Gulf News

Manama, Jun 28: Bachelors are to be banned from living in certain buildings or areas of Manama, under a charter drawn up on Tuesday.

Landlords will need special licences to let accommodation to bachelors, under the Manama Municipal Council rules.

They will apply to single men or women of any nationality, including Bahraini, council chairman Murtada Bader said.

Municipality officials will have the right to evict any tenant in breach of the conditions.

The rules will stop landlords turning buildings in family areas into labour camps crammed full of workers, said Mr Bader.

Bachelors of opposite sexes will not be allowed to live in shared accommodation. Single people of either sex will not be allowed to live in family-oriented buildings, unless families in the property agree otherwise.

Landlords will need special municipality certificates to rent out to bachelors. Bachelor accommodation must provide personal space for each tenant of not less than 12 square metres and a bathroom for every five residents.

Landlords will no longer be allowed to rent rooftops to bachelors. Bader said the new rules would now be formally submitted to Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Ali Saleh Al Saleh. Once he agrees, they will be enforced.

Councillors will designate family and bachelor areas in their constituencies, said Bader.

Single tenants already living in family areas would not be allowed to renew their leases and would have six months to a year to find alternative accommodation after their leases expire.

The crackdown follows complaints from families about large numbers of bachelors living in residential areas committing crimes, immoral behaviour and causing noise and other disturbances.