KSA construction sector critiqued for poor quality standards
Real estate firms and buyers have filed complaints against a number of construction companies
Building and residence owners have complained about the lack of quality in the Kingdom’s construction.
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Contracting companies in KSA are facing flak for the low quality of construction labor and raw material used in the construction of many buildings, some of which are up for sale.
According to Arab News, buyers and real estate companies filed complaints against many companies, blaming them of low quality construction, breach of terms of the signed contract, employing cheap construction material, delayed project delivery and evasion or failure by contractors to complete their project after initiation.
Buyers and tenants claimed fraud on the basis of dissimilarities between agreed terms of signed contracts versus their actual implementation. The absence of an official entity aggravated and contributed to this prevalent malpractice in the market.
“I saw many cracks in the ceiling of my house only six months after its construction even though I settled my accounts with the contracting company”, claimed another home-owner, Mohammad Al Hayani.
“He refused to compensate us for the botched job and disregarded the terms of the contract, saying there was no point of reference that rules the terms of the contract,” he added.
Abdulaziz Al-Sharif, owner of a contracting company feels the sector is facing heavy activity which affects delivery and payment. He also insists the sector is facing the stress of labor issues such as the rising fee of expat labor, which thus get added to building owners’ costs.
“Contracting companies are mainly concerned with making profits and are prepared to use low quality material to achieve this end”, claimed Abu Salem, the owner of a building-under-construction. “We are left with many mistakes when contractors finish their work, including cracks in walls and ceilings.”
Raed Al-Aqili, deputy chairman of the Contractor’s Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Trade and Industry said, “building stability is one of the most important aspects of construction, which means it has to enjoy high quality specifications”.
He recommended the employment of expert designers because of their knowledge of raw material to achieve better results. The issue has garnered awareness given that the country’s construction sector is the second largest domestic product after oil, with its returns estimated at $26.63 billion.
