Muscat: Apart from the loss of revenue to the Muscat Municipality, experts say that the absence of building contracts can deprive the expatriate tenants of their rights to obtain government facilities.
The major hindrance, they point out, is in obtaining a family joining visa for which a tenancy agreement is mandatory.
Many individual landlords, especially those who own villas and flats that are old, do not want tenancy agreements to be signed to avoid the mandatory five percent registration fee to the municipality.
And expatriates in the low bracket of salaries opt for such accommodations where the rent was fixed at a bargain and is comparably very low.
“The government has already made lease agreements mandatory for visa and other residency related services. Hence it is advised that expatriates insist for registration of the contracts even if the landlords are not willing to do so,” said Mohamed al Kiyumi, a law expert.
More government services are expected to be linked with the tenancy agreements and electricity bills, he said. According to Royal Oman Police, a copy of the residential lease agreement or document confirming the place of residence is a must for applying for a family joining visa.
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