owners of properties to register and benefit from this unique opportunity.
