DOHA: Around 150 private properties in Qatar have been identified for hosting FIFA World Cup 2022 fans in the first phase of a housing programme that seeks to develop additional facilities to accommodate more than one million people projected to attend the football spectacle in 2022.
These properties, which include fully-furnished, complete and undivided buildings, towers and residential complexes, will add 15,000 rooms to the existing pool.
Earlier, the Government Housing Department at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) have signed a memorandum of understanding for the lease of residential real estate to provide accommodations for fans and visitors during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which is scheduled to kick off in November.
According to the memorandum of understanding, the joint work team received a number of lease requests from real estate owners, and reviewed, studied and evaluated them.
The SC said in a statement that work is currently underway to sign contracts with real estate owners within the government housing programme through renewable five-year contracts that include the championship period and beyond, provided that they are used after the championship within the government housing program.
In line with Qatar National Vision 2030, the programme, when its phases are complete, is expected to provide the real estate needs of government housing for a long period.
Minister of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs, HE Yousuf Mohammed Al Othman Fakhroo, said that the Ministry is pleased to complete the first phase of the project and secure thousands of rooms for guests of the State of Qatar through cooperation with the private sector during the championship and then take advantage of these houses for government housing requirements.
The Minister added that the Ministry will continue to work with real estate owners in the private sector in the country to inspect their properties and determine their compliance with the residency standards for hosting for the visitors and fans of the championship.
He said the online application portal is still open, inviting real estate owners to register as soon as possible to take advantage of this distinctive opportunity.
SC Secretary-General Hassan Al Thawadi, said for hid part, that they succeeded in securing thousands of rooms more than two years before the start of the first World Cup in the Middle East and the Arab World as a result of cooperation with the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs.